Loved ones bid farewell to Bangkok blast victim
Singaporean Bangkok blast victim Melisa Liu's was given a final send-off yesterday (Aug 25). Photo: Ernest Chua
SINGAPORE — Family members and close friends yesterday (Aug 25) bade an emotional farewell to Ms Melisa Liu Rui Chun, who, for many Singaporeans, has become the face of the Bangkok blast tragedy on Aug 17.
They first gathered at the void deck of her home at Blk 55, New Upper Changi Road, at about 9am.
One of them was childhood friend Eleena Chew, 34, who had known Ms Liu, also of the same age, for more than 20 years.
Ms Chew said: “She was a very easygoing and jovial person ... she wasn’t bad-tempered.”
She shared that the two of them would often go on short trips overseas to places such as Bangkok, before breaking into tears.
Ms Liu’s 70-year-old cousin, who wanted to be known only as Mr Lau, recalled how sudden Ms Liu’s passing was. “I was reading the papers when I saw her name in the obituary, and then my relative told me she had passed away,” he said.
Many of those present at the void deck yesterday were teary-eyed, while Ms Liu’s family members declined to speak to the media.
At one point, while standing by the casket, Ms Liu’s mother became distraught and had to be physically supported by her family members to the nearest chair.
Ms Liu’s husband, Mr Ng Su Teck, could be seen standing alone by himself.
Dressed simply in a polo shirt and slippers, and wearing sunglasses, he appeared to be limping slightly, while a burn scar could be seen on his arm.
As the casket was carried out to the strains of the song, You Raise Me Up, Mr Ng hobbled forward to the hearse and was the first to reach it.
He started crying, and a circle of friends quickly tried to comfort him, but he was inconsolable.
Relatives and friends accompanied the hearse to the Church of Our Lady Perpetual Succour before going to
the Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium.
About 80 people attended the cremation service, including about 20 of Ms Liu’s colleagues from AXA Assistance.
One colleague, who did not want to be named, said: “I still find it very unreal ... It still feels like she’s around.”
One of Ms Liu’s friends who delivered the eulogy said: “(Melisa) left a space in our hearts, a space that no one can fill. Melisa influenced our lives in many ways and we will never forget all the time we spent together ... You will always be in our hearts.”
