The note read: “I have neurological health problems and leg pain. Please take care of me. I sincerely thank you.”
Security camera footage showed a taxi stopping at the temple gate at around 11 a.m. on May 10, a woman stepping out of the back with a man, and helping him into the temple grounds before leaving, according to staff.
Monks later cleaned the man, treated his wounds and reported the case to local authorities. “He has difficulty walking, and seems lucid at times but confused at other times,” the abbot said.
A woman leaves her father at the gate of Chua Dong in Hai Phong on May 10. Photo from security camera footage |
Police in Lac Phuong Commune identified the 71-year-old as having household registration in Hanoi, the woman as his 29-year-old daughter, and their family as renting a house in Gia Lam.
The man told the police that his age and poor health had left him unable to work, his daughter had recently given birth and suffers from severe kidney disease, and her husband is a factory worker with a low income.
He had discussed with his daughter and son-in-law going to the temple in the hope he would be taken cared of.
When questioned, the daughter told the police she feared the temple would refuse to accept her father and so left him at the gate.
Venerable Thich Quang Van said the temple is caring for three elderly people who live alone but can manage their own daily activities.
But the man needs specialized care because of his limited mobility, and so the temple could not take him in, he said.
At noon on May 12, the daughter and her husband met with local authorities and took the man back home.
The abbot said: “The daughter brought medical records showing she suffers from kidney failure. The family sold their home and now live in rented accommodation.”
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The handwritten letter and personal belongings of the man who was left at the temple. Photo courtesy of police |
Tran Canh Tung, head of the Social Work Division at the Social Protection Department, said the daughter violated the law, which requires children and grandchildren to care for elderly family members.
The Law on the Elderly allows older people to be admitted to state social protection centers if they are from poor families, have no caregivers and cannot live independently. Emergency cases are to be decided by the chairperson of the provincial people’s committee.
Tung said the family should apply to their commune people’s committee for support. He added that the Social Protection Department had instructed the Hai Phong Department of Health to work with local authorities and the family to arrange a care plan for the man.
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