Leaders, public flock to school to pay tribute
President Tony Tan and Mrs Mary Tan paying tribute to quake victims at the foyer of Tanjong Katong Primary School on June 8, 2015. Photo: Don Wong
SINGAPORE — They came in droves from all walks of life to Tanjong Katong Primary School (TKPS) — some bearing flowers, some bringing a handwritten card or two.
All of them came with a singular purpose: To remember the victims of the earthquake that struck Sabah on Friday morning.
As they filed into the school canteen, where a tribute centre was set up, there was nary a dry eye.
Parents comforted one another in a teary embrace; current and former pupils gazed pensively at the photographs of the six Primary 6 pupils and one teacher they will never have the chance to greet again.
There was an outpouring of tributes at the school, which received more than 1,000 visitors a day after the tragic news was confirmed that eight people from Singapore had lost their lives on Mount Kinabalu.
All around the tribute centre, whiteboards were filled with cards and messages offering support or simply expressing their love for the school. By evening, bouquets lined the corridors leading to the canteen. Many remembered the victims fondly.
“He was very friendly, and he would talk to everyone,” said Tristan Wing, 12, of his friend Ameer Ryyan Mohd Adeed Sanjay. “In a group, he wouldn’t not include anyone.”
Tristan, who was one of the 29 TKPS pupils headed to Mount Kinabalu, told TODAY his peers were discussing how best to remember those who perished. “Maybe by making posters, or through T-shirts.”
Della Chua, 12, said Emilie Ramu, one of the six who died, was her best friend. “I always looked up to her. She was very courageous and never gave up,” said Della, fighting back tears while speaking to reporters.
For former students who scaled the same mountain years before, this disaster was especially poignant. Azzah Atifah, 15, said she was initially afraid of the climb, but that the support she had from those around her spurred her on.
“I can tell how excited these students (my juniors) were to go on the expedition, but then disaster struck. They’re only 12; they really don’t deserve this,” she said.
Members of Parliament and local athletes also came by to offer condolences. Among those taking time off from the SEA Games were athletes from the rugby, netball and synchronised swimming teams.
Men’s rugby captain Daniel Marc Chow said both the men’s and women’s rugby teams wanted to join the rest of the nation in mourning and to pay their respects to the victims’ families and friends.
President Tony Tan, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat and Culture, Community and Youth Minister Lawrence Wong also visited yesterday.
And in the evening, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong posted an ode on Facebook to the earthquake victims, naming the eight from Singapore.
“May they rest in peace,” he wrote. WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MARISSA YEO
