Thousands throng funeral of ‘tai lo’
‘BIG BROTHER’: Police keep watch as mourners and vehicles cause a jam around parlour
THOUSANDS of mourners yesterday attended the funeral of businessman Datuk Ong Teik Kwong, who was shot dead on Thursday.
Shouts of “tai lo” (Cantonese for “big brother”, generally used as a term for “boss” or someone older or of higher rank) filled the air as Ong’s casket was carried from the Leong San Tong funeral parlour along Lebuhraya Thean Teik to the Sepuluh Kongsi Chinese cemetery in Relau at 12.30pm.
Mourners had begun arriving at the parlour as early as 8am, and the roads leading to Air Itam came to a virtual standstill as cars and lorries carrying drums parked by the roadside.
Some mourners took to the street and gathered at the mall opposite the funeral parlour, which by then was crowded with mourners.
The sound of hundreds of drums reverberated in the air, drowning out the sound of prayers and chanting.
Family and friends were seen weeping silently as Ong’s friends and supporters sang Chinese songs in his honour.
When it came time for the funeral procession, the pallbearers, comprising family and close friends, carried the casket some 5km from the parlour towards the cemetery.
The casket was then placed in a hearse for the remaining 5km to the cemetery for burial, due to the steep gradient of the road leading into the cemetery.
Hundreds of mourners walked behind the casket under the blazing sun, shouting “tai lo” every now and again. Small groups of mourners were seen at several locations along the way, giving out water to those walking by.
The procession brought the traffic to a 20kph crawl, a situation exacerbated by a couple of minor accidents and a few cars, which had overheated, breaking down.
The casket arrived at the cemetery, which had been filled with bouquets of yellow and white flowers, about 2.30pm.
After the burial, Ong’s tearful wife, Datin Vivian Cheow, was led away by family members, and the mourners dispersed.
Ong was shot dead on Thursday, allegedly by his bodyguard, while inside his car on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway.
The bodyguard was also alleged to have opened fire randomly, killing two other people and wounding five others.
The bodyguard and another man, said to be Ong’s driver, who had been too inebriated to drive, have since been arrested to facilitate investigations.
Sources said plainclothes policemen were stationed at the funeral parlour and cemetery to keep watchful eyes on the proceedings, especially since a group of mourners was alleged to have attacked a man after he allegedly insulted Ong. Pallbearers carrying Datuk Ong Teik Kwong’s casket to the Sepuluh Kongsi Chinese cemetery San Tong funeral parlour along Lebuhraya Thean Teik in George Town yesterday.