I didn’t kill dogs, says coffeeshop owner

KUALA LUMPUR: A coffeeshop owner has cried foul over allegations that he tortured and killed dogs.

Several posts with photo of his shop, dogs being scalded by hot water and poisoned, as well as a dog corpse with broken legs, has gone viral on Facebook.

Stressed out by the criticism of netizens and a sharp drop in his business, Lee Theng Swee (pic), the owner of Hai Hua Coffee Shop in Ampang, sought help from MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong.

Lee, 53, said on March 4, two men, claiming to be government officers, asked him whether he instructed his Myanmar workers to kill dogs.

“They came to my coffeeshop and asked if I tortured and killed stray dogs. I was shocked when told of the Facebook posts linking me to poisoning dogs,” he said.

The Facebook posts accused him of instructing his Myanmar workers to poison the stray dogs.

“These are baseless allegations. I don’t even hire any Myanmar workers,” he said, adding that it was unfair to him as the posts were shared without any proof.

One of the posts, dated March 3, claiming that he had mercilessly poisoned and tortured dogs, was shared 916 times, with 213 comments.

Some of the comments called for a boycott of Lee’s shop.

Similar posts were shared in other Facebook groups.

Lee said as a result, his business dropped by more than 30%.

“With all the brickbats, I feel very stressed and could not sleep at night,” he said.

Lee said he has made a report and hoped the police could investigate and clear his name.

He said he would also reserve his rights to take legal action against those responsible for tarnishing his reputation.

Chong said the public and netizens should be more responsible before sharing posts that could defame others.

Several attempts to contact the woman, allegedly behind the Facebook posting, were unsuccessful.