Man Gave Below Market Rate for Ang Pao, Kena Suan-ed So He Sued His Friend


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Last Updated on 2022-09-19 , 10:02 pm

We’ve often heard the phrase, “Hoes over bros.”

But it seems that a new one has spawned:

Ang paos over bros.

Back in 2017, a Taiwanese man named Lee held a wedding dinner as his son was getting hitched. The function took place in Taoyuan and it wasn’t really the budget type, seeing how a single table cost around NT$20,000 (approx. SGD 900).

Lee also invited his old friend of 30 years, Leow, to the wedding dinner.

When the auspicious day came, Leow turned up with his daughter and gave an ang pao containing NT$2,600 (approx. SGD 120) to the hosting family. However, it seems to touched a nerve, as Lee evidently expected more from a friend of 30 years.

It probably didn’t help that his other friends’ ang paos started from NT$3,600 (approx. SGD 170) either.

After the dinner, Lee began badmouthing his old friend. Apart from describing Leow as stingy for not giving a ‘market rate’ ang pao, he also criticised Leow in a Line group chat, saying that Leow “took advantage of him”.

Defamation suit

When the news came to Leow’s attention, he didn’t take kindly to it.

Not even close.

Not satisfied with confronting his old friend, Leow decided to take Lee to court for a defamation suit.

In court, Leow reportedly defended himself by claiming not to have any source of income as he was retired from work. With limited funds in the bank, he had to spend wisely and thriftily if he wanted to survive.

For the ang pao, Leow clarified that he had done his best, and the amount he gave shouldn’t have triggered such an alarming response. Besides, their friendship of 30 years should have counted for something, seeing how the ang pao’s just a tradition at the very end.

The prosecutor then advised Leow to drop the charge if he wanted to salvage their friendship, but the old friend ultimately went through with it.

So… Ang paos burn bridges

We aren’t sure how the case turned out, but we’ll make sure to update you guys if we find out.


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On another note, is a 30-year-old friendship really worth breaking up over a paltry ang pao?

After all, ang pows are a yearly affair.

While a friend is a lifetime affair.

Featured Image: mokjc / Shutterstock.com