Popular Malaysian rapper and filmmaker Wee Meng Chee, better known as Namewee, was detained Wednesday as part of a police investigation into the murder of Taiwanese social media influencer Hsieh Yu-hsin, his lawyer said.
According to the New York Post, Wee surrendered to authorities early Wednesday and will be held under remand for six days, according to his lawyer, Joshua Tay.
Police began searching for Wee after reclassifying Hsieh’s death as a murder based on new evidence. Local media reported that Wee was the last person seen with her before her death.
Wee, 42, was previously detained and separately charged with drug possession and use, which he has denied.
Hsieh, a former nurse known online as “Nurse Goddess,” arrived in Malaysia on October 20 for a four-day stay. Police are awaiting full post-mortem and toxicology reports before confirming her cause of death.
Wee said he was “deeply saddened” by Hsieh’s death but maintained his innocence. In an Instagram post following his surrender, he vowed to cooperate with authorities to “provide answers to the public and Hsieh’s family.”
“I hope that the investigation will be carried out thoroughly and with the utmost objectivity and fairness,” Tay said.
Known for his provocative and satirical work, Wee has faced multiple arrests over the years for controversial music videos and films touching on politics, race, and religion.
In 2007, he drew backlash for mocking Malaysia’s national anthem. In 2014, one of his films was banned for portraying national agencies negatively.
Wee was detained again in 2016 after releasing a music video titled “Oh My God,” which featured various places of worship and used the word “Allah.” Authorities said it disrespected Islam, but Wee said it promoted religious tolerance.
In 2018, he was detained over another video featuring dancers in dog masks performing “obscene” moves. Wee said his work criticized hypocrisy and abuse of power, not religion or race.
