Malaysian defence minister and senior minister for security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that he was the victim of a "fake news" scheme aimed at disrupting ties between Malaysia and Singapore.
On June 13, Ismail said during a press conference that a mystery person had "dubbed" his voice and made it seem as though he said that only Singaporeans are not welcome in Malaysia, Malaysiakini reported.
According to the New Straits Times, he said:
"I've also been a victim myself. I purportedly said Singaporeans are not welcomed in Malaysia. The footage however was dubbed. Those who always follow this (press conference) would be able to identify how I sound, but Singaporeans may not be so familiar with my voice.
The footage made it sound like I told Singaporeans to stay away from Malaysia if they are here (in Malaysia) just to fill petrol and have dinner."
Calling it "highly malicious", Ismail also said, "Fact of the matter is our borders are still closed to all foreigners entering the country including from Singapore."
Ismail added that he had reported this case to the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Council (MCMC).
To date, it has opened 266 investigations on fake news linked to Covid-19.
Top image from NST YouTube channel.