Malaysian actor Shaun Chen has returned to the country after his father was killed in a hit-and-run accident.
The 46-year-old Emerald Hill (2025) star was on vacation in Bangkok when the accident occurred on March 28, as an earthquake in Myanmar sent tremors across the Thai capital. Chen, who is based in Johor Bahru with his wife and two daughters, has since returned to his home town in Negeri Sembilan for his father’s wake and to settle his affairs.
Chen posted information of his father’s wake on Instagram on March 30. The service will run from March 30 till April 1, the day the cortege will depart for the crematorium. Though the obituary says Chen’s father is 88 years old, the actor told Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao that his father was born in 1941, and died aged 84.
He added that his father was out to get some fruit for prayer for the first day of the lunar month (March 29). He was riding his motorcycle when an errant car knocked him down and sped away.
The crash was captured on the dashcam of a driver following close behind, who happened to be an acquaintance of Chen’s family residing in the same kampung. The driver and other kampung neighbours rushed to the aid of Chen’s father. While he was still alive when he was taken to the hospital, he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Chen said the police have informed him that someone has been arrested for the hit-and-run.
In an earlier Instagram post on March 28 following the fatal accident, Chen called for the perpetrator to come forward and apologise to his father in a short clip.
“I hope this person can come forward. I will not take revenge. I hope that you can say sorry to my daddy. He did not know you, I don’t know why you did that to him. I just want you to say sorry,” he pleaded.
He also included footage of the crash, which occurred at 10.35am. A car could be seen trying to overtake Chen’s father, who was on a motorcycle, around a bend in the road when it knocked him down. The car sped away, leaving Chen’s father lying motionless on the ground. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
