The incident was first shared in a Facebook post on May 7 by a user who said Koh had been selling tissues in the area for years to support herself, AsiaOne reported.
In the video, Koh, who uses a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy, appeared visibly distressed as she sat outside the mall, holding her forehead and crying while passers-by walked past.
The clip later gained more than one million views and about 700 comments.
Former Malaysian Paralympic swimmer Koh Lee Peng. Photo from Instagram/@harjun8 |
According to local outlet The Rakyat PostKoh, now in her 50s, is a former Malaysian Paralympic swimmer who represented the country at regional competitions and won multiple gold and silver medals at the ASEAN Para Games.
She starts her day at around 7:25 a.m. and spends hours selling tissue paper and handicrafts on the streets before returning home after 9:30 p.m.
Malaysia’s National Athletes Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) said Koh has been receiving welfare and medical assistance since 2019, according to the New Straits Times.
Its chairman, Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, said the foundation provided her with a new electric wheelchair on April 20 to support her daily mobility needs.
He added that Yakeb was also “helping to manage Koh’s treatment and coordinate appointments with a neurology specialist at Kuala Lumpur Hospital”.
Koh reportedly receives more than RM400 (US$94) a month from Malaysia’s Social Welfare Department. Yakeb is also providing her with a temporary monthly allowance of RM500 for six months.
She is also expected to receive RM3,000 in financial assistance from the Association of Malay Importers and Traders of Motor Vehicles Malaysia in July.
Shapawi said Yakeb had previously offered Koh business and job opportunities but the offers were reportedly declined.
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