Fact check: Malaysia declares public holiday after Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar win?

Michelle Yeoh’s history-defining Oscar win has caused much speculation and joy in Malaysia, the actress’s native country, as rumours began spreading that a national holiday was declared.

However, the country’s government published a statement on its Facebook page with a photo sharing the doctored image that was the root cause of all the speculation.

The photo, dated March 13, was a news clip from The Star, a Malaysian newspaper, that bore the headline: "PM Anwar declares public holiday on a Wednesday: 'This is the pride of a nation!'"

It seemingly referred to an earlier statement shared by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim congratulating the actress for her win.

However, when it came to the public holiday itself, it was announced that there was "no truth" to the news.

"The news is false," it said.

"The public is requested not to spread or share any uncertain or false information."

The Star Media Group also issued a statement clarifying that the photo was a "misrepresentation of (its) actual news coverage."

"It has come to the company’s attention that a picture, depicting a manipulated image which misuses The Star’s identity, is making the rounds on social media," the group said in a statement .

"Star Media Group would like to reiterate that it has not published any news regarding the announcement of a March 15, 2023 public holiday.

"The public is urged to double check the authenticity of any such circulated images by visiting (our website) and reading our verified news, straight from the source."

The 60-year-old actress, this week, was the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award. 

She was awarded in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category for her performance in the critically acclaimed movie Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Yeoh, who was born in Ipoh in peninsular Malaysia, got her humble start in Hong Kong action films. 

She rose to prominence on the international level after starring in the 1997 James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies and the Oscar-winning 2000 movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.