FUNERALS, DEATH, BURIALS AND GRAVEYARD SHORTAGES IN SINGAPORE

FUNERALS IN SINGAPORE

Funeral of Ng Thian Eng at Bukit Brown Cemetery, 1953

Sago Lane (near Chinatown) is home to several funeral shops where paper yachts, Mercedes and mansions can be purchased to be burned in afterlife ceremonies for the dead. Other paper effigies include motorcycles, televisions, musical instruments and even paper girls for deceased philanders.

Funerals are Chinese Singaporeans are often held in "death houses," where mourners stand around half-open coffins praying and chanting, and flower-decked funeral trucks with musicians take the dead to crematoria. Some Singaporean Chinese put burlap bags over their heads and wear straw sandals during funerals.

Card games are a common way to pass the time at traditional Chinese funerals, which can sometimes last more than a week. In the mid 2000s there were reports of criminals paying off grieving relatives to run their gambling operations at wakes. Associated Press reported: “Crime syndicate "runners'' check newspaper obituary pages for funerals and obtain permission from bereaved families to gamble there, The Straits Times. A family is offered 300 Singapore dollars (US$183, euro136) a night, and the "runners'' are paid S$100 (US$61, euro45) every time they secure a funeral, the report said. Gamblers are informed at the last minute where to turn up, and "runners'' act as lookouts during the gambling sessions. Police spokeswoman Sandra Yip told The Associated Press nine people were arrested on Dec. 3 for gambling at a wake. Gamblers and card game organizers face fines and jail time if convicted. [Source: AP, December 6, 2004]

Singapore has only one cemetery. It is expected to stay open until 2064. Singapore's Chinese, Christian and Hindus (about 84 percent of the population) do not require burial. the government encourages then to consider cremation as a cost-saving measure as well as an environmental one.

Reuters reported: “Singapore's environment agency says more people are opting for cremation over burial, with the proportion rising from 66 percent in 1992 to 80 percent in 2011. That is nearly the entire population if those whose religions require burial are excluded. Ang Jolie, funeral director at Ang Yew Seng Funeral Parlour, whose customers are mostly Chinese, who make up about 75 percent of Singapore's population, said the need to remove the body after 15 years is the main reason why many opt for cremation. "The younger generation is more pragmatic and they may not want to trouble the future generations with the exhumation," she added.

According to government data, there 60 cemeteries left in Singapore, but only one accepts new burials — the Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex in the northern suburbs. And the burial period there is limited to 15 years, after which graves have to be exhumed. Local media has said the island-state had 229 burial grounds in 1952 but most had since been exhumed to make way for housing, roads and industrial developments. One of the most popular shopping malls along posh Orchard Road, the Ngee Ann City complex which houses designer boutiques like Chanel and Louis Vuitton, used to be a burial ground. [Source: Bernice Han, AFP, September 5, 2011]

Singapore’s Taoist Gravedigger Taunted by Spirits of the Dead

Royal graves in the Old Malay Cemetery at Kampong Glam, Singapore

In March 2009, AFP reported: “Wong Shun Feng says he has seen spirits, been afflicted by supernatural phenomena and taken advice from gods — and that it's all just part of the job. Affectionately known to his friends as "Tua Ya Pek" after a Taoist god of the spiritual underworld, Wong is a gravedigger who exhumes the bones of the dead to make way for development in Singapore. According to Taoist belief, Wong is among the first to greet the dead when they embark on their journey beyond the grave. But instead of guiding the spirits towards reincarnation, nirvana (transcendence) or the "nine hells," he sends them to a new earthly resting place as cemeteries make way for roads, housing and public services. [Source: AFP, March 14, 2009 |^|]

“The dead are not always willing to move, he says. "I've seen spirits hovering beside me as I dig their grave, heard them whisper to me 'Ah Tee (young man), please don't move me'," Wong recalls matter-of-factly. But not all spirits are so benign, he said. The 53-year-old, who has been a gravedigger for almost 30 years, says he once saw a tree standing over a grave he was exhuming "shaking violently when trees next to it were still — and there was no breeze". He said once he was even "punished" for disrespecting the dead when he swore at a grave. "In the evening after the dig, my left forearm was completely stiff even though I did not injure it, like the forearm of a corpse, and it was only after midnight that I regained use of it," said Wong, gesturing to the affected area.|^|

