Iris Hsieh’s death: Malaysian rapper Namewee to remain in custody

Malaysian rapper Namewee will remain in custody on Monday after a court extended his remand, his lawyer told This Week in Asia, as police continue a murder investigation into the death of Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh.

Namewee, 42, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, surrendered to the Kuala Lumpur police on Wednesday in connection with the death of Hsieh, who was found unresponsive in the bathroom of a high-end hotel in Kuala Lumpur on October 22.

The rapper and actor, who has millions of social media followers, was remanded in custody for an initial six-day period which was due to expire on Monday.

But police had extended his detention at Dang Wangi Police Station until Thursday, his lawyer, Joshua Tay, told This Week in Asia.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus confirmed the remand order extension. “The application to extend Namewee’s remand has been approved for three days starting tomorrow till November 13,” he said in a statement on Monday.

Namewee has vowed to cooperate with the murder investigation and has not been charged in connection with the social media star’s death.