Attorney-General Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said on 12 Nov that investigations found no connection between Malaysian rapper Namewee and the death of Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh. The 42-year-old rapper will walk free on police bail on 13 Nov.
Mohd Dusuki told This Week in Asia that authorities discovered no leads showing Namewee played a role in causing Hsieh’s death in Kuala Lumpur. The Attorney General’s Chambers will act if new leads surface. Instructions for further investigations have been issued.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus confirmed that investigation papers on the murder probe reached the Deputy Public Prosecutor’s office on 12 Nov. Police are waiting for further directives.
Nine Days Behind Bars
Namewee—real name Wee Meng Chee—spent nine days in police custody. He walked into the Dang Wangi police headquarters around 2am on 5 Nov and was remanded for six days until 10 Nov. The remand got extended for three more days until 13 Nov.
He posted a video on social media vowing to cooperate with investigations outside the police station. “I will not run away,” he said. “I voluntarily reported to the authorities for the previous seven arrest warrants. I have never run away.”
Hsieh was found dead in a hotel bathtub on 22 Oct. Her body went to Kuala Lumpur Hospital for post-mortem examination.
The 31-year-old Taiwanese flew into Malaysia on 20 Oct to work on a video collaboration with Namewee. Police first classified the case as a sudden death but changed it to murder on 4 Nov.
Drug Charges and the Influencers’ Backgrounds
Police initially arrested Namewee for drug use and possession after seizing several pills during his arrest. He tested positive for Ecstasy, methamphetamine, ketamine and cannabis. The rapper has denied any links to Hsieh’s death or taking drugs.
Namewee has clashed with local police over the years for his controversial videos.
Hsieh built her following on TikTok and OnlyFans. Fans flocked to her provocatively dressed comedic content. Police confirmed that Hsieh’s remains are still in Malaysia. Her family appointed a lawyer to handle investigations in Malaysia because they’re too sick to travel, according to her publicist.
Namewee shot to fame in 2007 after posting music videos on social media. He’s racked up millions of followers over the years. He acted in films including Friend Zone and Nasi Lemak 1.0, and received a writer-director credit for the banned 2020 film Babi.
In 2021, the Johor-born rapper released “Fragile”, a song poking fun at Chinese nationalists. The song went viral among Mandarin-speaking audiences but Chinese authorities banned it within days, leading to his ban in China.
