Latest news with #MissGrandMalaysia
Borneo Post
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Borneo Post
Viviana first Iban to win Miss Grand Malaysia, to represent country in Bangkok
Viviana (centre) is seen with other Miss Grand Malaysia 2025 finalists in Kuala Lumpur on July 30, 2025. — Bernama photo KUALA LUMPUR (July 31): Viviana Lin Winston, from Kuching was crowned Miss Grand Malaysia (MGM) 2025 during the grand finale of the beauty pageant held last night at the HGH Convention Centre here. The 25-year-old captivated the panel of judges with her grace and intellect, earning her the title along with a cash prize, jewellery and various exclusive packages. With this victory, the Iban lass will go on to represent Malaysia at the Miss Grand International (MGI) pageant, which is expected to be held in Bangkok in October. The first runner-up was Dr Nisha Thayananthan from Negeri Sembilan, while third place went to Rochil Sagarino from Sabah. Viviana, fondly known as Vivi, is the first Iban woman to win the Miss Grand Malaysia crown. 'This achievement is not just a personal victory on a beauty pageant stage, but a chance to celebrate diversity and prove that the uniqueness of Iban culture also deserves a place on the global stage. 'I hope this success inspires young people from all backgrounds to believe in themselves and keep striving,' said the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak student. Viviana added that this win also comes with a great responsibility, especially in representing Malaysia at the MGI stage and continuing the legacy of past Malaysian representatives who ranked among the world's best. 'From now on, I want to focus on working with experienced individuals so I can elevate Malaysia's name even further. Winning (on the global stage) is not impossible with consistent training, proper guidance and teamwork,' she said. Meanwhile, MGM 2025 national director Melisha Lin said Viviana's win was the result of her hard work and strengths in all five core areas assessed at the international level, namely 'beauty, body, brain, behaviour, and business'. She said the organisation hopes that Viviana will be placed among the Top 20 at this year's Miss Grand International, adding that Malaysia secured sixth place (fifth runner-up) in the previous edition. — Bernama lead Miss Grand Malaysia Viviana Lin Winston
Sinar Daily
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sinar Daily
Iban girl crowned Miss Grand Malaysia 2025
Viviana, fondly known as Vivi, is the first Iban woman to win the Miss Grand Malaysia crown. 31 Jul 2025 11:50am Viviana, fondly known as Vivi, is the first Iban woman to win the Miss Grand Malaysia crown. - Photo credit: Pageantry Moments KUALA LUMPUR - Viviana Lin Winston, from Kuching, Sarawak, was crowned Miss Grand Malaysia (MGM) 2025 during the grand finale of the beauty pageant held last night at the HGH Convention Centre here. The 25-year-old captivated the panel of judges with her grace and intellect, earning her the title along with a cash prize, jewellery and various exclusive packages. With this victory, the Iban lass will go on to represent Malaysia at the Miss Grand International (MGI) pageant, which is expected to be held in Bangkok in October. The first runner-up was Dr Nisha Thayananthan from Negeri Sembilan, while third place went to Rochil Sagarino from Sabah. Viviana, fondly known as Vivi, is the first Iban woman to win the Miss Grand Malaysia crown. "This achievement is not just a personal victory on a beauty pageant stage, but a chance to celebrate diversity and prove that the uniqueness of Iban culture also deserves a place on the global stage. "I hope this success inspires young people from all backgrounds to believe in themselves and keep striving,' said the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak student. Viviana added that this win also comes with a great responsibility, especially in representing Malaysia at the MGI stage and continuing the legacy of past Malaysian representatives who ranked among the world's best. "From now on, I want to focus on working with experienced individuals so I can elevate Malaysia's name even further. Winning (on the global stage) is not impossible with consistent training, proper guidance and teamwork,' she said. Meanwhile, MGM 2025 national director Melisha Lin said Viviana's win was the result of her hard work and strengths in all five core areas assessed at the international level, namely "beauty, body, brain, behaviour, and business'. She said the organisation hopes that Viviana will be placed among the Top 20 at this year's Miss Grand International, adding that Malaysia secured sixth place (fifth runner-up) in the previous edition. - BERNAMA More Like This
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First Post
10-07-2025
- First Post
‘He said it would be a blessing...': The horrific ‘assault' of Indian-origin beauty queen by temple priest in Malaysia
