Thomas Ong not involved in alleged misappropriation of charity funds in Cambodia

Thomas Ong has spoken -- he's not the one mentioned in a recent blog post alleging misuse of charity funds in Cambodia.

The allegations came about when Cambodian educator and volunteer, Dork Silong, wrote on a volunteer travel blog that the annual $100,000 donations by a Singaporean actor to an NGO school in Siem Reap were misappropriated by the staff there.

The money was used to purchase a Lexus car and hold lavish parties, Silong wrote.

Many people speculated that he was referring to Thomas, who previously appeared on the news several times to raise funds for the two schools he built and funded in Cambodia.

"I don't even have $100,000 in my bank account," the local actor told local media on Wednesday (May 29).

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Not wanting such speculations to affect the reputation of the schools and the principal, Thomas decided to address the allegations:

• He is not the Singaporean actor who donated $100,000 yearly
  He previously revealed that he was donating $30,000 yearly to fund the schools, and was finding it increasingly hard to do so.
   
• The funds in his schools' bank account have never exceeded $20,000
  The actor, who travels to Siem Reap one to two times each year, opened the bank account with school principal Sopheak Phountam. He knows the accounting figures and is making sure that every penny goes to charity.
   
• The school principal rides a motorcycle and does not drive a luxury car
  "He (Sopheak) just wanted to help poor children get an education," Thomas explained and added that the school principal receives a monthly salary of US$350 (S$483). 
   
• He does not receive donations personally as money is a sensitive issue
  Thomas said that the funds do not go through him unless they come from his close friends. He explained that issues involving money are sensitive and he'd prefer donations to be deposited directly into the schools' bank account.
   
• He welcomes Good Samaritans to "adopt" the schools
  Anyone who wishes to help fund the schools is welcome to do so, Thomas said. He would also bring them to Siem Reap to check the accounts if they have queries.

On Thursday, Silong confirmed with Shin Min Daily News that the person mentioned in his blog post is not Thomas Ong.

But he maintains that the incident did happen around three years ago and involved another unnamed actor from Singapore.

editor@asiaone.com