Chinese media misreport Tiong's Parliament remarks as apology
The alcohol debacle took a twist today after the majority of Chinese-language media misreported Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing’s explanation in Parliament.
Almost all major Chinese-language publications erroneously reported that Tiong had apologised over an industry dinner he attended where alcohol was served.
The alcohol debacle took a twist today after the majority of Chinese-language media misreported Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing’s explanation in Parliament.
Almost all major Chinese-language publications erroneously reported that Tiong had apologised over an industry dinner he attended where alcohol was served.
Media outlets that carried the inaccurate reports included Sin Chew Daily, China Press, Guang Ming Daily, Oriental Daily, Kwong Wah Daily, Nanyang Siang Pau, the Chinese-language editions of The Malaysian Insight and Malay Mail.
8TV Mandarin News and radio station 988 also misreported the "apology" in their Facebook feeds.
This prompted a series of posts from former Selangor exco member Teng Chang Khim, who has been vocal on the issue, questioning Tiong's supposed "apology".
However, most of the media have since rectified or retracted their reports.
Tiong admits to 2 mistakes
Earlier today, Tiong acknowledged that he erred in not informing that Tourism Malaysia’s Global Travel Meet event on Oct 1 was handled by the private sector, not the government.
He expressed regret for any "confusion or misunderstanding" that may have caused public discomfort.
On the event backdrop, which had Tourism Malaysia’s logo, Tiong admitted that it should have been changed.
"I made a mistake because the logo was still there. My ministry and I regret the confusion that arose from this," Tiong told Parliament.
When contacted, Tiong's office confirmed with Malaysiakini that the minister did not issue an apology, contrary to what was reported by the Chinese-language media.
Two days ago, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim issued a stern reminder to Tiong and indicated that he did not accept Tiong’s explanation that the gala dinner was not a "government event".
