Batu Pahat mourns Malaysians killed in Chiang Mai bus crash

The remains of the 13 Malaysians killed in a bus accident in Thailand were brought today in as many hearses from the Subang airbase near Kuala Lumpur to five places here.

The hearses arrived here at 9.15am, having left Subang at 4.23am in a convoy that included an ambulance carrying one injured passenger, a bus carrying several next-of-kin and a family car.

The caskets, injured woman passenger Lee Siew Kim, 61, and 12 next-of-kin were flown into the airbase at about 3.30am in two C-130 aircraft, one belonging to the Royal Thai Air Force and the other the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

The remains were brought to three funeral parlours, a house and a temple in Batu Pahat.

They were received by family members waiting from as early as 7am and who broke down upon seeing the caskets.

The remains of four members of a family were brought to the Hoon Cheow Tong Association funeral parlour, namely Low Chee Lan, 85, her youngest daughter Tan Sui Heng, 54, son-in-law and Sui Heng's husband Ker Bong Ngwang, 57, and a granddaughter Tan Thin Thin, 39.

Low's son, Tan Yang Soon, 64, and another granddaughter and Sui Heng's daughter Ker Shin Hui, 28, escaped death in the accident.

Soon after the four caskets were brought to the funeral parlour, family members, other relatives and friends paid their last respects to the deceased.

A family member who wished to be identified only as Alice Lee said the remains would be cremated in Pagoh near Muar.

The remains of Thin Thin would be cremated on Friday and those of the three others on Saturday, she said.

The remains of five people were brought to the Koon Yew funeral parlour.

They were those of Ong Pek Ming, 61, and his wife Chua Ah Kim, 55, who leave behind three children in their 20s; Mr Ker Ah Hwee; Mdm Wong Yoke Ying and Ms Png Ee Ting.

The remains of Mdm Ong Chai Hong, 58, and Mdm Ong Chui Hoe, 53, were brought to a funeral parlour in Jalan Tukas 1, Taman Soga. Family members requested that they not be disturbed when paying their last respects.

The husbands of Chai Hong and Chui Hoe, Goh Bak Chai and Teo Tien Chor, respectively, escaped death in the accident and were undergoing treatment at a hospital in Chiang Mai.

The bus carrying the 22 Malaysians crashed at about 11.30am (12.30pm in Malaysia) on Sunday after an accident with a pickup truck while going from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai.

The driver and co-driver, both Thai nationals, were also injured in the accident.