The Kechara House Executive Committee is elected by majority vote during Kechara House’s Annual General Meeting, held every two years.

Those on the committee are fully dedicated to spreading the Dharma and H.E. Tsem Rinpoche’s teachings to many. Their presence on this committee is an indication of the support they have garnered from Kechara members through the work they have done in helping Kechara to grow.

We are proud to introduce the 2012-2014 Kechara House Executive Committee. May your positions assist your Dharma work to spread Je Tsongkhapa’s traditions in the three times and ten directions!

Datuk May Phng President	Henry Ooi Vice-President	Paul Yap Committee Member
Pastor Chia  Committee Member	Ron Wong Committee Member	May Ong Secretary
David Loh Committee Member

Read on to learn more about our committee members:

Datuk May Phng

A successful and diverse businesswoman who owns the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf franchise in Shanghai and is a key influence in the Malaysian rubber industry, Datuk May Phng is happily married with four adult children and eight grandchildren.

She met H.E. Tsem Rinpoche in 2007 and since then, she embarked on her spiritual career with as much commitment and gusto as she has with her secular career. Her portfolio in Kechara are:
•    Executive Director, Tsem Ladrang
•    President, Kechara House Buddhist Association Malaysia
•    Board of Directors, Kechara Organization
•    Executive Committee Member, Kechara World Peace Centre
•    Executive Director, Kechara Forest Retreat

Read more about our President here

Henry Ooi

Henry had been in the skincare and cosmetics industry for more than twenty years before delving into the Dharma industry.  He is one of H.E. Tsem Rinpoche’s longest serving students and has written a book called Life’s a Gamble, Take a Chance on Faith.  He currently holds the following positions in Kechara:
•    Liaison of Kechara Paradise
•    Vice-President, Kechara House Buddhist Association Malaysia
•    Board of Directors, Kechara organization
•    Director of Kechara organization companies
•    Executive Committee Member, Kechara World Peace Centre

Henry is happily married to the manager of Elixir Beauty Paradise in Damansara Utama and they have two children.  Henry has two adult children from a previous marriage.

Read more about our Vice President here, and as Liaison of Kechara Paradise here and his book here

May Ong

May Ong majored in Computer Science but worked with multinational companies in fashion and beauty retail industry in Operations Management for the last 20 years.

She came across Kechara organization in 2009, became Tsem Rinpoche’s student and joined as Kechara Care’s Administrator, PA to Pastors and is now the Front Desk Manager as well as Secretary of Kechara House Buddhist Association Malaysia.

Pastor Chia Song Peng

You would not be able to guess Pastor Chia’s history from his calm, soft-spoken, and patient demeanor. Pastor Chia came from a family of nine older siblings and was nearly given up for adoption the moment he was born.

From dropping out of an engineering course in Singapore, to working as a factory production assistant, to becoming a Chinese restaurant chef whose task was to kill live seafood, Pastor Chia’s life seemed to be going nowhere. One day he met H.E. Tsem Rinpoche in Singapore and his life took a U – turn towards the Dharma path. Pastor Chia has since found new meaning to life through Kechara and Dharma, and now holds a core role within the Kechara’s retail outlets as well as serving the public as a Kechara Pastor.

Read more about our committee member Pastor Chia here

Paul Yap

Paul is a professional accountant who was a senior finance manager in the manufacturing industry. He is one of the pioneers in Malaysia to work full time in Dharma and successfully applied his accounting experience to contribute to the growth of Kechara through travel and arts. He travels to exotic places such as Nepal, Cambodia, China, India and Thailand to source for Buddha statues and items, as well as organize pilgrimage tours to Buddhist holy sites. Who ever said accountants were boring?

Read more about our committee member Paul as a Liaison of Kechara Discovery and Kechara Saraswati Arts here

Ron Wong

Ron is a successful businessman who had a decade of design engineering experience in the construction industry prior to joining the rat race. His comfortable and indulgent life took a turn when his daughter was diagnosed with autism and hyperactivity.

After spending much time and resources to find a solution to her problems without success, he and his wife turned to spirituality and came to Kechara in 2009 for solace. With Dharma, Ron and his wife learned to accept the truth which brought harmony and joy to their family, and also found more meaning in life through helping others.

Ron gradually became more involved with Kechara from being a student in Lamrim class, to volunteering, to organizing major events, to now holding the post of committee member in Kechara House Buddhist Association Malaysia.

David Loh

David is a music teacher and therapist and currently operates a music academy in SunwayMas. He is also an Interior Consultant with an eye for perfection.

David took the sole responsibility and initiative to tirelessly oversee the entire renovations and purchasing for Kechara’s Shabten Khang Puja House, which opened its doors in January 2012.  Using his talent for music and rhythm, David is also the Puja Coordinator for all pujas in Kechara’s Shabten Khang Puja House.

Read more about David here