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Singapore—One of the biggest stories in 2019 was the accidental death of actor and National Serviceman Aloysius Pang on January 23, after sustaining serious injuries during reservist training in New Zealand, at age 28.
Mr Pang’s manager, Dasmond Koh, announced via an Instagram post on the Noontalk Media account that a memorial will be held for the late actor at 3:00 in the afternoon on January 5 at Noontalk Media’s office, writing that it would be a “simple” event, with “no strict schedule, no special performances.”
Mr Koh invited friends and the media to come to the memorial service and said that since there would only be 200 seats available, he asked that guests who were intending to come would RSVP on their website.
He added, “Don’t spend money to buy anything, if you really want to, write what you want to say into a letter, make a card and bring it to him together… see you then!”
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On January 28 of this year, Mr Koh acted as a spokesman of sorts for the actor’s grieving family, writing on both Facebook and Instagram, saying that his parents wish to convey that their son “is liberated now.”
At around noon of that day, Mr Pang’s ashes were scattered in the waters near Pulau Ubin.
Noontalk Media posted a translation in English of the manager’s words, which read.
“Aloysius 冯伟衷’ parents would like me to convey this: He is liberated now.
We sailed across the calm waters on this cloudy afternoon.
At a spot near Pulau Ubin, we saw you descend slowly into the sea.
This is the final farewell.
You wouldn’t want to trouble anyone.
It’s so you the easy-going boy, as always.
Thank you for trusting me, and for working so hard in the last few years.
As you begin your free-spirited adventure, remember to wait for me.
#RememberingAloysiusPang”
An outpouring of grief followed the death of Mr Pang, who was well-beloved by his fans and fellow artists alike. His death significantly also sparked a call for improved safety during armed forces reservist training, since three other young men had been killed in a span of sixteen months.
In the wake of the four SAF training-related deaths, Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General (LG) Melvyn Ong announced on January 31, that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) would be establishing an Inspector-General’s Office (IGO) whose purpose it is to make sure that “command emphasis on safety is consistently applied” for all the units of the armed forces.
The new IGO would directly report to the Chief of Defence Force and would have complete authority to examine and implement safety practices and processes for all levels of SAF. The Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) said that Ong met with 750 active and operationally-ready National Service (NS) commanders at a command call at Pasir Laba Camp on January 31 to discuss making training safer for servicemen.
In November, two Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen were convicted over the death of Mr Pang.-/TISG
After Aloysius Pang’s death, SAF establishes Inspector-General’s Office to ensure training safety
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