Malaysian rapper Namewee remanded for 6 days over Taiwanese influencer’s death: Police

Malaysian police said on Nov 5 that singer Namewee has been detained at a Kuala Lumpur police station in connection with investigations into a

Taiwanese influencer’s death.

Dang Wangi police chief Sazalee Adam confirmed that the controversial singer was detained in connection with Ms Iris Hsieh’s death, adding that he will be remanded for six days until Nov 10.

The 42-year-old rapper, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, reported at the police station early on Nov 5. Wee said he had travelled to the Malaysian capital city from Johor Bahru for an appointment with the police.

“I will fully assist the police in their investigations, and be accountable to the public and the family of the deceased,” he wrote in Chinese on Instagram at around 1am on Nov 5.

“I will not run. When I was wanted seven times in the past, I turned up on my own each time, never running away.”

Wee also posted a selfie at the Dang Wangi police station, wearing his usual beanie and a black face mask. Images of him arriving at and entering the police post, and accompanied by men and women who were in two other cars, were posted by Malaysian daily China Press on Nov 5 just after 1am.

His lawyer, who emerged from the station after an hour, told reporters outside the station that Wee was safe.

Earlier on Nov 4, Kuala Lumpur police said Wee had gone missing, shortly after Ms Hsieh’s death was reclassified as murder, from the previous suspicion of a sudden death.

Ms Hsieh, 31, was found dead in a bathtub in a Kuala Lumpur hotel on Oct 22, and Wee was the last person seen with her before her death.

Wee had pleaded not guilty to drug-related charges on Oct 24, after being arrested for possession and drug use. He has also denied his involvement in Ms Hsieh’s death.

The singer, who went to university and started his music career in Taiwan, is a native of Muar, a town in Johor.

He has raised consternation with his songs, music videos and films touching on racial tensions and religious issues in Malaysia.

In 2016, he was

detained in Penang for four days

over accusations of shooting a music video that insulted religion. He first made waves in 2007 when he uploaded a version of Malaysia’s national anthem Negaraku, for which he was questioned by the police under the Sedition Act.

Wee also made headlines with a viral song, Fragile

, which took aim at China’s army of internet users dubbed “Little Pinks”, who attack companies or celebrities perceived to have insulted China. He was banned from Chinese social media platform Weibo after releasing the song.

Despite having been remanded by the police, Wee released a new song Very Handsome on Nov 5. It is unclear if the timing of the song’s release was planned before his arrest.