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Bishan residents are split after funeral planning flyers were left outside their homes, with views ranging from “inauspicious” to a “harmless” marketing move.<\/p>\n
The incident occurred at Block 173 Bishan Street 13, reported Shin Min Daily News.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A resident told the Chinese daily that they received flyers from funeral provider Nirvana Memorial Garden a few days prior.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One flyer advertised a “relaxing and free day trip” which included an itinerary for participants to visit a Buddhist temple and a vegetable wholesale market before heading to the memorial garden.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The funeral home, located at 950 Old Choa Chu Kang Road, has a columbarium and offers funeral and exhumation services.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One resident, who only gave her name as Xiu (transliteration), 21, said she felt as thought the flyers were “cursing me to die earlier”, making her feel uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
Another resident, Fu (transliteration), 55, saw the flyer being dropped at his doorstep and assumed it was a regular advertisement, but was shocked when he realised its contents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Weng, a 65-year-old technician, said that such flyers have become increasingly common and did not see the need to make a big fuss over them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Zhang, a 35-year-old administrator, who thinks that “everyone dies eventually”, pointed out that the flyers are just paper and that being informed about funeral processes is not necessarily bad.<\/p>\n
Raymond Png, a service director at Fu Gui Services – an authorised agency of Nirvana Memorial Garden – explained that the trips and flyers are meant to help people have a better understanding of funeral processes so they can “plan ahead” and make arrangements in advance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He added that the company has not received complaints about the flyers and that the funeral home has organised such trips for almost a decade with around 50 to 60 participants per session.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Regarding the concerns raised by residents in Bishan, Png told Stomp he understands that it is a sensitive topic and respects the taboos surrounding it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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