He said more than 800 telecommunications towers nationwide were affected, of which 500 have been repaired.

“Some of the damage can be repaired faster because (it was just) power outages, while others were due to submerged equipment, and needed replacement,” he told reporters at a flood relief programme here today.

He said the ministry also provided portable generators at locations lacking electricity supply, and installed mobile transmitters to provide temporary service coverage, commonly used during disasters and emergencies.

On complaints lodged with Twitter by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) over certain offensive posts and hashtags, Annuar said it was done based on the law and in the public interest.

He said the reports were made following public complaints of obscene posts and hashtags deemed to contain seditious elements which could cause tension.

“When there are complaints (from users), MCMC has to act. Whether Twitter wants to act on it or not, that’s another matter.”

Annuar said his ministry respected the decision of social media organisations and understood that they had their own policies and views.

The issue of MCMC’s complaints and requests for Twitter to take down certain posts and hashtags previously went viral among netizens, with many criticising MCMC for it.