Buddhist monk in Hong Kong accused of misleading public about reasons for meat consumption

A monk and former head of tycoon Li Ka-shing's Tsz Shan monastery in Hong Kong has been accused of spreading misinformation about his reasons for eating meat after admitting he did it to supplement his protein intake.

A Supreme Court ruling reviewed by the Post on Friday alleged that Buddhist monk Tam Wei-keong made false accusations against the public after a picture of him eating a meat dish was widely shared on social media in March.

The lawsuit was filed by a woman named Peggy Chen Kam-yee. Tam told reporters she took care of him and his diet in 2021 when he was medically advised to eat protein-rich food for health reasons.

The couple's relationship was not immediately clear in the court document, but Chen said she had known the monk in 2018 and was asked to prepare curry chicken, meat skewers, pork soup and others for Tam when they first met. Chen said she observed the monk eating meat “frequently” in the years that followed.

Chen, director and shareholder of Austin School, an international institution in Tsim Sha Tsui, also did not deny preparing meat dishes for Tam.

She said she believed the monk explained his diet differently than other Buddhists because he said he was a Malaysian monk whose branch of Buddhism allowed him to “kill as many animals as he wanted.”