{"id":16,"date":"2026-11-03T05:06:56","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T05:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/?p=16"},"modified":"2026-11-03T05:06:56","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T05:06:56","slug":"politics-race-and-religion-pandemic-misinformation-courses-through-the-southeast-asian-internet-philsugar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/?p=16","title":{"rendered":"Politics, race, and religion: Pandemic misinformation courses through the Southeast Asian internet | PhilSugar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Infodemic Monitor<br \/>\nPolitics, race, and religion: Pandemic misinformation courses through the Southeast Asian internet<br \/>\nBy<br \/>\nJan Oledan<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nNicola Bariletto<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nSaiful Salihudin<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nMehulika Sitepu<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nJacob N. Shapiro<br \/>\n, January 25, 2021<br \/>\nIndonesia&#x27;s President Joko Widodo (third from right) sits with other world leaders. Credit: The Russian Presidential Press and Information Office via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 4.0.<br \/>\nFrom tales of allegedly dwindling<br \/>\nfood stockpiles<br \/>\nin Singapore to<br \/>\nIndonesian land<br \/>\nsupposedly being traded to China for precious supplies of vaccine, false narratives about COVID-19 have swirled around <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">sugar dating sites compared Philippines<\/a> the Southeast Asian internet for months.<br \/>\nNow, the misinformation ecosystem in Southeast Asia continues to thrive in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.<br \/>\nCOVID-19 is spreading at substantially different rates across the region\u2019s countries. Case numbers remain low in Singapore and Thailand, while cases in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines are at a high plateu or rising. Public emergency responses have come in different flavors, as well. Initially, Singaporean, Malaysian, and Thai authorities reacted swiftly by implementing various lockdown measures, which were broadly supported and relatively successful in containing the virus. Early re-openings in Indonesia were heavily criticized in light of the worrying infection rates. And public health measures in the Philippines are still constrained by insufficient testing and tracing capacity.<br \/>\nUnsurprisingly, politically motivated <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">find sugar daddies Manila<\/a> misinformation has incorporated COVID-19 as countries grapple with the pandemic. In the Philippines, common false narratives involve<br \/>\nforeign figures praising<br \/>\nDuterte and his government\u2019s response, while<br \/>\ndiscredit<br \/>\ning his political opposition through misattributed quotes and graphics. Civil society groups that have pushed back <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">sugar arrangement allowance<\/a> against Duterte\u2019s strongman government have been targetted with misleading Facebook posts that make it appear they<br \/>\nviolated quarantine rules<br \/>\n.<br \/>\nIn Malaysia, opposition leaders shared a chart of<br \/>\nfalse unemployment statistics<br \/>\n, claiming they were the highest in the country\u2019s history. In another instance, an<br \/>\nold group photo of members of parliament<br \/>\ncongregating in close proximity to each other and not wearing masks also made the rounds on social media. Posts falsely claimed the scene took place during the pandemic.<br \/>\nIn neighboring Indonesia, there were plenty of narratives surrounding President Joko Widodo, from rumors that he and his cabinet members were<br \/>\nsocializing<br \/>\nwithout proper distancing measures to accusations of<br \/>\nbartering Indonesian land<br \/>\nwith Chinese companies in exchange for vaccines.<br \/>\nIn Singapore, false stories on the government\u2019s inability to respond effectively to the pandemic began as early as January 2020, with claims that the city-state was<br \/>\nrunning out of face masks<br \/>\nor that the city-state was<br \/>\nunable to trace<br \/>\nnew sources of the virus, which the government disputed. A Facebook<br \/>\nvideo<br \/>\nwith thousands of views claimed that members of the opposition Workers\u2019 Party held a rally in July during the pandemic when, in fact, the video was of a victory parade in 2012.<br \/>\nCOVID-19 misinformation in the region also has a racial and anti-immigrant undertone. Stories on WhatsApp in Singapore reported that undercover authorities were conducting spot checks to<br \/>\nprevent gatherings during Eid<br \/>\n, a Muslim holiday. The stories were false, according to the fact-checking operation Black Dot Research, which investigates claims on Singaporean social media. Migrant workers, who tested postiive for the virus, have been falsly accused in misleading Facebook posts for not following isolation rules. They were also accused, without evidence, of<br \/>\nintentionally getting sick to stay in the country<br \/>\n. Singapore\u2019s significant expat population was also targeted with false stories about how they were<br \/>\ntreated harshly<br \/>\nfor flouting the country\u2019s sudden lockdown response.<br \/>\nFalse narratives about<br \/>\nethnic Rohingya refugees<br \/>\nin Malaysia reflects anti-immigrant sentiment in the country.<br \/>\nEarly in the pandemic, Malaysian authorities<br \/>\nturned away a boat<br \/>\ncarrying over 200 Rohingya refugees; in another case,<br \/>\nmigrants were rounded up<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nsparking a massive public debate that dominated social media and news channels in Spring 2020. At the time, there were widespread false reports that<br \/>\nCOVID-19-positive Rohingya refugees<br \/>\nattended mass religious gatherings, that migrants<br \/>\nflouted lockdown rules<br \/>\nby praying together, and that<br \/>\nmigrants received financial assistance<br \/>\nto stay in Malaysia.