It was early today that I discovered that an innocent Singaporean hostage was killed by the Mumbai terrorists. The net was flooded by many reports. Some used the word "murdered" and some said "executed in cold blood !" Whatever word is used will not change the fact that a sweet innocent life has been cruelly snuffed out by.....COWARDS and "*#!!*#@ !!!" of the worst kind!Photo:
Mrs and Mr S Puhaindran, Michael and Hwei Yen, Mrs and Mr Lo.
For how could the taking of such an innocent life of a non-combatant contribute to the cause of these EVIL and DESPICABLE men who call themselves whatever.... terrorist, holy jihadist, freedom fighters, ad nauseum.
I was doubly shocked when I discovered who she was. D2 and I both were familiar with Mr S Puhaindran, her father-in-law. We knew him from our work in education a long time ago. Mr S Puhaindran was a teacher in R I. As for me, I had known him since my early scouting years when he was a scoutmaster at RI. They had 2 scout troops, the 2nd and the 32nd. Later, I was to meet him in my PE and sports work over the years. He was also very much a PE and sports person too. In fact, in 2005 November when I was warded at Changi General Hospital for my Achilles Tendon surgery, one young lady staff member attending to me had "Puhaindran" on her name tag. When I asked if by any chance she is connected to the S Puhaindran I know...she replied, " yes, he's my father!". I then requested her to send him my warm compliments. D2 has met him in many grassroot events too.
D2 and I would like to offer our sincerest CONDOLENCES to the family of Lo Hwei Yen and to
Mr S Puhaindran and family, especially Michael.
All Singaporeans share your tragic loss.
SINGAPORE will not forget!
Report by Leong Wee Keat of TODAY, 29 N0v
2008.Mumbai Attacks - Special Report
SINGAPORE: When she met friends at a wedding two weeks ago, Ms Lo Hwei Yen told them that she was headed to India for work. She seemed excited about the trip, said the friends who met her. On Friday, Ms Lo, 28, was identified as the Singaporean hostage held in the Mumbai terror attacks. Her body was found on the 19th floor of the Oberoi Hotel. Friends whom TODAY spoke to expressed shock and sadness at the sudden loss. “She was so young,” said a former Victoria Junior College classmate, who declined to be named. Another who saw her at the wedding said: “She seemed very radiant the last two times I saw her. I was very happy for her.” Ms Lo, the eldest of three sisters, was engaged to Mr Michael Puhaindran in 2006 and they got married in Bali last year. Friends described Ms Lo — who also attended Methodist Girls’ School — as “bubbly”, “bright”, “confident” and “outgoing”. At National University of Singapore, she was an active student who took part in many activities. Friends from law school said she was popular and known by many, including her juniors. A former colleague who had known her since 2005 said: “She was bright and outgoing like any young lawyer entering the profession. It seemed the world was her oyster.” Ms Lo was at law firm Drew and Napier between 2004 to 2006. She left it for a brief stint at another law firm Rajah and Tann, before she joined international law firm Stephenson Harwood where she had worked since last year. Rumours of Ms Lo’s fate had been circulating since Friday afternoon. On Friday evening, as word about a media briefing was to be held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spread, one friend, who knew her, spoke for many when he said: “Many of her friends are still hoping there is some good news.” As friends turned to news websites about the Mumbai attacks, Ms Lo’s name stood out for some. Said a former junior college schoolmate: “Her name was quite unique among all those I knew. Most are Hui Yan or Hwee Yen. She’s Hwei Yen with an ‘I’, with a nice radiant smile. She will always stand unique in her friends’ hearts.” - TODAY
SINGAPORE: When she met friends at a wedding two weeks ago, Ms Lo Hwei Yen told them that she was headed to India for work. She seemed excited about the trip, said the friends who met her. On Friday, Ms Lo, 28, was identified as the Singaporean hostage held in the Mumbai terror attacks. Her body was found on the 19th floor of the Oberoi Hotel. Friends whom TODAY spoke to expressed shock and sadness at the sudden loss. “She was so young,” said a former Victoria Junior College classmate, who declined to be named. Another who saw her at the wedding said: “She seemed very radiant the last two times I saw her. I was very happy for her.” Ms Lo, the eldest of three sisters, was engaged to Mr Michael Puhaindran in 2006 and they got married in Bali last year. Friends described Ms Lo — who also attended Methodist