Grateful for chance to bid last goodbye

JOHOR BARU: The loved ones of a 46-year-old air-conditioner repairman who died of a heart attack in Singapore were finally able to enter the island republic to bid him a final goodbye.

The deceased, How Chun Kung, passed away on Jan 12 and will be cremated today.

Members of his family from Port Dickson were initially unable to obtain bus tickets to Singapore under the Land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL-Land) scheme as tickets were sold out.

There is also an ongoing freeze of ticket sales for travel between Malaysia and Singapore until Jan 20.

Desperate, Chun Kung’s younger sister How Thou Ling turned to social media for help.

In her post, the 44-year-old pleaded for help, asking for kind-hearted people to give up two valuable tickets for her parents to enter Singapore via Johor Baru on Jan 16 or Jan 17.

She added that her parents had already prepared the necessary travel documents.

“My parents are heartbroken and we plead for help for them to see their beloved son one last time,” she wrote.

It is understood that Chun Kung had been stuck across the border for close to two years due to the pandemic.

Thou Ling’s post was shared by social media users and also caught the attention of Transport Minister and MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

When contacted, MCA spokesperson Mike Chong Yew Chuan said with the help of several government agencies, four tickets were obtained for Chun Kung’s loved ones.

They finally entered Singapore on Sunday morning, after a bus company agreed to help.

“As it is under the VTL, the family is exempted from quarantine but they still have to follow the travel standard operating procedure.

“They have been granted a stay from Jan 16 until Jan 29, but I think the family plans to return to Malaysia if they can get bus tickets on Jan 19, one day after Chun Kung’s funeral,” said Chong.

Yesterday, Thou Ling posted an update on her Facebook page with pictures of the wake, thanking everyone including Dr Wee, for their help in getting her family across the border to see her late brother for the last time.