Death in Singapore
Encyclopedia
Deaths in Singapore offset the population increase from live births. In 2007, 17,140 people in Singapore
died
from various causes. The death rate was 4.5 deaths per 1,000 of the population. There are strict regulations surrounding death and treatment of the body after death. Cancer
is the number-one killer in Singapore.
and respiration
, or total and irreversible cessation of all functions of the brain
. Irreversible cessation of the blood circulation and respiration is determined according to ordinary standards of current medical practice, while total and irreversible cessation of all brain functions
is made in accordance with the following criteria:
In addition, the Interpretation Act sets out other safeguards for the determination of death:
Any married person who alleges that reasonable grounds exist for supposing that the other party to the marriage is dead may apply to court to have it presumed that the other party is dead and to have the marriage dissolved. If the court is satisfied that such reasonable grounds exist, it may make an interim judgment of presumption of death and of divorce. In such proceedings, the fact that for seven years or more the other party to the marriage has been continually absent from the applicant, and the applicant has no reason to believe that the other party has been living within that time, is evidence that the missing person is dead until the contrary is proved.
is legal in Singapore; the per-capita execution rate between 1994 and 1999 has been estimated by the United Nations
to be 13.57 executions per 1 million of the population, which is the highest in the world. Hanging
is the method used for all executions, which are carried out in Changi Prison
on Fridays at dawn. According to unofficial statistics compiled by Amnesty International
, about 408 people were hanged between 1991 and 2003.
is a significant non-medical cause of death in Singapore. Although attempted suicide is an offence punishable with jail under section 309 of the Penal Code
, Singapore still sees many cases of suicide each year. Between 2000 and 2004, 1,700 people killed themselves, and in 2007 suicides amounted to about 2.2% of all deaths. For every successful suicide attempt, there were seven unsuccessful ones.
It was reported in 2006 that suicide was one of the top causes of death of Singapore youths. In 2001, five children younger than 15 years took their lives, and 37 people between the ages of 15 and 25 did so. The coroner's report of a junior college
student who killed himself because he believed his penis was too small was reported in the international media. The pressure exerted by parents on their children to produce good academic results has also been a contributing factor in some suicides.
. He or she will then fill up a certificate of cause of death (CCOD) which will be given to the family of the deceased. If the doctor is unable to determine the cause of death, or the death is due to non-natural causes, he is required by the Criminal Procedure Code to refer the case to the police
. The police will provide a hearse
to send the body to the Centre for Forensic Medicine
(CFM) Mortuary at Block 9 of the Singapore General Hospital
, which will then inform the family when to visit the mortuary.
At the CFM Mortuary, the family will view and identify the body of the deceased in the presence of a coroner
, who reviews the case and determines if an autopsy
is required. The family will be informed of the coroner's decision and the time to claim the body for the funeral. If an autopsy is conducted and reveals that the death is unnatural, the police will conduct further investigations into the cause of death with the family's assistance. Once the investigations are complete, the family will be told to attend a coroner's inquiry at the Subordinate Courts
. Only after that will they be able to claim the body.
After the family obtains the CCOD, they usually engage a funeral director
(also known as an undertaker) who collects the body, embalms
it if necessary, and delivers it to the wake
. In addition, they have to decide whether the body is to be cremated
or buried
, and register the death. The funeral director also helps to make arrangements for the wake and funeral
, according to the religious beliefs
and wishes of the family.
When a person dies in a place which is not a house, or a dead body is found elsewhere than in a house, every relative of the deceased person having knowledge of any particulars required to be registered concerning the death, and every person present at the death, and every person taking charge of the body, and, if the death occurs in a ship or vessel the master or other person having charge of the ship or vessel, and the person causing the body to be buried must, within 24 hours after the death or finding of the body, give to the authorities such information that the informant has concerning the death that is required to be registered.
, have made way for redevelopment. Burials cost up to S$
420 for children and $940 for adults. The complex is divided into cemeteries according to religion, including Parsi, Jewish and Christian
.
On 1 November 1998, the NEA implemented a policy to limit the burial period of all graves to 15 years, due to a shortage of space in the cemeteries. After being buried for 15 years, graves are exhumed and the remains removed. If the religion of the deceased permits cremation, the exhumed remains are cremated and stored in government columbaria niches; otherwise, the remains are re-buried in smaller individual plots.
