“Gangster Monk” Disrupts Funeral Wake in Bukit Merah, Video Captures Altercation with Grieving Family

A monk who was supposed to conduct religious rites for the deceased was caught on video in a heated confrontation with the grieving family at a wake in Bukit Merah.

The video, shared by Facebook user Chu Pi Ka on April 29, shows the monk, clad in a grey robe, shouting at a family member in dialect, saying, “What’s the problem? It’s your wife, right? Why can’t she help?” As tensions escalated, a man attempted to restrain the monk, while others present urged for calm to prevent violence.

In his post, Chu Pi Ka described the monk’s aggressive behavior, stating, “Gangster monk, fight and throw fist and chair at the deceased’s family before ritual. Woman also beat.” He also alleged that a friend of the monk emerged from a lorry wielding a four-foot-long stick, intending to “cause harm,” but was stopped before any further escalation occurred.

The altercation reportedly unfolded at the void deck of an HDB block on Delta Avenue. It began when the monk requested the deceased’s family to move a speaker he had used for the religious rites into their home. When the family declined, the situation quickly deteriorated.

A representative from the casket company managing the funeral confirmed to Shin Min Daily News that the deceased’s family had hired the monk as he was a family friend. They noted that the dispute occurred shortly before the casket was to leave for the crematorium. “We were frantically trying to arrange for another monk to come and conduct the rites to assist the family,” the representative stated.

Attempts to contact the monk for comment were unsuccessful, as he refused to be interviewed. In response to the incident, a representative from the Singapore Buddhist Federation expressed regret and deemed the monk’s actions as unbecoming.

The Facebook post by Chu Pi Ka has garnered over 200 reactions and has been shared more than 600 times, with many netizens questioning the legitimacy of the man’s monastic status.