This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it . Please introduce links to this page from related articles ; try the Find link tool for suggestions. (July 2024) |
Rajeswary Appahu | |
---|---|
Born | Rajeswary Appahu |
Died | 5 July 2024 |
Cause of death | Suicide |
Other names | Esha |
Occupation(s) | Social media personality, Hindu rights activist |
Known for | Raising awareness about a cosmetic product containing mercury; activism against cyberbullying |
Notable work | TikTok videos |
Rajeswary Appahu, better known as Esha, was a Malaysian social media personality who killed herself on 5 July 2024 following online harassment. [1]
Her suicide gained national attention and sparked a government inquest into the issue of cyberbullying in the country. [1]
Referred to in reports as a Hindu rights activist, [1] Rajeswary gained a following on the social media platform TikTok after she helped raise awareness about a cosmetic product that included mercury, leading to its banning. [2] [3]
She became the target of online harassment after an Islamic preacher posted excerpts of a TikTok live show hosted by Rajeswary where a guest, wanted by Malaysian authorities for allegedly insulting the country's royal institutions, made negative remarks about Islam. [4] The preacher, Zamri Vinoth, began a social media campaign urging members of the public to lodge police reports against Rajeswary, leading to her arrest. Harassment continued even after her release from a three-day remand on 28 June. [5]
Fearing for her safety, Rajeswary lodged a police report on 4 July over trolling comments made online during TikTok livestreams where she was subjected to death and rape threats by two individuals, Shalini Periasamy and Sathiskumar Balakrishnan. The report alleged that one of them had claimed to have the backing of a "gang" and encouraged viewers to send a link of the livestream to Rajeswary. [1]
On July 5, Rajeswary was found dead in her condominium at 11 a.m. [1] [5]
Rajeswary's suicide gained national attention, with Minister of Communications Fahmi Fadzil announcing that the government may consider amending existing cyberbullying laws in the country, [6] and was covered by The Independent and South China Morning Post internationally. [7] [1] [8] Fadzil revealed that two journalists had also been targeted by the accounts linked to Rajeswary's suicide, including having pictures of their residences and family members taken. [2]
Shalini, also a social media personality, was arrested on 8 July, while Sathiskumar, a lorry driver, was arrested on 10 July. [9] Shalini was fined RM100 after pleading guilty to insulting with the intention to provoke Rajeswary under the Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 on 16 July. The same day, Sathiskumar was charged with issuing obscene comments directed against Rajeswary as well as insulting the modesty of Rajeswary's mother under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and Section 509 of the Penal Code respectively. [10]
On 12 July, Rajeswary's mother lodged a police report against Zamri Vinoth and two other individuals that had uploaded and conducted livestreams where they allegedly insulted Rajeswary after her suicide. [11]
The New Straits Times is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print, having been founded as a local offshoot of Singapore-based The Straits Times on 15 July 1845. It was renamed as the New Straits Times on 13 August 1974.
The mass media in Malaysia includes television, radio, newspapers, and web-based media such as bloggers. Many media outlets are either owned directly by the government of Malaysia or owned by component parties of the Barisan Nasional coalition which continuously form the government during Mahathir Mohamad's tenure until May 2018. Opposition parties during this era like the Islamic Party and People's Justice Party publish their own newspapers, Harakah and Suara Keadilan respectively, which are openly sold alongside regular publications.
Gobind Singh Deo s/o Karpal Singh is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who has served as the Minister of Digital in the Unity Government administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim since December 2023 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Damansara since November 2022.
Researchers study Social media and suicide to find if a correlation exists between the two. Some research has shown that there may be a correlation.
Sexual bullying is a form of bullying or harassment in connection with a person's sex, body, sexual orientation or with sexual activity. It can be physical, verbal or emotional in nature, and occurs in various settings, including schools, workplaces, and online platforms. Sexual bullying can have serious and lasting effects on the mental and emotional well-being of victims.
A non-player character (NPC), also called a non-playable character, is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster or referee rather than by another player. In video games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer that has a predetermined set of behaviors that potentially will impact gameplay, but will not necessarily be the product of true artificial intelligence.
