Singapore blocks MalaysiaNow website over refusal to comply with POFMA correction on Pannir Selvam article

Access to MalaysiaNow’s website has been blocked in Singapore after the Malaysian news outlet refused to comply with a Correction Direction issued under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA).

The order to block access was issued on 17 November 2025 by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI), following instructions from the Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs, Edwin Tong.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) subsequently directed internet service providers in Singapore to restrict access to the site.

The Correction Direction, issued on 15 November, pertains to an article published by MalaysiaNow on 9 November 2025, authored by Sangkari Pranthaman, the sister of Pannir Selvam A/L Pranthaman, a Malaysian national who was executed in Singapore on 8 October 2025 for drug trafficking offences.

According to the Singapore government, the article contained five false statements concerning:

1. The legality of Pannir’s execution.

2. The lawfulness of denying him a Certificate of Substantive Assistance.

3. The conduct of the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in facilitating an interview with Malaysian police.

4. An allegation that a CNB officer wore a Malaysian police uniform during the interview and hid his identity.

5. Claims that Singapore Prison Service (SPS) officers attempted to mislead Pannir’s family about the return of his belongings.

MalaysiaNow was required to publish correction notices on its website and on all associated social media posts linking to the article. However, the outlet rejected the directive and did not comply.

In a joint statement on 17 November, the MDDI and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated: “MalaysiaNow has not complied. These are not actions that would be taken by any responsible media outlet with journalistic integrity.”

The IMDA has now issued Access Blocking Orders requiring all internet access providers in Singapore to disable access to MalaysiaNow’s website. This means that readers in Singapore are no longer able to reach the outlet’s site through normal channels.

In addition, the POFMA Office has issued Targeted Correction Directions to Meta Platforms, Inc., LinkedIn Corporation, and X Corp (formerly Twitter). These platforms are now legally required to communicate correction notices to all users in Singapore who have accessed — or will access — the MalaysiaNow article via their platforms.

The government explained the purpose of the Correction Direction, stating: “The CD requires MalaysiaNow to display the facts alongside the falsehoods published, enabling readers in Singapore to read both versions and make their own assessment.”

However, MalaysiaNow has forcefully rejected this characterisation. In a statement published on 15 November, the outlet criticised the Correction Direction as a foreign attempt to control its editorial content and social media output.

Editor Abdar Rahman Koya stated: “We do not take instructions from our own government; what makes them think we would take instructions from them?”

He described the directive as “draconian” and an 18-page document “littered with jargon and threats”, and rejected the POFMA Office’s detailed compliance requirements.

These included posting and pinning government-issued correction text to the article and its associated social media links. Instead, MalaysiaNow posted its own rebuttal to the allegations on the platforms referenced in the directive.

Under Singapore’s POFMA legislation, failure to comply with a Correction Direction constitutes a criminal offence. Individuals may be subject to fines of up to S$20,000, imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both.

The blocking of access to an online location is one of the law’s enforcement mechanisms when the Correction Direction is not followed.

This is not the first instance of the Singapore government taking such action. In 2020, the human rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) was similarly issued a Correction Direction after alleging that Singapore used unlawful execution methods in Changi Prison. After LFL refused to comply, its website was also blocked from access in Singapore.

LFL responded by filing two suits in the Malaysian courts. One of these, which sought a declaration that Singapore’s POFMA orders could not be enforced against Malaysian entities, was struck out by the Federal Court of Malaysia, which cited sovereign immunity.

However, a second suit concerning LFL’s freedom of expression under Malaysia’s Federal Constitution was allowed to proceed and remains ongoing.