James Kon

Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar has condemned the act of spreading fake information since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Brunei Darussalam.

At a press conference yesterday, the minister said, “Many false and misleading news have been spread on social media. While it does not bring any benefit to the well-being of the people in the country, such news is only intended to scare as well as cause anxiety and panic among the public.”

“The act of disseminating unsubstantiated information, let alone falsely created by those who intend to mislead, is an offence, and the individual may be prosecuted under the Public Order Act, Cap 148, Section 34, which states that any individual that verbally or in writing or using any means, disseminating false reports or making false statements, resulting in disturbing public order, if found guilty can be charged with three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to BND3,000.”

He also urged the public not to believe in information and news disseminated on the Internet or through other media platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook without ascertaining its authenticity. People are also reminded to be more responsible and to avoid spreading baseless information.