Major English and Malay dailies did not report on the seizure of businessperson Low Taek Jho's superyacht, the Equanimity, despite the news making the headlines in many international news organisations.

The major development in the US Department of Justice's investigation into the 1MDB matter was noticeably absent in the printed versions of the New Straits Times, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian.

Yesterday, Indonesian police in a joint operation with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized the yacht off Teluk Benoa, Bali.

The DOJ is seeking to forfeit the vessel, believed to have been acquired using funds misappropriated from Malaysian state fund 1MDB, and laundered through the US financial system.

MACC’s seizure made the front page of the New Straits Times, which also highlighted the Immigration Department's plan to weed out foreign domestic workers with criminal records, besides Prime Minister Najib Abul Razak's TN50 function.

However, the New Straits Times carried a report about the seizure of the yacht, and Low's response in the online version of its publication.

Likewise, news about the seizure of the Equanimity was also absent from Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian.

Utusan Malaysia featured Najib's TN50 event on its front page, while Berita Harian focused on dubious health and cosmetic products.

However, the online version of Utusan Malaysia did publish an article claiming that the yacht seizure "had nothing to do" with 1MDB.

The online version of Berita Harian, meanwhile, quoted Low's spokesperson as saying that the seizure was baseless and politically motivated.

Sinar Harian was the only major Malay-language newspaper that reported on the seizure. It published its report on page 10, with a teaser on the front page.

All major Chinese dailies carried news about the yacht seizure, with Sin Chew Daily and Oriental Daily featuring the story prominently on the front pages.

China Press and Nanyang Siang Pau also carried the story, but in the inside pages.

The DOJ believes that at least US$4.5 billion has been misappropriated from 1MDB by Malaysian government officials, among others, and is looking to recover around US$1.7 billion in assets allegedly acquired using these stolen funds.

EDITOR'S NOTE

The earlier version of this story had erroneously stated that The Star did not carry the yacht seizure news. However, it has been pointed out to us that the story was carried in the paper's Business section. The error is regretted. 

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