In the 1965 Master Plan, which was designed to guide land-use development in Singapore, cemeteries were identified as land "considered available for development", and cremation was mooted as a viable option to deal with the exhumed bodies from these burial grounds, and as a way to dispose of people who died. To encourage the population to adopt this relatively new way of treating the dead, the state employed the help of "funerary middlemen" who could erode the distrust of cremation because they were respected for their knowledge of death rites and disposal. In addition, the rallying cries of national development, the common good, and the country’s future were used to encourage the populace to take up the idea of cremation and to abandon their insistence of traditional burial grounds.
In 1972, the state made it clear that it would close all cemeteries near and around the city area to "conserve land". State power over cemeteries was considerably strengthened by an alteration in the law allowing the public commissioner to "close cemeteries without assigning reasons for doing so". As an alternative means of managing the disposal of the dead, the state offered burial space at a state-owned public cemetery complex at Choa Chu Kang
, although it made it clear that it considered cremation as the only viable long-term option. As various academics have pointed out, the clearance of ethnic burial grounds served more than a practical purpose as it signified the transferring of power from clan- and ethnic-based associations, which had previously ran these burial grounds, to state organizations.
, began operations in 1962 with only one funeral service hall and about four cremations a week. By 1995, it had three service halls and was averaging 21 cremations a day, with operations beginning everyday at 9:00 am with cremations scheduled at 45-minute intervals until about 6:00 or 7:00 pm. The site includes a columbarium built in several phases, comprising niches arranged in numbered blocks which either feature Chinese-style green roofs, or housed within a nine-storey pagoda
-style building. There also exists a two-storey "church-style" building.
Towards the end of the 1970s, the Mount Vernon complex, which was initially intended for the storage of ashes from recent deaths, could no longer cope with the scale of exhumation projects fuelling the demand for columbarium niches. Another crematorium and columbarium complex was built at Mandai
, and this commenced operations in 1982, equipped with eight small and four medium-sized cremators and a total of 64,370 niches for the storage of cremated remains. Chinese voluntary associations such as Pek San Theng were allowed to build columbaria to house the remains of those exhumed from clan-owned cemeteries, and temples and churches were allowed to accommodate cremated remains. Mount Vernon Crematorium ceased operations on 30 June 2004.
, or scatter them in the sea about 1.5 nmi (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) south of Pulau Semakau
. There are three crematoria in Singapore. The Mandai Crematorium, the only government facility, is now operated by the National Environment Agency
. The other two crematoria are privately operated; one is in the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery
at Bright Hill Drive, Bishan
, and the other is in Tse Toh Aum Temple at Sin Ming Drive.
There are three government columbaria and 57 private ones. The government-operated columbaria are at Mandai, Yishun
and Choa Chu Kang
. (A fourth government columbarium at Mount Vernon is due to close at an unspecified date due to redevelopment of its surrounding area into a public housing estate.) Private columbaria are operated by the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Mary of the Angels in Bukit Batok, and the Singapore Soka Association
, among others. As with crematoria, there is a significant price difference between niches in private and government columbaria. A standard niche in any government columbarium costs less than $900, but one at the Kong Meng San monastery costs more than $15,000. The government columbaria allocate niches sequentially, and charge an extra $250 for any location change request; for an extra price, the private columbaria allow families to choose niche locations subject to availability, and even to pre-book niches before death.
There has been an increase in the number of Singaporeans pre-booking niches at private crematoria, even though some people consider talking about death and pre-booking a final resting place inauspicious. Reasons for pre-booking include wanting one's ashes to be close to those of loved ones, and hedging against higher prices for niches in future.
Foreigners who die outside Singapore are allowed to be cremated in the country, but their ashes have to be placed in private columbaria.
It has been observed that the architecture of government columbaria reflects the outlook of the Singaporean nation. The early columbaria were simple, with few aesthetic ornaments, just like early Singaporean housing flats. The later columbaria have more modern designs, with well-designed landscaped environments, and looking similar to contemporary HDB (Housing and Development Board) flats. These columbaria include the Chua Chu Kang Columbarium and the Mandai Columbarium, which was renovated and expanded in 2004 to accommodate approximately another 60,000 niches. The designs are more elaborate, and are often reminiscent of other structures people often encounter in everyday life. Comparisons have been drawn between the architecture of these columbaria and that of schools and condominiums, and hypotheses have been made that such are deliberate efforts to eliminate the sense of fear and dread traditionally associated with landscapes of death.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
died
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
from various causes. The death rate was 4.5 deaths per 1,000 of the population. There are strict regulations surrounding death and treatment of the body after death. Cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
is the number-one killer in Singapore.
