masterwordsmith-unplugged

On Sunday night, my son called us to let us know that Mandy's uncle was in a critical condition. We were very sad to hear the news and I did not ask further, thinking that it was due to a terminal disease.

Today, I came across THIS REPORT and wondered if the victim was Mandy's uncle. I swung by her Facebook profile and indeed my worst fears were confirmed. :-(

According to The Star:

A chef who was assaulted while trying to stop a drunken customer from disturbing other clients at a pub died in hospital several hours later.


Leong Chin Yap (pic), 49, was punched three times in the head by a foreign customer in the 1.50am incident on Sunday at the pub in Pandan Indah here.


“It happened so suddenly. We couldn't react and within seconds my brother collapsed motionless to the ground,” said Leong's sister Shirley, 42, who owns the pub.


“The place was packed with customers who were waiting to catch the Champions League final. There was a woman, a Thai national who had been drinking with a group of friends since midnight.


“When it was time to pay up, she refused and began harassing other customers to pay for her,” she said, when met at her brother's funeral in Jalan Kuari, Cheras last night.


She said her brother, who wor-ked as a chef, came to help her escort the woman out of the pub.


However, the woman became violent and began kicking both of them as she was led out.


“I believe the foreigner thought we were attacking the woman and intervened.


“He came from behind and punched my brother's head three times causing him to slump to the floor motionless,” she said.


She said her brother was rushed to a private hospital nearby before being transferred to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.


He died at about 10pm on Sunday without regaining consciousness.


She said the attacker was believed to be a British lecturer, who was a regular at the pub.


Shirely is demanding justice for the cruel and senseless attack.


“I heard the suspect telling the police that he reacted in self- defence.


How is it self defence when he punched my brother on his blind side? He did not know what hit him,” she said.


Ampang Jaya deputy OCPD Supt Nazri Zawawi said police detained a 53-year-old British man after he lodged a report over the incident.


He added that the case has been classified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.


The initial post-mortem results revealed that Leong died from blunt force trauma to the head.


Leong was the family's sole breadwinner.


He leaves a wife, 48, and three daughters aged between 17 and 22.

The Malay Mail has another report AT THIS LINK. 

In a teleconversation with Mandy earlier, she told me that the funeral will be held tomorrow. Her mother is completely devastated.

My heart goes out to the bereaved family and loved ones during this time of grief. Theirs is a very closely-knitted family and they had always been working hard to give their best to their customers.

It is so tragic that a life has been snuffed out with THREE BLOWS!

The police MUST investigate this case and bring the guilty ones to task. No one has the right to take matters into their hands, especially via the route of violence, in any circumstances.

My deepest condolences to Mdm Shirley Leong and her family, the family of Leong Chin Yap and all relatives and friends of the victim.