Singapore monk arrested in JB after alleged attack on maid
Singaporean monk arrested in JB for allegedly attacking maid after she refused to marry him
A Singaporean monk allegedly tried many times to force his Indonesian maid, who is 30 years his junior, to marry him.
Frustrated by her refusal, the monk and his live-in female partner allegedly turned violent on Thursday and attacked the 23-year-old woman at their Buddhist centre in Kulai, Johor Baru.
The maid told police that one of them used a hammer to hit her.
The monk, Liang Yan Jin, 53, and his partner, known only as Wendy, 46, were arrested on Friday, reported Shin Min Daily News.
The maid, known only as Maria, suffered multiple injuries, including wounds to the head, said local police.
Police sent her to the Indonesian Embassy in JB after she received medical treatment.
The monk was released on bail yesterday and his partner was detained for two more days of investigation.
The couple live at the centre with the maid, a four-year-old girl and a four-month-old boy, said a family friend, who claimed to have been living there for two weeks, reported Shin Min.
He said the children were sent to live with Wendy's sisters after the arrest.
The girl was reportedly being groomed as a successor to the monk.
The man said that on the night of the assault, he had heard Maria sobbing in her bedroom.
ESCAPE
She escaped late that night and was seeking help from neighbours when she saw a police car, reported Malaysian newspaper Sin Chew Daily.
Police officers helped to file a report and sent her to a government hospital for medical treatment.
Kulai police confirmed to The New Paper that they received a police report from Maria at 12.30am on Friday.
She claimed the couple had hit her with their hands and with a hammer.
The police are investigating the incident as a case of causing voluntarily hurt to others.
Neighbour Wu Wan Quan, 35, said he saw the monk being handcuffed and escorted to a police car at around noon that day.
The monk has been living in JB for 25 years and is understood to have started cohabiting with Wendy 10 years ago.
The porch of the three-storey centre, Poh Lian Fatt Yuen, had several Buddhist statues and at least three cars, one of which was covered in rubbish, Shin Min reporters observed.
Neighbours said the monk had previously employed two maids on separate occasions and the maid who was hit had worked for a year or two.
DISPLEASURE
They had seen the maid working till late and were told by Wendy that the maid had wanted a pay rise, to the employers' displeasure.
A 78-year-old neighbour said that when the monk alone lived at the centre many years ago, she would visit the centre with her relatives to pray.
But when the monk started cohabiting with his female partner, the centre closed its doors, she claimed.
Another neighbour said that although the centre had giant locks, the monk and his partner would take turns leaving it to pray for believers.
They also said that the monk has had multiple conflicts with his neighbours and that the police have had to intervene about four times.
Mr Wu's father said the centre had built a rain shelter that caused rainwater to gush into his house instead.
Neighbours were also annoyed by the noise from the centre, which housed more than 10 dogs.
In return, the monk complained about renovation works at his neighbours' home, claiming it disturbed the young girl who lived with him.
The monk, who is believed to have lived in the town of Skudai before relocating to Kulai, was also once at the centre of a controversy in the Buddhist community for adopting the girl, breaking the rule that a monk should not adopt a girl.
Neighbours said they had heard the girl calling the monk "Dad".
Mr Wu said the girl was still a infant when his family moved to Kulai three years ago and was growing to be very adorable.
He said: "The monk only recently adopted the boy. As far as I know, the boy's mother had wanted to undergo an abortion, but the monk advised her against it. He then adopted the baby."
'Can't resist temptation? Don't be a monk'
The president of the Singapore Buddhist Federation said monks and nuns should practise civilised behaviour and should not marry or turn violent.
If they fail to comply, they may be secularised, said Venerable Seck Kwang Phing.
He said if a monk or nun wishes to marry, they should return to secular life and adhere to proper marriage procedures, instead of trying to force a marriage.
Responding to the arrest of the Singaporean monk in Kulai, Malaysia, Ven Seck said monks and nuns are not only banned from robbing the lives of living creatures, they also cannot injure others and should have a kind heart.
"If a monk or nun cannot resist temptations, they can return to secular life and choose to become a monk or nun again when they are ready," he said.
He added that monks should not adopt children, regardless of the child's gender, and should avoid interacting with people of the opposite gender.
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