Singapore faith leader jailed for swindling, abusing followers
Woo May Hoe was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison, according to Singapore-based Channel NewsAsia (CNA), a rare case of cult-like crime in the wealthy financial hub. — TODAY file pic
Wednesday, 19 Jun 2024 2:46 PM MYT
SINGAPORE, June 19 — A Singaporean faith leader was jailed for 10 years on Wednesday for swindling millions of dollars from her followers and using violent punishments to discipline those who disobeyed her, local media reported.
Woo May Hoe was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison, according to Singapore-based Channel NewsAsia (CNA), a rare case of cult-like crime in the wealthy financial hub.
Woo convinced some 30 followers into believing she was a deity and defrauded them of more than US$10 million over several years, according to court documents.
Woo had told her followers that their payments would be used for getting rid of their “bad karma”.
They were told the funds were being sent to a spiritual figure in India called Sri Sakthi Narayani Amma or financing the construction of new temples, the court documents said.
She punished followers if they disobeyed her by caning them, forcing them to eat faeces or pulling their teeth out with pliers.
Health officials found she had paranoid schizophrenia at the time of her offences but that she was aware of the illegal nature of her acts, according to CNA.
“The accused’s actions have completely shattered the lives of her followers, leaving them in dire financial circumstances and causing permanent physical disability to some,” the prosecutors said in their sentencing submissions to the court.
In 2020, Singapore police arrested 21 members of a local chapter of South Korea’s Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ).
They were detained for being members of an unlawful society.
Under Singapore law, anyone convicted of being a member of an unlawful society can be jailed for up to three years as well as be fined up to US$3,700. — AFP
Wednesday, 19 Jun 2024 2:46 PM MYT
SINGAPORE, June 19 — A Singaporean faith leader was jailed for 10 years on Wednesday for swindling millions of dollars from her followers and using violent punishments to discipline those who disobeyed her, local media reported.
Woo May Hoe was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison, according to Singapore-based Channel NewsAsia (CNA), a rare case of cult-like crime in the wealthy financial hub.
Woo convinced some 30 followers into believing she was a deity and defrauded them of more than US$10 million over several years, according to court documents.
Woo had told her followers that their payments would be used for getting rid of their “bad karma”.
They were told the funds were being sent to a spiritual figure in India called Sri Sakthi Narayani Amma or financing the construction of new temples, the court documents said.
She punished followers if they disobeyed her by caning them, forcing them to eat faeces or pulling their teeth out with pliers.
Health officials found she had paranoid schizophrenia at the time of her offences but that she was aware of the illegal nature of her acts, according to CNA.
“The accused’s actions have completely shattered the lives of her followers, leaving them in dire financial circumstances and causing permanent physical disability to some,” the prosecutors said in their sentencing submissions to the court.
In 2020, Singapore police arrested 21 members of a local chapter of South Korea’s Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ).
They were detained for being members of an unlawful society.
Under Singapore law, anyone convicted of being a member of an unlawful society can be jailed for up to three years as well as be fined up to US$3,700. — AFP
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kt comments:
This news is 2 weeks old but I think it's still worth publishing here, if anything, to add my own "piece" in, as follows:
Strangely enough, for a supposedly "advanced" society, Singaporeans are unusually superstitious - in fact I dare say, ultra superstitious. But then again, Singaporeans are no different to most "advanced" Far Eastern societies like those in South Korea, Hong Kong-Macau, Taiwan and presumably Japan as well (though I am not too sure about Japanese, I am quite prepared to bet a couple of dollars that they are too, wakakaka).
And why not, considering South Korea is almost (though not quite completely) a Christian society, the country still has Shamanism at its still-quite-popular-rampant status, as it have been in Korea for the last couple of thousand years.
But I have to say the Singapore incident (as reported by the Malay Mail) takes the nauseating cake when it reported the faith healer "... punished followers if they disobeyed her by caning them, forcing them to eat faeces or pulling their teeth out with pliers". How eff-ing superstitious can the followers be if they accepted such draconian punishments?
On a personal note I have Sing relatives who are willing victims of such "divine-scams" - no better how much I advised them, they have ignored my counselling, and thus continued gullibly to be willing "ultra-superstitious" victims, doling out mucho Sing-dollars, wakakaka.
I am also aware of some Penangites who went over to the Red-Dot to be "part-time" (fraudulent) monks to earn a healthy salary. The con-game was well organised by another Penangite who acted as "Chief Abbot" of a Buddhist "Temple/Organisation" which was very popular with the locals there. The "contributions" had been immense to such an extent that the "Chief Abbot" had to send for some Penang-buddies to "work" there with him as fellow monks, even for short spells. His message was for them to ... "shave, shut up and act pious" whilst he would do the talking-preaching-whatever. Yes, they had to don Buddhist-monk robes while "working" there, wakakaka.
Indeed wakakaka, religious scamming may be very damaging to the respective religions but represents good business in such a superstitious society.
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