'Stinky': Malaysian tourists in China slammed for mocking locals' personal hygiene

A group of Malaysian tourists in China seen openly mocking and berating locals over their personal hygiene and public behaviour — in videos on social media — has caught the ire of netizens, especially Malaysians.

The three videos were reshared by Threads user heyyyywiwies on Sunday (June 14), sparking outrage with many calling out the derogatory and insensitive attitude.

The original uploader, TikToker ekyn.wong, has deleted the controversial clips from her account while disabling comments for all her posts.

In one of the videos, several women can be heard making loud derogatory remarks about Chinese people's unpleasant smells in Malay. 

"You are all so stinky, don't you take a shower?!" asked one woman in the video.

They are also seen covering their noses and mouths in a mocking manner and fanning their faces exaggeratedly while surrounded by members of the public.

In another video, one woman complains about the noise in a train cabin which disrupted her sleep, claiming that it was caused by the inconsiderate actions of a few local passengers who could not sit still in their seats.

'You can't buy manners and class'

Many netizens were appalled by the audacity of ekyn.wong to not only be rude to the citizens of a country that she was visiting, but to also post the videos online.

"Your behaviour in China is distasteful and unacceptable," read one Threads comment.

"You can't buy manners and class," commented another user.

One netizen highlighted the irony of the situation, since travelling should be about opening minds and not becoming judgemental, with the commenter adding that "this video actually exposes the poster's character". 

Another user adopt a conciliatory tone towards Chinese citizens: "Please know that one person's actions don't represent all Malaysians. Most of us appreciate your culture, your country and the kindness shown to visitors."

Poster taking legal action

On Wednesday, ekyn.wong posted an "official statement" on her TikTok account addressing the viral videos.

She said that has taken legal actions against parties who have made statements that slander, made unsubstantiated claims and spread false information against her "good name, reputation and integrity".

She added that she has forwarded the matter to the authorities and her lawyer for further action.

She also advised others to stop speculating and spreading false information on the matter. 

The post has garnered over 169,000 views in less than 24 hours.

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helmy.saat@asiaone.com