“Nevertheless, he says he is not afraid of the supernatural. "As long as you have a good heart, they won't harm you," he said. Neither does he care that people here might look down on him as an anachronism in a Westernised society. "People might think that this type of work is taboo but I'm fine with it. I like the rugged life," he said. |^|

Singapore’s Taoist Gravedigger Taunted by Spirits of the Dead

AFP reported: “A stocky man, Wong cuts an imposing figure with a variety of tattoos, the most prominent of which are the images of Tua Ya Pek and Li Ya Pek emblazoned across his chest and back. The images of the two Taoist deities, who are said to be in charge of keeping spirits in line, are not there for decoration. "I respect the gods, that's why I tattoo them on my body," said Wong, who claims to have seen apparitions of the gods and received lessons on life and work from them. [Source: AFP, March 14, 2009 |^|]

“On a recent exhumation conducted by the Singapore Land Authority to clear a Chinese cemetery in northern Singapore for redevelopment, it took Wong and three colleagues nearly three hours to dig a narrow hole about four metres (12 feet) deep. Using simple tools such as plowshares, crowbars and wicker baskets, they burrowed through soil, sand and cement, which the rich used in the past to seal their graves, before finally reaching the coffin.|^|

Pusara Aman and Pusara Abadi Muslim Cemeteries

“Prying open the lid, Wong and another gravedigger picked out the bones and washed them with rice wine before handing them to the family, who gave them red packets containing token sums of money in appreciation. These envelopes are the main source of income for gravediggers because the 100 dollar (65 US) payment for each exhumation only goes to one individual and the gravediggers take turns receiving it. "The income is not fixed. It depends on how generous the families are with their red packets," said Wong. As the work is not stable he supplements his earnings with odd jobs such as house painting and repairs. |^|

“But he has his hands full for the moment as the 70,000-square-metre (753,000-square-feet) Guang Xiao Shan Cemetery, near the border with Malaysia, has been earmarked for conversion into a train depot. The pace of Singapore's development has meant that between 1970 and 1998, more than 240,000 graves in 100 cemeteries were exhumed, the latest available estimate shows. And according to Wong, all the deceased, including the current "residents," must be placated. "Ghosts are the same as human beings," he said. "They have feelings and emotions as well. How would you feel if you had to shift after living in the same place for 50 years?" When asked about his own mortality, Wong shrugged as he pointed to the tattoo of the deity Li Ya Pek smiling serenely on his chest. "I haven't really thought about it. Let's see what my big brother says," he said with a laugh. |^|

Dead but Still Paying for Insurance in Singapore

In 2005, Tan Mae Lynn wrote in the New Paper, “Fifteen people continued to pay for their insurance premiums from their graves. Yes, the premiums for their Dependants' Protection Scheme (DPS) continued to be deducted from their CPF accounts even though they were already dead. In total, the CPF Board collected $2,996 from them. It continued the deductions as it didn't know they were dead. So, the insurance claims due to their families were not paid out either. There were 201 others, too, whose claims were not paid by the CPF Board. The report revealed that the insurance claims of 216 people, amounting to $7.4 million, were not given to their next-of-kin. The policies include DPS and the Home Protection Scheme (HPS).[Source: Tan Mae Lynn, New Paper, July 19, 2005]

What's more, half of the 216 people had died more than two years ago, including 43 who died more than eight years ago. Singaporeans who use their CPF funds to pay for their HDB housing loans have to be insured under HPS, provided they are in good health. The scheme helps their families pay off any outstanding loan on the flat should they die before the age of 65 or if they become permanently incapacitated physically or mentally. Under DPS, a CPF member's family can receive up to $44,000 in insurance claim if he or she dies or become physically or mentally disabled.

funeral hearse of Tan Jiak Kim at the National Museum of Singapore

So why was the money not paid? The board admitted it had failed to process some of the claims by mistake. But it added there had also been cases where the family members could not be contacted or did not provide adequate information. The board's spokesman told The New Paper: 'The claims that were not processed were cases where the family members of the deceased had not come forward to make the claim on the Dependants' Protection Scheme or Home Protection Scheme. 'When the board became aware of the members' deaths later through checks made by us, we tried contacting the family members. However, some cases remained outstanding as the family members could not be contacted or did not respond.'

