
Misleading posts claim Malaysian government 'removed gas subsidies for all businesses'
"The government has lost its mind. Gas subsidies for businesses have been removed. Small business owners feel like they cannot raise prices again after multiple cost increases," reads a Malay-language Facebook post on June 2, 2025.
Image
Screen shot of the false post taken on June 3, 2025
The claims surfaced after the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) announced a five-month operation beginning May 1 to curb the use of subsidised liquified petroleum gas (LPG) by the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as to crack down on illegal decanting activities (archived link).
It also said businesses will no longer be allowed to use subsidised cooking gas and will need to switch to commercial gas cylinders, which cost three times the price of household cylinders (archived link).
The launch of the operation prompted lawmakers to claim it would cause small businesses to increase prices for consumers, with one opposition lawmaker calling it "robbery" by the government.
Similar claims were shared elsewhere on Facebook, and in a group with more than 35,000 members.
Users left comments indicating they were misled, with one saying: "The current government is not helping people but adding to the burden."
Another said: "The government has gone too far."
However, the operation does not target small businesses.
No abolishment of subsidies
KDPN minister Armizan Mohd Ali refuted the misleading claim in a statement released via state news agency Bernama on June 3, saying the main purpose of the operation was to combat illegal decanting activities, smuggling of LPG and the use of subsidised gas by large and medium-scale industries (archived link).
"Through this operation, there are no new policies and regulations, let alone cuts and abolishment of LPG subsidies as claimed by certain parties," the statement said.
Instead, small businesses using less than three cylinders of the subsidised gas a day are allowed to keep using the cheaper product, while larger commercial operations using more than three at any one time would require a permit and cannot purchase subsidised gas, the minister said.
The Communications Ministry's Department of Information issued a similar clarification on Facebook on May 31 (archived link).
Penang Hawkers Association chairman Ooi Thean Huat told AFP that small businesses in the northern state typically only need up to three gas cylinders a day, allowing them to use the subsidised 12kg cylinders, which are sold for 26 ringgit ($6 USD).
However, Ooi noted that even switching to the unsubsidised cylinders would not lead to price hikes for customers.
"If we use the non-subsidised cylinders, two a day should be enough. There will be no changes to the prices of food because you do get more gas with the commercial cylinders," he said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


AFP
3 hours ago
- AFP
Video of firework display in China falsely linked to India-Pakistan conflict
"Pakistan's victory celebration in China," reads the sticker text on a TikTok video posted on May 15, 2025. The clip shows an elaborate drone and fireworks arrangement in the shape of a crescent moon. It surfaced days after a May 10 ceasefire halted four days of intense fighting between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, which was triggered by a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-administered side of Kashmir in April (archived link). New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the assault, a charge the latter denies. More than 70 people on both sides were killed in the jet fighter, missile, drone and heavy artillery attacks, with both sides now claiming victory in the worst violence between the neighbours in decades (archived link). China is Pakistan's largest arms supplier and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar confirmed that Islamabad used Chinese jets in the conflict (archived link). Image Screenshot of the false TikTok post, captured on June 3, 2025 The same footage was also used in similar posts on X, Facebook and Instagram. But the fireworks display predates the latest conflict -- it was put on by a Chinese city known as the birthplace of fireworks that hosted similar shows in April. A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to a similar clip shared on the official X account of the Chinese embassy in the United States on May 5 (archived link). "Hunan Liuyang's fireworks show just took it to the NEXT LEVEL. Witness "White Moon Blooms" pierce the night as galaxy glitter cascades over rippling waters," reads the video's caption. Liuyang city in China's central Hunan province is considered the birthplace of fireworks (archived here and here). Image Keyword searches on TikTok sister app Douyin found the video shared by the Chinese embassy was posted by a Hunan-based user on April 26. The user also shared various videos of fireworks displays in Liuyang. Image Screenshot of the Douyin post from April 26, 2025 A subsequent keyword search for "Liuyang" and "white moon blooms" on Douyin also found dozens of similar videos of the drone and fireworks display, with no mention of Pakistan. Image Screenshot of search results for "Liuyang" and "white moon blooms" on Douyin The city hosts several drone and fireworks displays each month, but a keyword search on Douyin led to videos of the full display on May 10 -- when the ceasefire came into effect -- which was themed around Mother's Day and did not feature a crescent moon. AFP has debunked other false and misleading claims related to the conflict between Pakistan and India here.


