The dispute between a durian vendor and his employee over the selection of a durian escalated into violence, resulting in the employee, Wang Lianzheng, suffering injuries. The incident occurred at a durian stall located below Block 18 Bedok South Road, according to Lianhe Zaobao.
The conflict began when Wang’s supervisor instructed him to select and cut open two Musang King durians for a customer.
However, upon opening the durians, they found that the pulp was in poor condition, which angered the supervisor.
He blamed Wang for choosing low-quality durians and demanded that Wang pay for them himself, a request Wang considered unreasonable.
As the argument escalated, Wang’s supervisor berated him with harsh words and threatened to fire him. In a fit of anger, Wang threw the cash box on the table, further aggravating the situation.
The supervisor then physically assaulted Wang, choking him, pushing him against a table, and inflicting bruises and cuts on his body. Wang did not fight back during the assault.
Wang reported that this was not the first time his supervisor had asked employees to pay for durians from their own pockets. In addition, Wang revealed that he had been asked to buy durians costing $20 to $30 in the past.
Wang’s colleagues in the store intervened to separate the two during the assault, as they feared the situation might escalate to a more dangerous level due to the presence of a nearby knife, according to 8World News.
After the incident, Wang visited a doctor and received six days of medical leave for his injuries. He reported the incident to his boss, general manager, and filed a police report on September 17. Wang’s supervisor left for Malaysia on September 18.
Despite an apology from his supervisor and the encouragement to forgive the actions, Wang refused to accept the apology, citing his supervisor’s history of hot-tempered behavior and outbursts of anger.
Wang verbally informed his boss that he would resign out of concern for his safety.
Later, Wang received a dismissal letter from the company without a stated reason. He is currently seeking another job and has expressed that he does not wish to work at a durian stall again.
The supervisor in question had not reported for work in the days following the incident, according to staff at the durian stall.