Legal definition of death
Under section 2A of the Interpretation Act, a person is considered as having died when there is either irreversible cessation of circulation of bloodCirculatory system
The circulatory system is an organ system that passes nutrients , gases, hormones, blood cells, etc...
and respiration
Respiratory system
The respiratory system is the anatomical system of an organism that introduces respiratory gases to the interior and performs gas exchange. In humans and other mammals, the anatomical features of the respiratory system include airways, lungs, and the respiratory muscles...
, or total and irreversible cessation of all functions of the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
. Irreversible cessation of the blood circulation and respiration is determined according to ordinary standards of current medical practice, while total and irreversible cessation of all brain functions
Brain death
Brain death is the irreversible end of all brain activity due to total necrosis of the cerebral neurons following loss of brain oxygenation. It should not be confused with a persistent vegetative state...
is made in accordance with the following criteria:
- Conditions to be satisfied before determining irreversible cessation of all brain functions. Before tests are carried out to determine if all the functions of a person's brain have irreversibly ceased, the following conditions must be satisfied:
- the person's condition must undoubtedly be due to irremediable structural brain damageBrain damage"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
and the diagnosisDiagnosisDiagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of anything. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines with variations in the use of logics, analytics, and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships...
of any disorder which can lead to the irreversible cessation of all functions of the person’s brain must be fully established; - there must be no suspicion that the person's condition is due to depressant drugsDepressantA depressant, or central depressant, is a drug or endogenous compound that depresses the function or activity of a specific part of the brain...
, hypothermiaHypothermiaHypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
or metabolicMetabolismMetabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
and endocrineEndocrine systemIn physiology, the endocrine system is a system of glands, each of which secretes a type of hormone directly into the bloodstream to regulate the body. The endocrine system is in contrast to the exocrine system, which secretes its chemicals using ducts. It derives from the Greek words "endo"...
factors; and - the person's cessation of spontaneous respiration is not caused by neuromuscular blocking agentsNeuromuscular-blocking drugNeuromuscular-blocking drugs block neuromuscular transmission at the neuromuscular junction, causing paralysis of the affected skeletal muscles. This is accomplished either by acting presynaptically via the inhibition of acetylcholine synthesis or release or by acting postsynaptically at the...
or other drugs.
- the person's condition must undoubtedly be due to irremediable structural brain damage
- Criteria for determining irreversible cessation of all brain functions. To determine the irreversible cessation of all functions of the brain of a person, tests must be carried out with the result that:
- the pupilPupilThe pupil is a hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to enter the retina. It appears black because most of the light entering the pupil is absorbed by the tissues inside the eye. In humans the pupil is round, but other species, such as some cats, have slit pupils. In...
s are fixed and non-reactive to strong light; - there is no corneal reflexCorneal reflexThe corneal reflex, also known as the blink reflex, is an involuntary blinking of the eyelids elicited by stimulation of the cornea , or bright light, though could result from any peripheral stimulus. Stimulation should elicit both a direct and consensual response...
; - there is no spontaneous motor responseMotor systemThe motor system is the part of the central nervous system that is involved with movement. It consists of the pyramidal and extrapyramidal system....
to painful stimulusStimulus (physiology)In physiology, a stimulus is a detectable change in the internal or external environment. The ability of an organism or organ to respond to external stimuli is called sensitivity....
, excluding spinal reflexesTendon reflexTendon reflex may refer to:*A stretch reflex, when the stretch is created by a blow upon a muscle tendon. This is the usual definition of the term...
; - there is no oculocephalic reflexVestibulo-ocular reflexThe vestibulo-ocular reflex is a reflex eye movement that stabilizes images on the retina during head movement by producing an eye movement in the direction opposite to head movement, thus preserving the image on the center of the visual field. For example, when the head moves to the right, the...
; - there is no gag reflex or reflex response to tracheobronchialTracheobronchial treeThe tracheobronchial tree is the structure from the trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles that forms the airways that supply air to the lungs. It is within the neck and the chest. The structure looks like a tree because the trachea splits into the right and left mainstem bronchi, which "branch" into...
stimulation; - there is no vestibulo-ocular responseVestibulo-ocular reflexThe vestibulo-ocular reflex is a reflex eye movement that stabilizes images on the retina during head movement by producing an eye movement in the direction opposite to head movement, thus preserving the image on the center of the visual field. For example, when the head moves to the right, the...
on instillation of 50 cc of ice-cold water into each ear; and - there is no spontaneous respiration even with carbon dioxideCarbon dioxideCarbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
tension at 50 mm or more of mercury.
