KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 — The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) has opened an investigation paper under the Sedition Act 1948 and Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 into the viral video of the Malaysian flag being taken down and replaced with the flags of Sabah and Sarawak.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said preliminary investigations found that the incident happened in Melbourne, Australia on September 16, supposedly as a symbol of the end of Malaysia's "colonisation” of the two states in question and making them republics.

"Police received 35 reports regarding the video, with 34 police reports lodged in Sabah and one in Kuala Lumpur,” he said in a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur Police Training Centre here yesterday.

Razarudin said the investigations found that the video was made viral by a Malaysian owner of a social media account, with a Sabah address.

He said the man had two previous criminal records related to Section 500 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and had been charged for an unrelated offence in Kota Kinabalu, but was free on bail of RM3,000 pending the mention of the case in November.

"We are investigating the connection between the suspect and individual who was recorded doing the act (lowering the flag)," he said.

Earlier, a video lasting eight minutes and 13 seconds went viral on social media showing a group of individuals lowering the Jalur Gemilang and raising the flags of Sabah and Sarawak in front of the Victoria Parliament building in Melbourne, Australia. — Bernama