Tampines economic bee hoon hawker, 69, collapsed & passed away suddenly on holiday in China

Sia Thian Sea, 69, who ran Ah Hua's Kitchen Economic Bee Hoon and Nasi Lemak at Block 826 Tampines Street 81, passed away unexpectedly on Sep. 20, 2024 while on holiday.

He had been a hawker for nearly 35 years prior to handing over the business to his children.

Accompanied by his wife, Chen (transliteration), and eight friends, the group were part of an 87-person tour group that had set off for Xinjiang, China on Sep. 6, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Sia, who loved to sing, was inspired by the song "The Shepherd of Keketuohai" and he got his friends to embark on the journey together.

The group were scheduled to return to Singapore on Sep. 17.

Collapsed at a remote location

Part of the tour included a stop at Sayram Lake, a freshwater lake near the Tian Shan Mountains, on the evening of Sep. 11.

Just as the group was about to board the bus and depart from the lake, Sia suddenly collapsed.

Chen was alerted when someone in the group shouted out to her and rushed to his side.

"Someone shouted that my husband had fallen right as he was about to board the bus. I rushed towards him only to see his hands covering his face and saw him bleeding from his nose and mouth. I checked his eyelids and tried treating him, but he didn't react at all", she told Shin Min.

Due to the remote location of the lake, it took the ambulance almost half an hour to arrive.

Sia was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 9pm.

Had upcoming trips planned with wife

Sia leaves behind his wife, two sons, a daughter and four grandchildren.

Prior to the pandemic, the couple, who had been together for 47 years, loved to travel and would head abroad eight or nine times a year.

They had already planned to visit Genting and Norway in October, with more trips scheduled up till February 2025.

Now, after Sia's passing, Chen is unsure if she will follow through with the upcoming travel plans they had made together.

"It's so cruel. Now that he's gone, I think it's hard for me to go alone," said the grieving widow.

"It seems like there's no point in going out anymore."

Took nine days to bring the body back to Singapore

Sia's youngest son shared with Shin Min that while some had suggested, kindly, for him to cremate his father locally and bring the ashes back to Singapore, he insisted on bringing his father's body back for the cremation process instead.

However, as Sia was born in Malaysia and a permanent resident of Singapore, administrative procedures were complex.

Given that his passing was amidst Mid-Autumn festivities, it took some time to transport the body back to Singapore.

"I am very grateful to the local authorities [in China] and the Singapore and Malaysian embassies for their help. After ensuring that all the necessary documents were complete, my father's body was finally transported back", Sia's son shared.

Sia's body was brought back to Singapore on Sep. 20.

His cremation will be held on Sep. 25 at 3pm, at Mandai Crematorium Hall three.

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Top photo by Shin Min Daily News and Lianhe Zaobao