An Indian-origin model and TV host, Lishalliny Kanaran, has accused a Hindu temple priest of molesting her under the pretext of offering a religious blessing in Malaysia. Kanaran, who is also Miss Grand Malaysia 2021, has urged other women to speak up as police launched a manhunt to arrest the missing priest read more In a lengthy Instagram post, Kanaran, who is also a former Miss Grand Malaysia 2021, narrated her ordeal, alleging that an Indian priest, on the pretext of blessing her, molested her. Image courtesy: Instagram/@Lishalliny Kanaran An Indian-origin model and TV host, Lishalliny Kanaran, has accused a Hindu temple priest of molesting her under the pretext of offering a religious blessing in Malaysia. In a lengthy Instagram post, Kanaran, who is also a former Miss Grand Malaysia, narrated her ordeal, alleging that the priest, on the pretext of blessing her, put his hands inside her blouse while splashing her with what he claimed was 'holy water from India'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The alleged assault, which took place inside a private room at the Mariamman Temple in Sepang district, has triggered a manhunt after the priest fled. But who is Lishalliny Kanaran? What happened with her? Here's what we know. Who is Lishalliny Kanaran? Lishalliny Kanaran is a Malaysian of Indian origin who was crowned Miss Grand Malaysia in 2021. A television host and actor by profession, she hails from Selangor and studied architecture before stepping into the world of pageantry. Her journey in beauty contests began well before her win—she made it to the top 5 in both the 2019 and 2020 editions of Miss Grand Malaysia before finally taking home the crown in 2021. She later went on to represent Malaysia at the Miss Grand International 2021 held in Thailand, where she placed among the top 10 finalists and also won the Best National Costume award. Lishalliny Outside the pageant world, Lishalliny—often referred to as Lisha—has expressed interest in advocacy, especially around poverty and children's education. Active on Instagram, Lishalliny often shares moments in life. She currently has a following of over 92.5K on the platform. In 2023, she featured in the Malaysian Tamil TV drama Jeeyum Neeyum, and more recently appeared in the web series Thigil, currently streaming on Astro Vinmeen, a local digital platform. What happened with Lishalliny Kanaran? Lishalliny Kanaran shared that she had been visiting the Mariamman Temple regularly in recent weeks to deepen her spiritual connection. But on June 21, she went alone, as her mother was away in India. In a detailed Instagram post, she recounted that during her visit, the priest who usually guided her rituals approached her while she was praying. He offered to bless her with 'holy water and a protective string.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD She says she waited over an hour for him, while he continued blessing other devotees. Eventually, he asked her to follow him to his private office, saying he would perform a special ritual. 'Even as I followed, something didn't feel right. Something in my gut was uneasy,' she wrote. Once inside the room, she described how the priest splashed a strong-smelling liquid into a bowl of water, claiming it was sacred and brought from India, not meant for 'ordinary people'. 'So much that my eyes stung and I couldn't even open them,' she said. He then allegedly told her to undress, saying it was 'for her good'. When she refused, he scolded her for wearing tight clothes. Things quickly took a disturbing turn. She says the priest moved behind her and put his hands inside her blouse, touching her inappropriately. 'He said it would be a 'blessing' if I did 'it' with him because he serves God,' she wrote. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Frozen and terrified, she couldn't respond. 'My brain knew everything about that moment was wrong, and yet I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I froze. And I still don't understand why,' she wrote. 'That betrayal is what cuts the deepest… I won't go into more detail. But I was MOLESTED by that priest. And I couldn't react.' After the incident, she was left shocked and traumatised. She later told her mother upon returning to India, and a police complaint was filed on July 4. However, when they returned to the temple, the priest was missing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Apparently, the priest wasn't there anymore. Someone had already reported him before for the same thing and yet no action had been taken,' she said, accusing the temple authorities of trying to protect their image instead of helping her. Through her post, Kanaran emphasised that she did not want pity, but rather hoped that any other women who may have been abused by the same man would feel encouraged to speak out. As of now, Malaysian police have launched a manhunt, and the investigation is ongoing. With input from agencies
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First Post
10-07-2025
- First Post
Who is Lishalliny Kanaran, the ex-Miss Malaysia who accused an Indian priest of molesting her? "He put his hands inside my blouse and…"
