JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 13 — Police believe an early morning arson attack targeting several homes at an ethnic Rohingya settlement in Kulai Besar was triggered by racially provocative videos circulating on social media.
Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad confirmed that Molotov cocktails were hurled at the settlement, likely sparking localised fires along the perimeter fences of several residences.
“However, the fire was successfully extinguished and there were no injuries or other damage reported.
“Police have also received a report on the incident at 1.30am,” he said in a statement today.
Initial investigations indicate the attack could have been retaliation by individuals angered by two viral video clips circulating online.
Ab Rahaman said the footage showed a group of ethnic Rohingya youths issuing challenges for a street confrontation in the Kulai area.
“The individuals in the video also claimed that the Malay community lacked the courage to enter the area,” he said, adding that police also received a report on the videos.
In a related development, a Rohingya man in his 30s lodged a separate police report denying any involvement in the viral content, claiming that unidentified individuals had appropriated his photograph without consent to manufacture the provocative videos.
Ab Rahaman said police have launched investigations under both anti-arson statutes and cyber-crime laws.
“Police have opened two investigation papers regarding this incident. Investigators are probing the case under Section 436 of the Penal Code for mischief by fire or explosive substances.
“Police are also investigating the case under Sections 505(b) and 505(c) of the Penal Code that deal with statements, rumors, or reports that cause public mischief, fear, or communal incitement.
“The case is also being investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 regarding the improper use of network facilities,” he said.
The incident highlights escalating communal friction in Malaysia, where public and political attitudes toward the displaced Rohingya community have increasingly hardened from initial humanitarian sympathy to visible resentment.
Such hostility is frequently fuelled by online misinformation, unverified social media narratives, and localised discontent with suburban migrant enclaves.
Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, but currently hosts more than 126,000 registered Rohingya refugees through the UNHCR.