- the pupil
- Where there is still a corneal reflex or spontaneous motor response to painful stimulus but all other criteria are satisfied, or where any of the criteria cannot be performed but the remaining criteria are satisfied, the irreversible cessation of all brain functions can be determined by a combination of the criteria that have been satisfied and the performance of a supplementary test. These tests are cerebral angiography to confirm that there is no intracranial blood flow, and a radionuclide scan to confirm that there is no intracranial perfusionPerfusionIn physiology, perfusion is the process of nutritive delivery of arterial blood to a capillary bed in the biological tissue. The word is derived from the French verb "perfuser" meaning to "pour over or through."...
.
In addition, the Interpretation Act sets out other safeguards for the determination of death:
- Cases where organ to be removed for transplant. Where an organOrgan (anatomy)In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function. Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues . The main tissue is the one that is unique for the specific organ. For example, main tissue in the heart is the myocardium, while sporadic are...
is to be removed for a transplantOrgan transplantOrgan transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
pursuant to the Human Organ Transplant Act or the Medical (Therapy, Education and Research) Act, from the body of a deceased person, the death must be certified by two medical practitioners:- who have not been involved in the care or treatment of the person;
- who do not belong to the team of medical practitioners which will remove the organ from the body;
- who have not been involved in selecting the proposed recipient of the organ; and
- who will not be involved in the care or treatment of the proposed recipient during his or her hospitalization for the transplant.
- Where the death was due to total and irreversible cessation of all brain functions, the two medical practitioners certifying the death must also possess certain prescribed postgraduate medical qualifications.
- Other cases. In other cases, the determination of the total and irreversible cessation of all brain functions of a person must be certified by two medical practitioners who possess the prescribed postgraduate medical qualifications. At least one of them must not have been involved in the care or treatment of the deceased person.
Presumption of death of missing persons
When the question of whether a person is alive or dead arises, and it is shown that he was alive within 30 years, the burden of proving that he or she is dead lies on the person who affirms it. However, if it is proved that he or she has not been heard of for seven years by those who would naturally have heard of the person if he or she had been alive, the burden of proving that the person is alive shifts to the person who affirms this.Any married person who alleges that reasonable grounds exist for supposing that the other party to the marriage is dead may apply to court to have it presumed that the other party is dead and to have the marriage dissolved. If the court is satisfied that such reasonable grounds exist, it may make an interim judgment of presumption of death and of divorce. In such proceedings, the fact that for seven years or more the other party to the marriage has been continually absent from the applicant, and the applicant has no reason to believe that the other party has been living within that time, is evidence that the missing person is dead until the contrary is proved.
Causes of death
As of 2007, the top 10 causes of death in Singapore were those set out in the table below:| Rank | Cause of death | % of total deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cancer Cancer Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the... |
27.7 |
| 2 | Ischaemic heart disease Ischaemic heart disease Ischaemic or ischemic heart disease , or myocardial ischaemia, is a disease characterized by ischaemia of the heart muscle, usually due to coronary artery disease... |
19.8 |
| 3 | Pneumonia Pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes... |
13.9 |
| 4 | Cerebrovascular disease Cerebrovascular disease Cerebrovascular disease is a group of brain dysfunctions related to disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain. Hypertension is the most important cause; it damages the blood vessel lining, endothelium, exposing the underlying collagen where platelets aggregate to initiate a repairing process... (including stroke Stroke A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage... ) |
8.7 |
| 5 | Accidents, poisoning and violence (including suicide) | 6.0 |
| 6 | Other heart disease Heart disease Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary... s |
4.3 |
| 7 | Diabetes mellitus Diabetes mellitus Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced... |
3.6 |
| 8 | Chronic obstructive lung disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , also known as chronic obstructive lung disease , chronic obstructive airway disease , chronic airflow limitation and chronic obstructive respiratory disease , is the co-occurrence of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of commonly co-existing diseases... |
2.6 |
| 9 | Urinary tract infection Urinary tract infection A urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract. Symptoms include frequent feeling and/or need to urinate, pain during urination, and cloudy urine. The main causal agent is Escherichia coli... s |
2.2 |
| 10 | Nephritis Nephritis Nephritis is inflammation of the nephrons in the kidneys. The word "nephritis" was imported from Latin, which took it from Greek: νεφρίτιδα. The word comes from the Greek νεφρός - nephro- meaning "of the kidney" and -itis meaning "inflammation".... , nephrotic syndrome Nephrotic syndrome Nephrotic syndrome is a nonspecific disorder in which the kidneys are damaged, causing them to leak large amounts of protein from the blood into the urine.... and nephrosis Nephrosis Nephrosis refers to a non-inflammatory nephropathy.It should not be confused with nephritis, where inflammation is implied. However, some sources equate nephrosis with nephropathy.It can also be used to indicate an emphasis on the renal tubule.... |
2.0 |
Capital punishment
Capital punishmentCapital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
is legal in Singapore; the per-capita execution rate between 1994 and 1999 has been estimated by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
to be 13.57 executions per 1 million of the population, which is the highest in the world. Hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
is the method used for all executions, which are carried out in Changi Prison
Changi Prison
Changi Prison is a prison located in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore.-First prison and POW camp:...
