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Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has threatened to deport any Israelis found at a self-styled “start-up society” in Johor, after online claims about the tech commune triggered a national security investigation.
“We will not allow it,” Anwar told reporters on Wednesday. “If there are Israeli nationals, since we do not recognise Israel, they will be deported immediately.”
The Network School, a co-living compound founded by former Coinbase executive Balaji Srinivasan in Forest City, came under scrutiny after a glossy video posted by Srinivasan last week drew attention to the project and ignited an online backlash in Malaysia.
In the video, residents spoke of living on “a man-made island near Singapore”, while Srinivasan declared: “We’re building Silicon Valley outside Silicon Valley.”
A user wrote in a social media post: “Sounds like a cult, definitely operates like a cult, recruits like a cult.”
The island is part of Forest City, the China-backed megaproject in southern Malaysia that sits across the Johor Strait from Singapore.
Anwar’s warning came hours after Malaysia’s Immigration Department said it had inspected 266 foreigners from 40 countries at the site and found that all held valid travel documents.

Immigration director general Zakaria Shaaban said further checks were continuing and promised investigations into any suspected misuse of identities, passports, immigration facilities or permit conditions.
Malaysia bars entry to holders of Israeli passports, though it has no specific law preventing Israeli dual nationals from travelling on passports issued by another country.
Johor chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi had called for the probe after claims spread online that Israelis were using second-country passports to join the programme.
“The Johor government will not allow any party to use the state as a base” to promote unlawful movements, he said.
He also ordered checks on the school’s premises licences, accommodation, land use and business activities, warning that any breach should draw “firm action without compromise”.
Network School describes itself as a “frontier community for techno-optimists” where remote workers, digital nomads, creators and engineers live together.
Membership starts at US$1,500 a month, covering accommodation, meals and gym access, a package it calls “society-as-a-service”.


The programme combines tech talks, workouts, healthy meals and remote work, urging members to “learn, burn, earn and have fun”.
Its website lists past speakers such as Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and longevity entrepreneur Bryan Johnson.
Srinivasan, a US investor and former chief technology officer of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, launched the school in 2024 as a physical outpost for ideas in his book The Network State, which asks whether internet communities can build new cities and eventually new countries.
“We got an island,” he wrote when unveiling the project, pitching an internet-first institution for the world’s “dark talent” and people who want “Silicon Valley without San Francisco”.
The venture had previously drawn interest from Malaysia’s Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, who visited in April and wrote that it “reaffirmed Malaysia’s position as a rising destination for global tech talent”. His post was later removed.
Forest City’s developer, Country Garden Pacificview, said on Wednesday it would cooperate fully with the investigation and provide authorities with all relevant documentation.
This Week in Asia has reached out to Network School for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.


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The Network School co-living compound in Forest City in the Malaysian state of Johor founded by a former Coinbase executive. Photo: YouTube/Roland Bernath

Forest City, a China-backed megaproject in Johor, southern Malaysia. Photo: EPA-EFE

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attends an event on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Cebu in May. Anwar has urged the DAP to delay its exit from the Melaka government until the state election. Photo: Reuters

Malaysian Transport Minister and DAP chief Anthony Loke being interviewed in Kuala Lumpur last year. Photo: Xinhua

A DAP candidate meets supporters while campaigning at a market in Kulai, Malaysia’s Johor, on July 1 ahead of the state’s election. Photo: Facebook/dapjohor.my

In Malaysia’s Johor, Chinese voters prize affordability over politics

Workers repair a rooftop next to the Strait of Johor separating Singapore and Malaysia, in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on Monday. Photo: Reuters

DAP Secretary General Anthony Loke (centre) says his party aims to defend the 10 seats it won in 2022. Photo: Facebook/Anthony Loke Siew Fook

A welcome sign stands in front of residential buildings in Chinese developer Country Garden’s Forest City in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, in December 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

The cross-sea section of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System in Johor, Malaysia, in February. Photo: Xinhua

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Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman speaks in Malaysian parliament. Photo: Facebook/Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman

The Palace of Justice in Putrajaya houses the Malaysian Court of Appeal and Federal Court. Photo: Shutterstock

Syed Saddiq poses with his fiancee, Bella Astillah, and her children. Photo: Facebook/Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman

Singapore-Malaysia relations enter ‘mature’ era with Tharman’s state visit

Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam (right) and Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar inspect honour guards during a welcoming ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Photo: Facebook/officialsultanibrahim


Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam signs the guest book as Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar looks on. Photo: Facebook/officialsultanibrahim

Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam (left) chats with Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Photo: Facebook/officialsultanibrahim 

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The Network School in Forest City came under scrutiny after its founder claimed the commune was ‘Silicon Valley outside Silicon Valley’


The Network School in Forest City came under scrutiny after its founder claimed the commune was ‘Silicon Valley outside Silicon Valley’.


Anwar Ibrahim

United States

Israel

Onn Hafiz Ghazi

Malaysia’s Anwar warns any Israelis at Johor tech commune to be ‘deported immediately’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Network School in Forest City came under scrutiny after its founder claimed the commune was ‘Silicon Valley outside Silicon Valley’

The Network School in Forest City came under scrutiny after its founder claimed the commune was ‘Silicon Valley outside Silicon Valley’