To pay out an insurance claim, the board needs a death certificate. The spokesman said: 'We were unable to process the claims for cases where the family members did not provide the death certificates or could not be contacted.' And the 15 people who continued to pay insurance premiums from their graves? That has stopped. The board has refunded the premiums deducted together with interest, said the spokesman.

Singapore Jails Man for Faking His Death

In 2008, Reuters reported: “A Singapore man was jailed for three years after he faked his own death in a civil war shoot-out in Sri Lanka in 1987 to escape his creditors and claim S$331,341 ($243,600) in insurance money, a newspaper reported on Saturday. The Straits Times said that Gandaruban Subramaniam fled Singapore more than 20 years ago — harassed by creditors and illegal money lenders since the failure of his car rental business — and moved to London to work as a street sweeper. [Source: Reuters, May 31, 2008]

The 60-year old eventually settled in Sri Lanka where he managed to obtain a death certificate stating he had been killed in a shootout between government troops and tamil Tiger rebels, allowing his family to claim on his insurance policies. But he returned to Singapore a number of times using a fake Sri Lankan passport and also remarried his wife in Sri Lanka in 1994 and fathered a son, their fourth child, two years later. The couple has since divorced. Gandaruban's scam was discovered by a Singapore lawyer and arrested at Singapore's Changi Airport last October. His former wife and brother both served jail time for their part in the fraud, but have since completed their sentences.

Singapore Recycles Graves as a Space-Saving Measure

The land shortage in Singapore is so severe that the Environment Ministry passed laws in 1998 that stated that bodies could remain in graves for a maximum of 15 years and then the graves had to be “recycled.” The bodies of followers of religion in which burial is mandatory (Muslims, Jews and Bahais) are moved to a grave one-eighth the size of the original grave. The rest must be cremated under the law, with remains placed in special facilities called columbria.

In 2005, The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported: “Singapore is opening tens of thousands of graves in a program to recycle graveyard space. The remains of 18,000 people are being exhumed in the first, year-long stage of the city-state's program. Another 18,000 will be exhumed in phase two, which starts in June 2006. Most of the bones will be cremated and placed in a vault. Opened in 1947, Chao Chu Kang cemetery, which holds 200,000 graves, is the only cemetery open for burial in Singapore. But in 1998, the government decided the burial period for all people in the cemetery would be limited to 15 years. Similar programs exist in Hong Kong and Taiwan. With a population of more than four million and its small size (roughly 700 square kilometres), Singapore could run out of burial plots if space isn't recycled. Government newspaper advertisements announce exhumation programs so people can identify late relatives. Any remains that are not identified are kept for three years, then scattered at sea. [Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corp, April 13, 2005]

“Government officials say they haven't run into any objections. "So far, we've not met anybody who insisted that they can't allow their ancestors to be exhumed. Some people do it on their own, they engage their own contractor. They can choose the date and time," Wong Chiu Ying, director of the exhumation program, said on Wednesday, April 13. There are no plans to disturb the remains of people buried in the territory's 50 to 60 other closed cemeteries.”

Reuters reported: “Term limits for graves are even stricter in Hong Kong, which requires the removal of bodies from public cemeteries after six years. If families do not remove the remains, authorities will exhume and cremate them, burying the ashes in a communal grave.