on Fridays at dawn. According to unofficial statistics compiled by Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, about 408 people were hanged between 1991 and 2003.
Suicide
SuicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
is a significant non-medical cause of death in Singapore. Although attempted suicide is an offence punishable with jail under section 309 of the Penal Code
Penal Code (Singapore)
The Penal Code of Singapore sets out general principles of the criminal law of Singapore, as well as the elements and penalties of common criminal offences such as homicide, theft and cheating...
, Singapore still sees many cases of suicide each year. Between 2000 and 2004, 1,700 people killed themselves, and in 2007 suicides amounted to about 2.2% of all deaths. For every successful suicide attempt, there were seven unsuccessful ones.
It was reported in 2006 that suicide was one of the top causes of death of Singapore youths. In 2001, five children younger than 15 years took their lives, and 37 people between the ages of 15 and 25 did so. The coroner's report of a junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
student who killed himself because he believed his penis was too small was reported in the international media. The pressure exerted by parents on their children to produce good academic results has also been a contributing factor in some suicides.
Treatment of the body after death
When a person dies, a doctor will certify the cause of death if it is known and due to natural causesDeath by natural causes
A death by natural causes, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza or a heart attack ...
. He or she will then fill up a certificate of cause of death (CCOD) which will be given to the family of the deceased. If the doctor is unable to determine the cause of death, or the death is due to non-natural causes, he is required by the Criminal Procedure Code to refer the case to the police
Singapore Police Force
The Singapore Police Force is the main agency tasked with maintaining law and order in the city-state. Formerly known as the Republic of Singapore Police , it has grown from an 11-man organisation to a 38,587 strong force...
. The police will provide a hearse
Hearse
A hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...
to send the body to the Centre for Forensic Medicine
Centre for Forensic Medicine
The Centre for Forensic Medicine, formerly known as the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine , was one of the seven centres within the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore...
(CFM) Mortuary at Block 9 of the Singapore General Hospital
Singapore General Hospital
The Singapore General Hospital is the largest and oldest hospital in Singapore, of which the foundation of its first building was laid in 1821....
, which will then inform the family when to visit the mortuary.
At the CFM Mortuary, the family will view and identify the body of the deceased in the presence of a coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
, who reviews the case and determines if an autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
is required. The family will be informed of the coroner's decision and the time to claim the body for the funeral. If an autopsy is conducted and reveals that the death is unnatural, the police will conduct further investigations into the cause of death with the family's assistance. Once the investigations are complete, the family will be told to attend a coroner's inquiry at the Subordinate Courts
Subordinate Courts of Singapore
The Subordinate Courts of Singapore is one of the two tiers of the court system in Singapore, the other tier being the Supreme Court. The Subordinate Courts comprise the District and Magistrate Courts—both of which oversee civil and criminal matters—as well as specialised family, juvenile,...
. Only after that will they be able to claim the body.
After the family obtains the CCOD, they usually engage a funeral director
Funeral director
A funeral director , also known as a mortician or undertaker, is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as well as the planning and arrangement of the actual funeral ceremony...
(also known as an undertaker) who collects the body, embalms
Embalming
Embalming, in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and to make them suitable for public display at a funeral. The three goals of embalming are thus sanitization, presentation and preservation of a corpse to achieve this...
it if necessary, and delivers it to the wake
Wake (ceremony)
A wake is a ceremony associated with death. Traditionally, a wake takes place in the house of the deceased, with the body present; however, modern wakes are often performed at a funeral home. In the United States and Canada it is synonymous with a viewing...
. In addition, they have to decide whether the body is to be cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
or buried
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
, and register the death. The funeral director also helps to make arrangements for the wake and funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
, according to the religious beliefs
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and wishes of the family.