Girls’ School — as “bubbly”, “bright”, “confident” and “outgoing”. At National University of Singapore, she was an active student who took part in many activities. Friends from law school said she was popular and known by many, including her juniors. A former colleague who had known her since 2005 said: “She was bright and outgoing like any young lawyer entering the profession. It seemed the world was her oyster.” Ms Lo was at law firm Drew and Napier between 2004 to 2006. She left it for a brief stint at another law firm Rajah and Tann, before she joined international law firm Stephenson Harwood where she had worked since last year. Rumours of Ms Lo’s fate had been circulating since Friday afternoon. On Friday evening, as word about a media briefing was to be held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spread, one friend, who knew her, spoke for many when he said: “Many of her friends are still hoping there is some good news.” As friends turned to news websites about the Mumbai attacks, Ms Lo’s name stood out for some. Said a former junior college schoolmate: “Her name was quite unique among all those I knew. Most are Hui Yan or Hwee Yen. She’s Hwei Yen with an ‘I’, with a nice radiant smile. She will always stand unique in her friends’ hearts.” - TODAY
6 comments:
Mr.Puhaindran was my Maths teacher in school. I can never forget he's such a nice man; strict yet but always had a heart to help those in distress. He was a strategist in sports and always gave us insights in a way that could motivate us when our chips were down.
After many decades after we left school, we still call him "Mr. Puhaindran Sir". That goes to show how much we respect him.
Very sad indeed.
dick, you forgot to mention that mr s puhaindran was your group instructor at obs course 14.
"Mr. Puhaindran Sir"...( from Peter), just about sums it up for all those like yourself who knew him and especially taught by him. I was aware of the great amount of respect his charges had for him. Having had personal dealings with him in camping, sports and other matters in the earlier years, I too respected Mr S Puhaindran a lot.
YG, Our OBS course was not # 14 but # 15. This tiny difference might have slip your mind. And Puhaindran, though he was a staff member of OBS back then, was not my GROUP INSTRUCTOR. You may have confused him with S SHAMUGAM. "Sham" as I later and even today calls him, was our OBS TENSING Group Instructor, together with the late Francis Lee. Both were great guys for us, for OBS then. I served in the same Committee later with "Sham"...the PA East Coast Sea Centre Executive Management Committee.
Both Francis Lee and Shammugam will forever be indebted to me for what I accomplished during the near fatal drowning of my fellow watch member, during the "Pyjama Survival" jump into the sea incident. This story, though it was known to our batch in April 1969, was never released to the public for obvious reasons.
dick, i have got things mixed up. at the ttc leadership camp, we were in the same group but not at the obs. mr s puhaindran was my group instructor.
you have a better memory of past events than i.
thanks for the correction.
My deepest condolence's to family of mr puhaindran...I don't know them personally,But the elder puhaindran was my school principal.He was nise,warm man.Coming to terrosim,this is very complicated and pro-longed problem.indian had been plauged by different form's of terrosim since it's birth as a nation.The founding father of india's indpendence mohandas ghandhi was killed by hindu extremist,the former prime minter indhira ghandhi was killed by sikh extremists (body-guards),her son,rajiv ghandhi was killed by tamil extremist (sucide bombing)..The constant killing of muslims in kashmir province by the indian army and corrput politicians make it like a never ending loop..Nobody seem's to care about their plight.....american and british citizens are tragetd for the obvious reasons...This nation's have blood in their hands...I guess it's way of showing "what goes around will comes around"...Tourists and non-citizens are tragets to create a climate of fear.....
Our govt taken great's steps to build cohesive relationship with neigbours.But this sitation can change.For example religuos-based govt take's over indonesia or malaysia...and local muslims feel they are constantly discrimminated in place's of jobs and business apportunity's...It will become very volatile,something similar to what is happening in srilanka.We must apperiate our govt,who did fine job in balancing racial relationship between our people...Last,but not least my prayers for her departed soul to rest in peace..
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