No sign of Chin Peng's children at wake but 'mystery visitors' elicit curiousity

BANGKOK: More than a hundred people gathered to give Chin Peng a final send-off Monday, but the whereabouts of his two children remain unexplained.

The arrival of two mystery men on the third day of the wake proceedings Sunday night set tongues wagging among well-wishers at the Wat That Thong temple, but none would confirm the identity of the men.

The two men arrived at the wake separately but drew attention as organisers of the funeral gave them prominent seats in the prayer hall where Chin Peng's casket was laid.

Journalists were also asked to refrain from taking photographs of the men, who were also present at the temple on Monday.

The remains Chin Peng, the former Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) secretary-general who died here on Sept 16 aged 89, are scheduled to be cremated at 5pm (Bangkok time).

The Star approached several senior former CPM members to confirm the identity of the mystery men but was given the runabout with reluctant answers varying from "a close friend" to "a relative".

The late Chin Peng had a son and a daughter, both believed to be in their 60s.

Oganisers of the funeral, comprising mostly relatives and former CPM comrades of the deceased, have remained tight-lipped over the identity and whereabouts of the late communist leader's next-of-kin.