Coffee shop owner cries foul over FB accusations of cruelty to dogs

Hai Hua Coffee Shop owner Lee Theng Swee (in white, next to Michael Chong) denied allegations that he instructed workers to poison stray dogs.

KUALA LUMPUR: A coffee shop owner is crying foul over allegations that he tortured and killed dogs.

Lee Theng Swee, the owner of Hai Hua Coffee Shop in Ampang, said there had been viral Facebook posts with photos of his shop and of dogs being poisoned, dogs with wounds from being splashed by hot water and dog carcasses with legs broken.

Lee, 53, said this had led to him being questioned by a Malay woman and an Indian man, who claimed to be government officers.

"They came to my coffee shop one day, and asked if I tortured and killed stray dogs.

"I was shocked and then I found out about the Facebook posts linking me to poisoned dogs online," he said at the press conference by Datuk Seri Michael Chong of the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department.

The Facebook posts accused him of instructing Myanmar workers to poison and torture stray dogs.

"These are baseless allegations. I did not do it. I don't even hire Myanmar workers in my shop," he said.

One of the posts was being shared on Facebook which made such allegations was shared 916 times, eliciting 213 comments.

Some comments called for a boycott of the shop.

"The allegations were based on hearsay. This is unfair to me.

"They posted online and shared without any concrete evidence," he said.

Lee said his coffee shop had seen business decline by more than 30%.

"Knowing that I am being scolded and cursed online, I feel very stressed and cannot sleep at night," he said.

Some of his customers also asked hawkers at his coffee shop whether he was cruel to dogs.

Similar posts were shared in Facebook groups such as "I need A Home - (Angels Always, Sometimes More Human-Woofs & Meows)". The injured and dead dogs were allegedly discovered at the coffee shop.

Lee said he had lodged a police report and hoped the police would investigate and clear his name.

He said he reserved the right to take legal actions against those who wrote the Facebook posts.

Meanwhile, attempts to contact the woman who responsible for the posts were unsuccessful.- Star