GALELA, North Halmahera (The Straits Times/ANN): For two days, Timothy Heng’s family held on to the hope that he was still alive somewhere on the upper slopes of Mount Dukono, an Indonesian volcano on the remote island of Halmahera that erupted on May 8.
They imagined the 29-year-old was injured but waiting to be found as Indonesian rescuers battled rain, thick ash and the constant threat of further eruptions as they searched the mountain.
Shortly after 11am on May 10, the call they had been dreading came from Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Two bodies had been found near the summit.
“From the way that MFA communicated, they did not exactly confirm that he was dead, but I think from the wording, we kind of assumed that that was the case,” Mr Heng’s step-sister Tessa Oh, a 30-year-old journalist, told The Straits Times.
For the family, the news was devastating.
“My family was super distraught. My parents, especially, and his soon-to-be fiancee were really holding out hope that he was still alive,” she added. “So the confirmation that he had passed was really difficult for them.”
Turned back to help others
Mr Heng was part of a group of 20 – nine Singaporeans and 11 Indonesians – who trekked up the active volcano in North Halmahera regency on May 7.
The volcano erupted on the morning of May 8, sending hot rocks and ash raining down on the climbers.
“When I heard more details about what happened, my first thought was that he probably went back to save someone,” Ms Oh said. “That is the Tim we know. It just sounded so much like what he would do.”
She emphasised that her brother did not die because he took unnecessary risks. He died trying to help others.
That belief was strengthened after she read The Straits Times’ interview with Indonesian guide Reza Selang, who said Mr Heng could have escaped with the rest of the Singaporean climbers but instead went back up the mountain to help another member of the group.
“Reza’s own testimony is that he (Timothy) could have escaped with the rest of the Singaporeans who evacuated, but he went back up. He showed bravery, he really tried to help and he really thought of all the participants before himself,” she said.
“That is the bravery that we know him for and the kind of thing that our parents used to tell us when we were young. My family is just really proud to read, especially in your report, what Reza said about how he (Timothy) went back to help.”
Mr Heng was the organiser of the expedition. He had planned the trip nearly a year earlier through a travel community he ran in Singapore.
The group went on the trek despite a climbing ban imposed by the local authorities on April 17 and a standing 4km no-go exclusion zone around the crater. Mr Reza said he was unaware of the warnings.
Ms Oh said she had seen negative comments online and hoped people would show compassion. She did not elaborate on the comments, but some social media users have questioned why the group chose to climb Mount Dukono despite the risks, and whether the tragedy might have been avoided.
“We are obviously super sad and really grieving the loss of our brother and our son. But knowing that his last moments were spent trying to help others just makes us proud,” she said.
A life of adventure
When the first call came on May 8, Ms Oh was in Cebu, in the Philippines, covering the Asean Summit.
Her mother told her that something had gone wrong on the mountain.
Indonesian rescuers had contacted Mr Heng’s fiancee, whom he had listed as his emergency contact, and she then passed on the news to the family. In the days that followed, another sister became the family’s main point of contact with the MFA.
At first, they knew only that he was in danger somewhere high on the volcano. Singapore officials said they could not confirm his condition. One of the other Singaporean climbers later got in touch and began to fill in the details of what had happened.
The uncertainty was agonising, Ms Oh said. Each update gave the family renewed hope.
Over the past year, Mr Heng had gone on several expeditions, trekking in Nepal and Japan, and travelling often to South Africa.
He had never been hurt before, but a few years earlier, he had taken part in an anti-poaching course in South Africa. During the event, participants were cut off from communication for an extended period and had their phones confiscated, leaving his parents worried until he returned safely.
The family had recently celebrated their father’s 60th birthday before Mr Heng set off for Indonesia.
“I just knew from my parents that he was on another expedition,” Ms Oh said. “For me, I was just okay, Tim was just on another expedition.”
Bringing him home
The family is now grappling with the painful practicalities of bringing Mr Heng home. They said they are deeply grateful to the Indonesian search-and-rescue team for their tireless efforts to find and recover his body from the mountain.
For two days, Singapore officials advised them not to travel to Indonesia while search-and-rescue operations were under way. After all, the volcano is located in a rugged district in North Maluku province where access is difficult and weather conditions can change rapidly.
After the latest update, Ms Oh said the MFA had sent documents explaining the steps needed to identify, claim and repatriate Mr Heng’s body to Singapore.
“We are still trying to figure out the logistics and digest the information that MFA has given us,” she said. The family was also discussing whether to travel to Indonesia.
“I just hope that people understand the reason why we are in this situation and grieving him is because he really did try his best to keep everyone on the hike safe.” -- THE STRAITS TIMES/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
