Elderly cleaner stops fight by kowtowing to man with knife in Whampoa, calls it her ‘birthday gift’
Last Friday (20 Sept), a chicken rice stall employee at Whampoa Makan Place chased and threatened his boss with a knife following a disagreement over his salary.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Thankfully, no one was harmed — and it’s all thanks to the courageous actions of an elderly cleaner who put herself in harm’s way to de-escalate the situation.
The conflict began when the dissatisfied employee confronted the stall owner at a nearby table.
Their discussion quickly turned heated. After the bald employee stood up and started waving his fists, he began punching the owner, who retaliated.
In a fit of rage, the employee stormed into the stall, grabbed a 20cm-long knife, and rushed back out to pursue the owner.
Seeing the knife, the owner and his wife fled the hawker centre and called the police.
Despite the danger, 69-year-old cleaner Ms Zheng went after the armed employee and managed to persuade him to return to the stall.
When he remained agitated, she knelt down and kowtowed to him, pleading for him to calm down and put the knife down.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
It was only then that the employee relented.
Cleaner says she didn’t think too much about her safety
In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, Ms Zheng shared that she acted instinctively, doing what she felt was necessary.
Having previously worked for the chicken rice stall’s owner, she was motivated to help him.
She aimed to prevent anyone else from getting hurt and didn’t think much about her own safety or the embarrassment of kowtowing.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Interestingly, Ms Zheng revealed that 20 Sept was her birthday, a day she now sees as unforgettable.
She chose to regard this incident as a special “birthday gift” to herself.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Many other stall owners at Whampoa Makan Place praised Ms Zheng’s bravery in such a dangerous situation.
Employee had reportedly only worked there for 14 days
After the incident, police arrived and arrested both the stall owner and the employee for affray.
A 62-year-old man, presumably the employee, was also charged with criminal intimidation.
Officers seized the knife from the scene as evidence.
According to the stall owner’s wife, the employee was hired on 4 Sept and had worked for just 14 days, as the hawker centre had undergone cleaning for three days that month.
She claimed that the employee intended to quit and had informed them on 19 Sept that the next day would be his last.
The employee sought to receive his salary for the three cleaning days, but the owner refused, stating that he had not worked long enough to qualify for paid leave, which sparked the conflict.
Also read: Whampoa chicken rice stall employee threatens boss with knife during wage dispute, both men arrested
Whampoa chicken rice stall employee threatens boss with knife during wage dispute, both men arrested
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