Singapore Graveyard Dug Up to Make Way for Highrise Development

In early 2013 workers with heavy machinery began constructing an eight-lane highway across Singapore’s oldest surviving major cemetery. Reuters reported: The whole of Bukit Brown - the resting place of more than 100,000 people, including some of Singapore's pioneering business and clan leaders and their large, intricately carved tombs - will eventually be used for residential development. At least 30 people buried there have streets named after them. Some families have begun removing the remains of their ancestors, and authorities plan to dig up the remaining graves in January. [Source: Reuters, November 27, 2012 ]

“But Nature Society (Singapore) and other groups want Bukit Brown left alone, describing the forested area as "a natural and historical treasure trove". Another body, the Bukit Brown Community, has been conducting weekly tours to raise awareness of the area's rich past. "There is no other cemetery like Bukit Brown. The amount of historical information that we can find there and the amount of Chinese culture, heritage and custom is unique," said Raymond Goh, a founding member of Bukit Brown Community.

“On the headstone of community leader Tan Boon Liat's grave are 12 rays of sunlight, showing his longtime association with Sun Yat Sen's Kuomintang whose logo is a white sun with twelve rays on a blue background. Tan, who died in the 1930s, was a great grandson of philanthropist Tan Tock Seng, for whom one of Singapore's largest hospitals is named. "If there is any Singapore site that is worthy of UNESCO nomination, it is Bukit Brown," said Bukit Brown Community's Goh, referring to the United Nations body whose Heritage Site designations are keenly sought for the boost they can give to tourism.

Bernice Han of AFP wrote: “ Bukit Brown, officially opened in 1922, is named after an English shipowner called George Henry Brown who arrived on the island in 1840. "Bukit" means "hill" or "mountain" in Malay. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) explained that land scarcity meant priority would have to be given to other pressing needs including housing and infrastructure. "Tradeoffs will have to be made between what we can keep and what we need to accommodate," said a spokesperson for the URA, which is tasked with land use planning. "The clearance of closed cemeteries in areas that are needed for development enables us to recycle land to accommodate new needs." The 86-hectare (212.42 acre) graveyard has been earmarked as a future housing site. [Source: Bernice Han, AFP, September 5, 2011]

In Bukit Brown lies Singapore's largest and possibly most elaborate tomb where Ong Sam Leong, a successful businessman who died in 1918, is buried. His wife, who passed away in 1935, is interred next to him. Two life-size stone carvings of Indian Sikh guards armed with rifles stand in front of the tomb, with a dried-up narrow moat surrounding the tombstone, one of 80,000 graves in the cemetery. Wealthy businessmen used to hire Sikh guards in old Singapore. Decorative mosaic tiles, their colour faded with the passage of time, form a huge rectangle in front of the tomb, whose walls are decorated with carvings of Chinese deities as well as ancient poems. "We call this tomb the eighth wonder of Singapore," said Raymond Goh of Asia Paranormal Investigators, which runs cemetery tours on request. "It is so amazing." [Ibid]

Singapore Police Bar Pro-euthanasia Talk

In May 2009, AFP reported: “Singapore police have rejected an international pro-euthanasia group's application to hold a talk here on the controversial topic, the organisation said. Exit International, an Australia-based group which upholds terminally ill people's right to die, expressed disappointment at the decision. The police had no immediate comment on a report by the local Straits Times newspaper saying the group was denied a meeting permit because of fears that it would promote suicide attempts, which is a crime here along with assisting suicide. [Source: AFP, May 1, 2009 ]

“Describing the cancellation as "immensely disappointing," Exit International director Philip Nitschke said in a statement that the decision by the police "seems arbitrary in the extreme." "What we had planned for the meeting was nothing even remotely illegal," he added. Singapore Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the talk should not be allowed because it would teach people how to commit suicide, the Straits Times reported.

“A copy of the agenda of the talk made available by Exit International to AFP showed the discussion would largely focus on legal issues facing euthanasia locally and worldwide. Nitschke told AFP by telephone that he would be exploring legal and other options when he arrives in Singapore on May 11. "We'll be talking to Singapore lawyers when we get there... we'll offer a web workshop where the same material (as the cancelled talk) will be presented online" he said.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings, 1993; National Geographic, Live Science, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Singapore Tourism Board, The Guardian, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Encyclopedia.com, The Conversation, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Google AI, Wikipedia and various websites, books and other publications.

Last updated May 2026