Deaths of brothers in Upper Bukit Timah trigger outpouring of grief and sympathy
SINGAPORE: Flower bouquets, 37 stalks of white roses and candles lined a stretch of a canal in Upper Bukit Timah, two days after two 11-year-old brothers were found dead.
Written in blue ink on a paper plate cut in the shape of a flower, one of the messages read: "May your souls rest in peace (and) give your family closure. No one deserves this, we mourn as one.
"God bless you souls & your family. Rest in peace little angels"
An inter-faith prayer session, attended by representatives from six religious organisations, was held along the canal at about 9am on Sunday.
They included Imam Mohd Idris from Al-Huda Mosque, Venerable Rui Zhen from Beeh Low See Temple and Father Francis Lim from the Church of St Ignatius.
Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah Sim Ann was also in attendance. She said the event was to “give expression” to the grief that many in the community had been experiencing since the bodies were found on Friday night.
“Even if we do not know them personally, their untimely demise is heartbreaking, especially to those of us who are parents ourselves. It is an unthinkable loss,” she said.
The police had received a call for assistance from the father at 6.25pm on Friday. Officers found the boys lying motionless in the vicinity of a playground along Greenridge Crescent. They were pronounced dead at scene by a paramedic.
On Saturday, the boys’ father - a 48-year-old man - was arrested for his suspected involvement in the death of his two sons.
The man will be charged in court on Monday with murder, an offence that carries the death penalty.
Speaking to CNA on Sunday, residents in the Eng Kong area, where the playground is located, expressed their sadness over the deaths of the two boys.
A 47-year-old man, who wanted to be known as Mr Koh, had moved into his house across the Upper Bukit Timah canal seven months ago.
“It’s very sad and most of us were really shocked because this estate has always been a very peaceful and calm place,” said the 47-year-old.
“I am hoping that there will be closure for the family and that things will find the natural course of action to reach its necessary endpoint,” said one Greenridge Crescent resident, who declined to be named.
