\n<\/p>\n
A man living in Bedok is heartbroken at not being able to claim the body of his partner and arrange her funeral as they were not legally married.<\/p>\n
On April 29, the police shared in a news release that they are looking for the next-of-kin of an unidentified woman in her 60s believed to be known as Tan Ah May. She died on April 15.<\/p>\n
Reporters from Shin Min Daily News visited her residence at Block 556 Bedok North Street 3 and discovered that she had lived with a man surnamed Lv for over 30 years.<\/p>\n
Neighbours told reporters that Lv and Tan referred to each other as husband and wife, and were a loving couple who never fought. However, as they were not married, Lv cannot claim the 68-year-old’s body and arrange for her funeral.<\/p>\n
Lv, 67, broke down in tears thinking of his longtime partner’s body being unclaimed.<\/p>\n
“She’s still inside [the mortuary] and no one can claim her,” he said to reporters. “She was very sensitive to the cold and I hope we can help get her out quickly so she can leave this world with dignity.”<\/p>\n
Lv said that he and Tan had been chatting until 2am the day of her death and nothing had seemed amiss.<\/p>\n
But when he woke up in the morning, Lv found out that his partner, who was an early riser, was still in bed.<\/p>\n
“It was a little after 7 am and she hadn’t gotten up yet. I then realised that she wasn’t responding, so I quickly called an ambulance,” he said.<\/p>\n
Lv told the Chinese daily that Tan had been born in Indonesia and moved to Singapore a long time ago. She had no relatives here and the couple had lived together for over three decades.<\/p>\n
She initially worked odd jobs but couldn’t handle heavy labour due to her weak heart.<\/p>\n
The police are appealing for Tan’s next-of-kin to come forward.<\/p>\n
Anyone with information is requested to call their hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg\/i-witness.<\/p>\n
All information will be kept strictly confidential.<\/p>\n
[[nid:734895]]<\/p>\n
drimac@asiaone.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n