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers and adolescents, due to young people's increased use of social media. Related issues include online harassment and trolling. In 2015, according to cyberbullying statistics from the i–Safe Foundation, over half of adolescents and teens had been bullied online, and about the same number had engaged in cyberbullying. Both the bully and the victim are negatively affected, and the intensity, duration, and frequency of bullying are three aspects that increase the negative effects on both of them.
ScoopWhoop Media is an Indian digital media company based in New Delhi. It operates various online content verticals and serves as a news organisation featuring web series, documentaries and current affairs reporting with a focus on video production and primarily catering to adolescents and young adults. It also features other infotainment and entertainment content.
The Alliance of Hope is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has lead a grand coalition government since November 2022, having previously led a single-coalition government from May 2018 to February 2020.
The Selangor State Executive Council forms the executive branch of the state government of Selangor, Malaysia. It comprises the Menteri Besar, appointed by the Sultan on the basis that he is likely to command the confidence of the majority of members of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly, and a minimum of four up to a maximum of ten members of the State Assembly. Additionally, the State Secretary, State Legal Adviser and State Financial Officer, who are civil servants that serve as exofficio members.
TikTok, whose mainland Chinese counterpart is Douyin, is a short-form video hosting service owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from three seconds to 60 minutes. It can be accessed with a smart phone app.
Ahmad Fahmi bin Mohamed Fadzil is a Malaysian politician, former actor and writer who has served as the Minister of Communications in the Unity Government administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim since December 2023 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lembah Pantai since May 2018. He served as the Minister of Communications and Digital in the PH administration under Prime Minister Anwar from December 2022 to December 2023. He is a member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the PH coalition and the government spokesperson. He has also served as Information Chief of PKR since July 2022 and served as Communications Director of PKR from September 2013 to July 2022.
Ajey Nagar, better known as CarryMinati, is an Indian YouTuber, streamer and rapper from Faridabad, India. He is known for his roasting videos, comedic skits and reactions to various online topics on his channel CarryMinati. His other channel CarryisLive is dedicated to gaming and live streams. With over 40 million subscribers as of August 2023, he is the most-subscribed individual YouTuber in Asia.
Awesome TV is a free-to-air Malaysian television channel owned by Awesome Broadcasting Sdn. Bhd.. The channel features first-run local original production and foreign content. Awesome TV started its trial broadcast on 28 July 2020 and full operation started on 3 August 2020. Awesome TV can be viewed for free nationwide via MYTV platform on Channel 112.
DOLLA is a Malaysian girl group formed in 2019 by Universal Music Malaysia. Its current members consists of Sabronzo, Tabby and Angel. Originally a quartet, the group then continued as a trio following the departure of one of its original members, Syasya, who announced her permanent departure from the group in April 2024. The group is known for their vocal, dance and rap elements in their performances. They signed a contract with Universal Music Malaysia and released their debut single "Dolla Make You Wanna" on 20 March 2020. Their fandom is called "iDolla".
There are reports of TikTok censoring political content related to China and other countries as well as content from minority creators. TikTok says that its initial content moderation policies, many of which are no longer applicable, were aimed at reducing divisiveness and were not politically motivated.
Cindy Ong Pik Yin is a Malaysian competitive swimmer. She has been swimming competitively since 1989 and has qualified for 2004 Athens Olympic Games in four events. She is a five-time world champion.
Libs of TikTok is a handle for various far-right and anti-LGBT social-media accounts operated by Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent. Raichik uses the accounts to repost content created by left-wing and LGBT people on TikTok, and on other social-media platforms, often with hostile, mocking, or derogatory commentary. The accounts promote hate speech and transphobia, and spread false claims, especially relating to medical care of transgender children. The Twitter account, also known by the handle @LibsofTikTok, has nearly 3 million followers as of February 2024 and has become influential among American conservatives and the political right. Libs of TikTok's social-media accounts have received several temporary suspensions and a permanent suspension from TikTok.
Ronnie McNutt was a 33-year-old American man and US Army Reserve veteran from New Albany, Mississippi, who committed suicide by shooting himself under his chin on a Facebook livestream, which went viral on various social media platforms due to its inherent shock value.
The 2024 Asia Rugby Championship is the eighth annual rugby union series for the top-level Asia Rugby nations. Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates shall compete in the 2024 series. Other Asian nations played in the lower division tournaments.