<br \/>\nIn Indonesia, false narratives have taken on an anti-Chinese sentiment. False rumors spread about the government facilitating an<br \/>\ninflux of Chinese workers<br \/>\nwho supposedly had the underlying motive of<br \/>\nwiping out the nation<br \/>\nby deliberately spreading the virus. Narratives also critiqued and commented on Indonesia\u2019s agreement to conduct clinical trials for a Chinese coronavirus vaccine. Some false messages claimed that Indonesia was the only country willing to be \u201cthe guinea pig\u201d and that China was<br \/>\nrunning out of monkeys<br \/>\nto test on and <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">sugar daddy bio examples<\/a> had turned to the Indonesian population instead.<br \/>\nFalse narratives also followed religious lines, reflecting the religious diversity of the region. Malaysia and Indonesia, which are close in geography, culture, religion, and language, saw the spread of similar false narratives and stories. Some claimed that Islam was the answer to the pandemic. A Facebook video with an Indonesian caption purportedly showed musicians of various religions reciting the Islamic names of god, supposedly a sign that people had finally gotten wise about how to get through the pandemic. In reality, the clip was repurposed video from an earlier concert in Istanbul. In a similar vein, another old video-this time shot in Azerbaijan-falsely claimed to show the first<br \/>\nIslamic call to prayer<br \/>\nin Spain in 500 years. According to<br \/>\nAFP<br \/>\n, the Indonesian caption read: \u201cAfter it was prohibited in Spain (Andalusia) 500 years ago, azan was called for the first time yesterday (March 28, 2020) in the land where Islam used to be victorious, and this happened when the coronavirus crisis becomes global.\u201d The video was shared more than 600 times.<br \/>\nOne widely shared conspiracy theory that spread on Indonesian social media proposed that the pandemic was manufactured by the<br \/>\nglobal elite<br \/>\nto stop the rise of Islam. Another WhatsApp message in Muslim-majority Malaysia warned Muslims that the pandemic was a sign of the end of times and that believers ought to repent.<br \/>\nThe trajectory of coronavirus cases, lockdown measures, and misinformation narratives reflects the diverse history, politics, and culture of Southeast Asia. Misinformation has adapted with the times.<br \/>\nAs the coronavirus crisis shows, we need science now more than ever.<br \/>\nThe Bulletin elevates expert voices above the noise. But as an <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">top sugar dating platform Philippines<\/a> independent, nonprofit media organization, our operations depend on the support of readers like you. Help us continue to deliver quality journalism that holds leaders accountable.<br \/>\nYour support of our work at any level is important<br \/>\n. In return, we promise our coverage will be understandable, influential, vigilant, solution-oriented, and fair-minded. Together we can make a difference.<br \/>\nSupport the Bulletin<br \/>\nKeywords:<br \/>\nCoronavirus<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nInfodemic Monitor<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nSoutheast Asia<br \/>\n,<br \/>\ndisinformation<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nfact-checking<br \/>\nTopics:<br \/>\nAnalysis<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nDisruptive Technologies<br \/>\nShare:<br \/>\n[addthis tool=\u201daddthis_inline_share_toolbox\u201d]<br \/>\nLeave a Reply<br \/>\nCancel reply<br \/>\nYour email address will not be published.<br \/>\nRequired fields are marked<br \/>\n*<br \/>\nComment<br \/>\n*<br \/>\nName<br \/>\n*<br \/>\nEmail<br \/>\n*<br \/>\nWebsite<br \/>\n\u0394<br \/>\nJan Oledan<br \/>\nJan Oledan is a Research Specialist at the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project based in Princeton, New Jersey. He holds a master\u2019s degree in &#8230;<br \/>\nRead More<br \/>\nNicola Bariletto<br \/>\nNicola Bariletto is a research assistant at Princeton <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">verified sugar baby sa Philippines<\/a> University\u2019s Empirical Studies of Conflict Project. He holds a BSc in International Politics &#8230;<br \/>\nRead More<br \/>\nSaiful Salihudin<br \/>\nSaiful Salihudin is a Master of International Affairs candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">best sugar site for beginners<\/a> at Columbia University\u2019s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), &#8230;<br \/>\nRead More<br \/>\nMehulika Sitepu<br \/>\nMehulika Sitepu is a Master of Public Administration student at Columbia University, focusing on economic and political development and data &#8230;<br \/>\nRead More<br \/>\nJacob N. Shapiro<br \/>\nJacob N. 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Shapiro , January 25, 2021 Indonesia&#x27;s President Joko Widodo (third from right) sits with other world leaders. Credit: The Russian Presidential Press and Information Office via<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"solace_meta_sidebar":"","solace_meta_container":"","solace_meta_enable_content_width":"","solace_meta_content_width":0,"solace_meta_title_alignment":"","solace_meta_author_avatar":"","solace_post_elements_order":"","solace_meta_disable_header":"","solace_meta_disable_footer":"","solace_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19,"href":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions\/19"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philisharestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}