Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

Malaysia's public broadcaster, Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), has issued an apology for mistakenly identifying several ASEAN leaders during the summit's opening ceremony on Sunday. The errors included misnaming the leaders of Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia, prompting RTM to promise corrective action. The confusion occurred during a high-profile event attended by numerous dignitaries and hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur.

 

Ahead of the summit, recent leadership changes in the region had taken place. Srettha Thavisin, previously Thailand's prime minister, had been succeeded by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was then replaced by Anutin Charnvirakul. Similarly, Indonesia saw Prabowo Subianto take over from Joko Widodo, while Singapore's prime minister shifted from Lee Hsien Loong to Lawrence Wong. These transitions seemed to have contributed to RTM's broadcasting errors.

 

Experts have noted that such mistakes can impact diplomatic relations and public perceptions. The Malaysian Department of Broadcasting acknowledged these errors, citing them as serious and stating their commitment to addressing the issue. Bernama news agency reported on the broadcaster's pledge to uphold accuracy in the future, given the high stakes involved in international meetings.

 

Looking forward, RTM aims to enhance their protocols to prevent similar occurrences. The summit continues with ASEAN leaders engaging in discussions until Tuesday, emphasizing topics like economic collaboration and regional stability. This year, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations welcomed East Timor as its 11th member, marking an expansion of the group.

 

Key Takeaways

• RTM misnamed leaders at an important ASEAN event.
• Leadership changes contributed to the broadcaster's errors.
• RTM commits to improving future broadcast accuracy.

 

Related Stories:

ASEAN Demands Myanmar Honour Peace Deal Before Elections

ASEAN Welcomes Timor-Leste as 11th Member in Kuala Lumpur

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-10-27

 

 

I can understand the regrettable confusion by the Malaysian public broadcaster when it comes to the identity of Thailand's PMs...

 

In recent years, it seems, their names are written in pencil and they arrive and then disappear like invisible ink.

 

Hard to see how they got Singapore wrong though. That’s not a recent change.

42 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

Hard to see how they got Singapore wrong though. That’s not a recent change.

A real face-palm moment...

Pretty basic stuff. The kind of incompetence one associates with more northerly members of ASEAN ...

Good thing they aren't regarded as global media. Easier to forget these errors.

Apparently the job was delegated to an intern

I have doubts...and I don't believe the errors were a mistake.

 

Just leads me to think, not everyone attending this event might not have been sincere.