TENSIONS boiled over outside the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple in Waterloo Street, Singapore during the Lunar New Year as long-time tissue sellers clashed with monks over fundraising territory, leading to heated confrontations.
According to Lianhe Zaobao on Feb 3, the conflict began on the first day of the Lunar New Year, with tissue sellers accusing the monks of “stealing business” and “taking their spots.”
The dispute quickly escalated into verbal altercations, with one tissue seller shouting at donors, urging them not to contribute to the monks’ collection boxes: “Coming to take from us, you will not have a good death!”
Witnesses reported that tensions nearly turned physical, with one tissue seller allegedly attempting to strike a monk with a stick.
Police have since been making regular visits to monitor the situation.
Frustrated over their declining income, some tissue sellers resorted to drastic measures to push the monks away.
One woman was overheard saying she brought flour to scatter in an attempt to drive them out.
Lim, a 75-year-old tissue seller, said: “They move our chairs and collect donations in front. If devotees give them money, who will buy our tissues? I used to earn up to $400 daily, but now it’s only $200.”
The monks from Sri Krishna Mandir Temple in Geylang clarified that they were only fundraising for charity.
“We’re here to give back to society, but we’re constantly insulted and attacked. We’ve had to call the police to report the assaults,“ their spokesperson, Prabhu said.
The ongoing clashes have left the local community stunned, with police intervention becoming a daily occurrence.
One visitor even said that a temple should not be a place for such disputes.
