MCMC urges Malaysians to delete Kuching school attack video, citing child protection law

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has asked anyone who uploaded or shared video of an attack on a teacher at an international school in Kuching to delete it immediately. The 16-year-old male student suspected of attacking the teacher with an axe on 21 October livestreamed the incident. Sarawak police will hold a press conference on 27 October.

What happened

Police received an emergency call on the MERS 999 line at 8.03am on 21 October, according to acting Sarawak police commissioner Saifullizan Ishak. A female teacher was injured in the hand. The case is being investigated under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, and Section 6(1) of the Explosives Act 1957, Malay Mail reported, citing The Borneo Post.

Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported that the student was believed to have brought firecrackers and is not an active student of Tunku Putra-HELP International School. The school said the teacher was not critically injured, is stable and is recovering. FMT also reported that the suspect was detained and later released on police bail.

Saifullizan said the livestream lasted 12 minutes and six seconds and has been taken down by MCMC.

What MCMC said

In a statement on 22 October, MCMC said spreading footage of violence involving children compromises the privacy and dignity of those involved and affects the emotional wellbeing of individuals and their families.

The commission gave two legal warnings:

• Disclosing the identities of children may breach Section 15 of the Child Act 2001.
• Spreading the content may also face action under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, if it breaches the law.

MCMC said it is working with social media platforms to curb the spread of the footage, and advised the public, including media practitioners, not to upload, share or recirculate it.

Other voices

• Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii asked the public and media to stop sharing videos, images or notes about the attack. He warned of a copycat effect, saying an attack that is livestreamed and shared thousands of times can give the attacker the notoriety he may be seeking.
• Sarawak Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Fatimah Abdullah said social media should not become a platform for public shaming. She said accountability and compassion are not mutually exclusive.
• Julau MP Larry Sng urged police to release information quickly, transparently and factually, with no cover-up, citing the Zara Qairina Mahathir case in Sabah.

What you can do

• If the video is on your phone, in a WhatsApp group or on your social media account, delete it and do not forward it again, even if you mean it as a warning.
• Do not circulate the teenager's name or photo.
• Wait for official information. Police say the press conference is on 27 October, with the time to be announced. Reporters were asked to send questions to the Sarawak police contingent beforehand.

Separate: student protection policy

This is a separate issue from the Kuching case, raised in Parliament the same day. In a written reply on 22 October, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the ministry is improving the Student Protection Policy, including the commitment document teachers are asked to sign. The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) had objected, saying the document could raise legal issues later, FMT reported.

For another online safety story, see Roblox age verification, MCMC studies age checks for online games.

Sources

• Malay Mail, MCMC warns against sharing Kuching school violence footage involving teen, cautions of legal action, 22 October 2026
• Malay Mail (The Borneo Post), Kuching school attack probe ongoing, police to hold press conference on Oct 27, 22 October 2026
• Malay Mail, Bandar Kuching MP urges public to stop sharing Kuching school attack videos, warns of copycat effect, 22 October 2026
• Malay Mail, Stop the shaming, Sarawak minister urges after Kuching school attack, 22 October 2026
• Free Malaysia Today, Remaja serang guru guna kapak di Kuching bukan pelajar aktif, 21 October 2026
• Free Malaysia Today, Ensure no cover-up over Kuching school attack, Sng urges cops, 22 October 2026
• Free Malaysia Today, Govt reviews student protection policy after teachers protest, 22 October 2026