What we know about Malaysian rapper Namewee and the Iris Hsieh investigation
Malaysian rapper Namewee has been remanded after turning himself in at a Kuala Lumpur police station on Nov 5 to assist in the murder investigation of Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh Yu-hsin.
According to The Straits Times, Dang Wangi district police chief Sazalee Adam said in a statement that Namewee will remain in remand until Nov 10.
Rapper posts message before meeting police
Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, had posted on Instagram earlier, sharing a selfie outside what is believed to be a police station, sporting his trademark beanie and black face mask.
"I have now arrived at the police station, and from here on, I will fully cooperate with the police investigation to give an explanation to the public and the deceased's family", he wrote.
"I will not run. When I was wanted seven times in the past, I turned up on my own each time, never running away."
Why has he surfaced in the investigation?
Ms Hsieh was discovered dead around 1.40 pm on Oct 22, according to Malaysian paper The Star.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus said investigations showed that Namewee was last seen with the 31-year-old in a hotel room on Jalan Conlay.
"He was later arrested for alleged possession and use of drugs but was released after pleading not guilty to drug related charges at the Jalan Duta Court on Oct 24," he said on Nov 4.
According to another Malaysian outlet, Sin Chew Daily, Namewee and Ms Hsieh had been filming a video together and were discussing in the hotel room.
Ms Hsieh then went to the bathroom to take a shower alone, but allegedly did not come out after half an hour, prompting Namewee to check on her.
It was reported that he found her body after she did not come out of the bathroom and called the police. Her body was found in a bathtub without any water in the tub or on the floor.
Comm Fadil said the case was initially classified as sudden death but has been reclassified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code following suspicious findings, according to The Star.
Who is Namewee?
Namewee is a Malaysian hip-hop recording artist, composer, filmmaker, and actor. He hails from Muar, Johor, and studied as an undergraduate in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Known for courting controversy, Wee has made headlines both in Malaysia and abroad.
In 2016, he was arrested by authorities for filming a music video that allegedly insulted Islam, Malaysia's official religion.
A similar incident happened in 2018, where he was detained for a day over investigations on his music video that reportedly featured indecent dancing in front of the Perdana Putra, the office of Malaysia's Prime Minister.
In 2021, his music video, 'Fragile', a collaboration with Australian singer Kimberley Chen, went viral. Wee was subsequently boycotted in China, as the song's lyrics were perceived to be mocking the Chinese government.
