NO loved ones rushed to his side at the Singapore General Hospital after a car hit the 70-year-old not far from his home.
Mr Lai Kem Pin (above) tidying Mr Chong's (below left) belongings, most of them discarded items which Mr Chong had picked up. --HEDY KHOO
No one cried for Mr Chong Shee Kian when he died from head injuries less than three hours later.
And no one has claimed his body after a week.
His roommate of 11 years, Mr Lai Kem Pin, 71, did not even know Mr Chong had died until this reporter informed him.
He said in Mandarin: 'The police woke me at 2am (on 14 Dec) and told me my roommate was in hospital. But I didn't know who they could call. They didn't say he was dead.'
Mr Lai thinks his roommate was a bachelor with no siblings. But he is not sure.
The two men did not talk much and had very different habits.
Mr Chong's meagre belongings of empty boxes, old shampoo bottles and items picked up from trash cans gave no clue to his background.
Like many older people, Mr Chong cherished his independence and did not reach out to others.
NOT REGISTERED
He did have his drinking buddies. Yet, none of them knew if he had any relatives who should be informed of his death.
Mr Chong was not registered with The Redhill Moral Seniors Activity Centre at Block 89. Those who register give information on their medical condition, next-of-kin and financial status.
Volunteers check on registered residents in Blocks 89 and 90 if they do not hear from them after two days.
Mr Chong sometimes left the flat by 9am to sell snacks by the roadside.
He would become a 'hawker' whenever he used up his $260 welfare money on cigarettes and beer before the month was up.
Other times, he would stay out the whole night after he had had too much to drink and returned home only in the morning.
Fifth-floor neighbour Ho Soh Har, who has helped clean Mr Chong's flat for five years, was stunned when he found out about his death.
'Maybe he was going to meet his friends for supper when the car hit him along Henderson Road,' said Mr Ho, 59, an odd job worker, in Mandarin.
He found Mr Chong 'strange' as he would bring back 'rubbish', like a broken pair of shoes or an almost empty tube of toothpaste.
And he would scold anyone who suggested throwing these items out.
But Mr Ho eventually made friends with him.
'He told me once he had a grandson whom he visited during Chinese New Year. He also said he belonged to a Zhang clan in Geylang that would take care of him if anything happened to him.'
However, a check with several branches of Zhang clans, including one in Geylang, showed they had no record of Mr Chong.
'If I had been around when the police came, I would have rushed to SGH in a taxi to see if he had any last instructions,' said Mr Ho.
'We'll wait 49 days, according to Chinese tradition, before throwing his things away if no one comes to claim them.'
Mr Chong's unclaimed body is now at the mortuary at the Health Sciences Authority.
Community organisations can arrange for unclaimed bodies to be buried or cremated. Doctors can also ask for them for research and teaching purposes under the Medical Act.
Call police
THE driver of the car is assisting the police in their investigations.
Mr Chong's next-of-kin can call the police hotline at 1800-2550000.
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Many live alone
MR Chong Shee Kian was just one of Singapore's growing number of people aged 65 years and above who are on their own.
There were 15,300 of them five years ago, according to the 2000 census. The number is expected to rise with an ageing population and more people remaining single.
Elderly folks can join seniors' activity centres. Befriending services, home help or medical care are also available.
Neighbours can reach out to elderly people too, especially those who shy away from help
It is a growing sub-population with its needs. There are senior citizen's clubs in HDB estates, but i think religious organisations can do a better job giving meaning to their lives with activities and relationships building.
i wonder if he is really a bachelor.