PM Mahathir's comments on India triggers #BoycottMalaysia on social media

Indian netizens have started a #BoycottMalaysia campaign on social media, triggered by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's (pictured) comments on the Jammu-Kashmir territorial conflict made during the recent general debate of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).PM Mahathir also reiterated his comments on his Twitter account, stating that despite the UN's resolution on Jammu and Kashmir, "the country has been invaded and occupied". While he acknowledged there may be reasons for the action, the prime minister said it is "still wrong" and urges India to work with Pakistan to resolve the problem through "peaceful means". The two tweets have attracted near to 6,000 retweets in five days.There may be reasons for this action but it is still wrong. The problem must be solved by peaceful means. India should work with Pakistan to resolve this problem. Ignoring the UN would lead to other forms of disregard for the UN and the Rule of Law. pic.twitter.com/QOQtIkPTC1— Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) September 28, 2019Stating that PM Mahathir seems to be taking Pakistan's side, Indian netizens have vowed to stop travelling to Malaysia or purchasing the country's products. Some went as far as to tag the accounts of Malaysian entities such as Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia on Twitter.Users supporting the boycott seem certain that the act would hurt Malaysia's tourism and exports significantly, adding that "this is the last thing Malaysia would have wanted".[embed]https://twitter.com/VoiceOfAxom/status/1179021508544327682[/embed][embed]https://twitter.com/Rajpoot_Roopesh/status/1178216044919324673?[/embed][embed]https://twitter.com/DeepakJ2015/status/1178293807152029698[/embed][embed]https://twitter.com/AGENTOF01011076/status/1178281539659948032[/embed][embed]https://twitter.com/shailendra1111/status/1177808466049585152[/embed]Meanwhile, Malaysians do not seem to agree about the impact of the boycott. Others pointed out that the focus should be on the matter at hand instead of pitting the countries against one another or expressed respect for PM Mahathir for speaking his mind.[embed]https://twitter.com/UkhtyAkma/status/1178987792983969794[/embed][embed]https://twitter.com/UhKneeRude/status/1178676626655105024?[/embed][embed]https://twitter.com/sensationalblue/status/1178792970935422976?[/embed][embed]https://twitter.com/hariz44577106/status/1178786195158888448?[/embed]The #BoycottMalaysia campaign on social media comes after PM Mahathir and Pakistani PM Imran Khan made the decision at UNGA to set up a joint committee in an effort to pinpoint trade and investment opportunities in the two countries. Malaysian economic affairs minister Mohamed Azmin said his ministry would take immediate action to spearhead the initiative.(Photo courtesy: PM Mahathir's Facebook)[A+M's PR Asia will come to Malaysia this November, gathering together some of the finest minds in industry to explore the exciting and developing world of digital PR. Join us for a series of exclusive case studies, interactive and thought-provoking discussions at PR Asia on 20 November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Register now.]