The police have already launched a manhunt to trace down the priest after the allegations have gone viral on social media that has left everybody shocked. read more Lishalliny Kanaran is a former Miss Malaysia who has recounted the horror of being molested by an Indian priest. The police have already launched a manhunt to trace down the priest after the allegations have gone viral on social media that has left everybody shocked. What did she write in her post? Kanaran wrote- 'There's a priest there who would usually guide me through the rituals, since I'm new to all this. I don't know much, and I've always appreciated his help.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'On that day, while I was praying, he approached me and told me he had some holy water and a protective string to tie for me; a blessing, he said.' 'Inside the office, he asked me to sit while he stood,' she recalled. 'He poured something, a very strong-smelling liquid, like rose or flower essence into the holy water. He said it was from India, and that they don't usually give it to ordinary people.' 'Then, without warning, he put his hands inside my blouse, into my bra, and started touching me inappropriately. My brain knew everything about that moment was wrong and yet I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I froze. And I still don't understand why,' she said. 'That betrayal is what cuts the deepest. I won't go into more detail. But I was MOLESTED by that priest. And I couldn't react,' she said. Who is Lishalliny Kanaran? Here's everything you need to know about her: Lishalliny Kanaran is an architecture student and a prominent figure on social media. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In 2020, she was crowned Miss Grand Selangor at the age of 24. In 2021, Miss Grand Malaysia event was held virtually due to Covid-19 pandemic. Kanaran participated in the three-stage selection process, ultimately becoming the winner. In 2023, she forayed into acting, and acted in the Malaysian TV series Jeeyum Neeyum and later featuring in the web show Thigil.
India Today
10-07-2025
- India Today
Put his hands inside my blouse: Malaysian model says Hindu priest molested her
A model in Malaysia has accused a Hindu priest of sexually assaulting her under the pretext of giving her blessings at a temple. The model, Lishalliny Kanaran, detailed the ordeal in a social media post and said the incident took place last Saturday at Mariamman Temple in police launched a manhunt for the Hindu priest after she went public with her allegations, the South China Morning Post reported. Kanaran was crowned Miss Grand Malaysia in also alleged that she received threats from the investigating officer, who she claimed warned her against publicising the assault, saying, 'If you do, it will be your fault [and] you'll be blamed.' After that, she decided to go public and detailed the ordeal on social media.'There's a priest there who would usually guide me through the rituals, since I'm new to all this. I don't know much, and I've always appreciated his help,' she recalled.'On that day, while I was praying, he approached me and told me he had some holy water and a protective string to tie for me; a blessing, he said.'She further claimed that she felt uneasy about following the priest to his office but did so anyway. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lishalliny Kanaran (@lishallinykanaran)'Inside the office, he asked me to sit while he stood,' she recalled. 'He poured something, a very strong-smelling liquid, like rose or flower essence into the holy water. He said it was from India, and that they don't usually give it to ordinary people.'She alleged that the priest kept splashing water on her face until a point where she could not even open her eyes. Then he allegedly asked her to lift her suit. When she refused, he lashed out at her for wearing a tight outfit and splashed the water again and stood behind her. She alleged that he then placed his hands inside her blouse and touched her inappropriately.'Then, without warning, he put his hands inside my blouse, into my bra, and started touching me inappropriately.''My brain knew everything about that moment was wrong and yet I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I froze. And I still don't understand why,' she said she was in a state of shock for the next few days and could not believe that she was molested by a priest inside a temple.'That betrayal is what cuts the deepest. I won't go into more detail. But I was MOLESTED by that priest. And I couldn't react,' she POLICE SAIDadvertisementThe suspect is believed to be an Indian national temporarily officiating at the temple during the absence of its resident priest, the report said quoting Sepang district police chief Norhizam suspect's modus operandi was allegedly to sprinkle holy water on the victim's face and body before proceeding to molest herNorhizam Bahaman, Sepang district police chief'The suspect's modus operandi was allegedly to sprinkle holy water on the victim's face and body before proceeding to molest her,' Norhizam said.- Ends