AFP
5 hours ago
- AFP
Old photo of abandoned workplace misrepresented as S. Korea's presidential office pre-transition
"The presidential office left in complete chaos," reads part of a Korean-language X post shared on June 4, 2025. It features a screenshot of what appears to be another post sharing a panorama image of an empty office space. The post was shared shortly after South Korea's newly elected President Lee Jae-myung said the presidential office in Seoul's Yongsan district "feels like a tomb" during his first press conference (archived here and here). "There's no one here. Not even staff to provide writing tools. No computers. No printers. It's absolutely ridiculous," he said. The next day, Lee's Democratic Party accused the administration of his impeached predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol of sabotaging the transition of power, describing the compound as a "crime scene" that had been "cleared out to destroy evidence" (archived link). Yoon is on trial on charges of insurrection over his botched declaration of martial law, which saw him impeached, and faces the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted. Image Screenshot of the X post taken June 5, 2025 The same image was also shared in similar posts on South Korean online forums Ppomppu, Mimint, Wassada and "They aren't even humans," read a comment on one of the posts, while another said: "Truly, truly despicable. They should all be prosecuted." But neither Lee's office nor the Democratic Party have released any official photos of the presidential office in Yongsan before his administration moved in. Moreover, the circulating photo has been online since at least 2009. 'Office relocation' A reverse image search on Google traced the picture to a post from February 27, 2009 on a South Korean forum (archived link). The post says the photo shows the office of Seoul-based Jaty Electronics, and claims the firm abruptly relocated to Incheon during a labour dispute with employees. "The owner fled overnight," , who said they were an employee. Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared image (left) and the photo from February 2009 (right) The reported labour dispute was also covered by local outlet News Cham, which from a slightly different angle, credited to the Korea Metal Workers Union (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the February 2009 photo (left) and the News Cham photo (right), with corresponding elements highlighted by AFP Filings with South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service, a securities regulator, show the company did move from its office in Seoul's Gwanak-gu district to Incheon's Namdong-gu district in the first quarter of 2009 (archived here and here).


AFP
6 hours ago
- AFP
Video shows Huthi fighters' drill, not ambush on Pakistan army
"Chanting Allahu Akbar, BLA (Baloch Liberation Army) blew up the Pakistani army convoy," reads in parts the Hindi-language Facebook post shared on May 27, 2025. The video shows a column of vehicles moving through a desert region when one of them suddenly explodes. The footage spread with similar claims on Facebook and X after gunmen killed 26 people in an attack on tourists in Pahalgam in India-administered Kashmir on April 22, which New Delhi blames on its neighbour. Islamabad denies the charge (archived link). Four days of tense fighting broke out between the nuclear-armed foes in May -- claiming over 70 lives on both sides -- before they agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire (archived link). Image Screenshot of the false post taken on June 5, 2025 The BLA is one of several separatist groups that accuse outsiders of plundering the Balochistan province's natural resources, and has been blamed for attacks in Pakistan. Fighters from the group attacked a train with 450 passengers on board in March, sparking a two-day siege during which dozens of people were killed (archived link). In another attack, BLA rebels targeted a security vehicle with an improvised explosive device, killing seven Pakistani soldiers on May 6 (archived ). Some users have linked the false video to "Operation Sindoor" -- India's name for its strikes on Pakistan. "Balochistan too is probably running Operation Sindoor in Pakistan," one user commented. Another wrote, "Indian people don't worry, we will continue operation Sindoor until we get our freedom." But the original video actually shows an exercise by Huthi rebels in March 2024 in Yemen. A Google reverse image search on keyframes from the false video led to a longer version that Saudi-owned TV station Al Arabiya uploaded on its YouTube channel on March 10, 2024 (archived link). The video is captioned: "Watch: Huthi group conducts military manoeuvres simulating the storming of Israeli sites and targeting American and British forces". Image Screenshot comparison of the false post clip (L) and the video uploaded on Al Arabiya's YouTube channel An Arabic logo appearing at the bottom right corner of the YouTube video led to longer footage posted on Yemeni Military Media's X account on the same day (). Visuals at the 32:11 mark of the X post correspond with the clip shared in the false posts. The X post also contains a link to a report that Yemeni Military Media -- an outlet affiliated with the Huthi movement -- uploaded on its website, which shares the same video (archived link). AFP has debunked other misinformation stemming from the India-Pakistan conflict here.