Victim's mum laments: You are selfish
PUBLISHED ONMarch 17, 2014 12:10 AMByChai Hung Yin
The mood was sombre at the Teochew Funeral Parlour in Ubi where family and friends of Miss Michelle Phoe Min Yi, 18, waited for her body to arrive for her wake on Friday afternoon.
More than 10 of her friends from Republic polytechnic and Junyuan Secondary School sat quietly at the round tables.
Her father, Mr phoe tiauw Jen, 59, a technician, busied himself with the funeral arrangements.
A van from Ang Chin Moh Casket arrived soon after 4pm and her body was taken into the funeral parlour on a stretcher, covered with a white cloth.
Broke down
When Mr Phoe and his wife, Madam Sim Ah Moi, 55, a seamstress, took a last look at their only child, Madam Sim broke down in tears and had to be supported by Mr Phoe and relatives and assisted to a chair.
She was heard wailing loudly in Mandarin: "Why here? Why did you come here to sleep? You are very selfish, you left both of us behind."
Relatives did their best to console her. Mr Phoe also tried to comfort her and dabbed her eyes with tissue paper.
She calmed down about 20 minutes later.
As a monk from the Maha Mantra Buddhist Centre conducted a prayer session, more relatives and friends arrived, mostly dressed in black.
Miss Phoe's body was cremated Sunday at the tse tho Aum temple in Sin Ming Drive.
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