The social media laws need to be reviewed following the Low Yat Plaza incident over the weekend, said Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

"I think we need to review and look at the freedom of social media, because I think they just put all sorts of things on it," the Federal Territories Minister said today at Low Yat Plaza.

He was there to visit the businesses at the mall after it was the scene of a fight between traders and some youths over an alleged handphone theft on Saturday.

Things escalated on Sunday night when a group of people gathered outside the mall went on a rampage, injuring six people.

Tengku Adnan, who is popularly known as Ku Nan, said that social media shouldn't become a catalyst for further problems.

"You know very well that maybe 20 percent is truth, 80 percent is lies," he said to reporters after he had done the rounds at Low Yat Plaza.

"I think what (Prime Minister) Najib (Abdul Razak) said, we should follow through. Let the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) follow through," he added.

'Too free'

On Monday, Najib had suggested that social media laws might need to be tightened.

"We have social media freedom but there are problems because in this matter, it is too free. This is something that should be reviewed deeply," he was reported as saying.

While the melee at Low Yat occurred over an alleged handphone theft, the group who had gathered outside the mall the following night were heard making racial taunts.

This sparked a flurry of debates on social media on the racial nature of the incident despite the police reiterating that it had stemmed from the alleged case of a handphone theft.

Related reports

Ku Nan backs review of social media regulation

Low Yat incident lawyer has bad intention: IGP

Umno’s race-baiting root of Low Yat fracas

Time for sanity, as dust settles on Low Yat incident

Bishop wants law against hate speech

Low Yat shows racial ties still fragile

Papagomo, Ali Tinju remanded under Sedition Act

'Heavy-handed police action bad for business'

Perak DAP: We respect the multiracial objective