"It Would Be a Waste to Throw Away" Chicken Bones Video Leads to 14.8 Million Won Fine

Mockery Disguised as a "Good Deed"...Public Backlash Grows
Court Rules Content "Extremely Degrading"...Imposes Fine

In Malaysia, an influencer who filmed and released footage of himself handing leftover food and chicken bones to a homeless person has been fined by a court on charges of producing and distributing degrading content.

A Malaysian influencer who sparked controversy after posting a video showing them give leftover food and chicken bones to a homeless person, seen apologizing on their social media. Instagram

According to foreign media outlets including Malaysia Today on the 2nd (local time), a Malaysian court sentenced 23-year-old influencer Tang Sie Luk to a fine of 40,000 ringgit (about 14.8 million won) on charges of producing a video mocking a homeless person and posting it online. If he fails to pay the fine, he will be subject to four months in prison.

Tang was charged with filming himself, along with two friends, handing a bag containing leftover rice and chicken bones to a homeless person after they had eaten at a fast-food restaurant in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, in August last year, and uploading the footage to his social media (SNS) account.

In the video, they say they want to "do a good deed," then show themselves eating chicken and remark, "It would be a waste to throw away the chicken bones." The footage then shows them putting the leftover chicken bones into a bag containing rice and packing it up.

At the end of the video, they approach a homeless person who was sleeping in front of a restaurant in Johor Bahru and hand him the bag. The homeless man, looking bewildered, thanked them, but it has not been confirmed whether he actually ate the food.

The video spread rapidly through social media and was met with a wave of criticism. Tang later deleted the video, but it continued to be shared on online communities and other platforms.

Tang was subsequently indicted on charges of producing and posting a degrading video with the intent to offend others. During the trial, he said he was "reflecting on his actions" and asked for the minimum punishment. However, prosecutors argued, "The defendant turned another person's suffering into entertainment," and insisted that "a stern punishment is necessary to prevent similar crimes."

The court ruled that "the content of the video was extremely degrading and its social impact was significant," and imposed a fine. Tang is reported to have paid the fine.

The day after the sentencing, Tang posted a video on his social media acknowledging his wrongdoing and apologizing. He stated that he would never film such videos again and expressed remorse. The apology video is reported to have been viewed more than 500,000 times.