CORONAVIRUS WATCH
KUCHING: The police will not hesitate to take strict action against those who spread fake news pertaining to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Dev Kumar said that one such false case which had gone viral on social media had claimed that a patient was admitted to Timberland Medical Centre (TMC) here with coronavirus.
“A police report was made by the TMC management and we are currently investigating this under Section 505B of the Penal Code together with Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act,” he said.
According to him, Section 505B allows jail time of up to two years.
“Therefore, we urge netizens to verify news before spreading such information,” he said during a press conference after a State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) meeting at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is also JPBN chairman, reiterated that spreading fake news was very irresponsible and could cause alarm and disrupt people’s lives.
“It can cause a lot of confusion among the public,” he said, urging such parties to stop spreading fake news.
He said that other than the Health Ministry, JPBN would be the one to release official information on the Wuhan coronavirus.
