KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — The viral message claiming that Malaysia is the first Asean member country sanctioned by the United States (US) is fake, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi, the Unity Government spokesperson, said he received a confirmation from the US Embassy that the viral message was fake news, while international news agency Reuters also denied publishing a report containing such misinformation.
“Based on the denial by the Reuters press team on X (formerly Twitter) and the confirmation I received from the US Embassy, I confirm that the viral message is fake,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Earlier, Reuters denied publishing a report, which was widely circulated via WhatsApp, claiming that the US has made Malaysia the first country in the region to be listed as a state sponsor of terror.
“Any claims that Reuters reported that Malaysia is the first country in Southeast Asia to be listed by the United States as a state sponsor of terror are false,” the news agency posted on its X platform.
— Bernama
