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A FORMER Free Malaysia Today journalist, Rex Tan, was detained by police in the early hours of Friday following controversy over a question he posed at a public forum earlier this week.
Tan, 31, who resigned from FMT on Thursday morning, was arrested after presenting himself at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters. His lawyer, Rajsurian Pillai, confirmed that Tan was detained under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act, with investigations understood to be handled by Bukit Aman.
The incident stems from a public forum titled “Gaza Exposes the Complicity of International Actors”, held on Monday and featuring British politician George Galloway. Tan’s question during the event triggered widespread backlash on social media.
Following the criticism, Tan issued a public apology, acknowledging that his question had been poorly framed and inappropriate for the context of the discussion.
He said the question was “not structured properly” and admitted that he failed to “take into account its suitability for the discourse”, adding that it was raised without sufficient consideration of the sensitivities surrounding the issue.
“What I regret most is the act of touching on Chinese–Malay relations, something that was completely unnecessary and should never have happened,” he said.
Tan also conceded that he had fallen short of the professional standards expected of a journalist and appealed to the public not to target FMT Media or his family.
“I also hope ladies and gentlemen will take into account that my question did not use the term ‘apartheid’ and that I never intended to equate the situation of the Chinese community in Malaysia with the plight of the Palestinian people,” he said.
He added that this had been clarified when he was given a second opportunity to speak. “I had absolutely no intention of comparing the current situation of the Chinese community in Malaysia with the fate of the Palestinian people. I admit that such a comparison would not make sense,” he said.
Commenting on Tan’s detention, Malaysia Media Council deputy chair Premesh Chandran said that while Tan had made a mistake, the decision to arrest and detain him was excessive.
“He is already willing to cooperate with the investigation. Detention is unnecessary,” Premesh said, describing the action as “extreme and punitive”.
Earlier, the Malaysia Media Council had condemned acts of doxing, harassment and threats directed at journalists following the backlash against Tan.
FMT also issued an apology, stating that the organisation was unaware of Tan’s intention to pose the question and did not support the remarks made at the forum. - January 17, 2026