Registration of death
When a person dies in a house, the death must be notified to the authorities within 24 hours by the occupier of the house in which to his or her knowledge the death took place, the relatives of the deceased present at his or her death or in attendance during the last illness of the deceased, or each person present at the death; or if those persons fail to do so, some other inmate of the house or the person causing the body of the deceased person to be buried.Burial
Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex is the only one in Singapore still accepting burials. Others, such as Bidadari CemeteryBidadari Cemetery
Bidadari Cemetery is a defunct cemetery in Singapore. There were two sections: the Muslim section was at the base of Mount Vernon, bounded by Upper Aljunied Road, Upper Serangoon Road, and Bartley Road; the Christian section was across Upper Aljunied Road from the Muslim section, and bounded by...
, have made way for redevelopment. Burials cost up to S$
Singapore dollar
The Singapore dollar or Dollar is the official currency of Singapore. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
420 for children and $940 for adults. The complex is divided into cemeteries according to religion, including Parsi, Jewish and Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
.
On 1 November 1998, the NEA implemented a policy to limit the burial period of all graves to 15 years, due to a shortage of space in the cemeteries. After being buried for 15 years, graves are exhumed and the remains removed. If the religion of the deceased permits cremation, the exhumed remains are cremated and stored in government columbaria niches; otherwise, the remains are re-buried in smaller individual plots.
History
In the days of British rule, the number of Chinese burial grounds in Singapore increased very rapidly and the colonial government had little power to control burial spaces because it did not possess sanctions of sufficient strength. Clan associations met all the physical and social needs of the Chinese majority, and the result was the creation of segmented Chinese immigrant communities separated by kinship ties and operating independently of the state, each conducting their own death rites and running their own cemeteries. The local authorities began to view these cemeteries as hazardous sources of disease-causing vectors such as mosquitoes, as well as a form of land waste. There were urgent demands on space in land-scarce Singapore in the name of national development. In the words of E. W. Barker, then the minister for law, environment, science and technology, "The needs of Singapore's young population must require the use of sterilised land, for the economic and social good of all citizens of Singapore."In the 1965 Master Plan, which was designed to guide land-use development in Singapore, cemeteries were identified as land "considered available for development", and cremation was mooted as a viable option to deal with the exhumed bodies from these burial grounds, and as a way to dispose of people who died. To encourage the population to adopt this relatively new way of treating the dead, the state employed the help of "funerary middlemen" who could erode the distrust of cremation because they were respected for their knowledge of death rites and disposal. In addition, the rallying cries of national development, the common good, and the country’s future were used to encourage the populace to take up the idea of cremation and to abandon their insistence of traditional burial grounds.
In 1972, the state made it clear that it would close all cemeteries near and around the city area to "conserve land". State power over cemeteries was considerably strengthened by an alteration in the law allowing the public commissioner to "close cemeteries without assigning reasons for doing so". As an alternative means of managing the disposal of the dead, the state offered burial space at a state-owned public cemetery complex at Choa Chu Kang
Choa Chu Kang Cemetery
Chua Chu Kang Cemetery Complex is the biggest cemetery in Singapore. Located in the west of the island in close proximity to the Tengah Air Base and at the confluence of the Old Choa Chu Kang Road, Lim Chu Kang Road and Jalan Bahar...
, although it made it clear that it considered cremation as the only viable long-term option. As various academics have pointed out, the clearance of ethnic burial grounds served more than a practical purpose as it signified the transferring of power from clan- and ethnic-based associations, which had previously ran these burial grounds, to state organizations.
Development and evolution of crematoria and columbaria
The earliest government crematorium, situated at Mount VernonMount Vernon, Singapore
Mount Vernon is a small hill in central Singapore west of Potong Pasir and north of MacPherson Estate. Officially named in 1956, it is circumscribed by Bartley Road, Upper Aljunied Road, Upper Serangoon Road, and Upper Paya Lebar Road.-Features:...
, began operations in 1962 with only one funeral service hall and about four cremations a week. By 1995, it had three service halls and was averaging 21 cremations a day, with operations beginning everyday at 9:00 am with cremations scheduled at 45-minute intervals until about 6:00 or 7:00 pm. The site includes a columbarium built in several phases, comprising niches arranged in numbered blocks which either feature Chinese-style green roofs, or housed within a nine-storey pagoda
Pagoda
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
-style building. There also exists a two-storey "church-style" building.
Towards the end of the 1970s, the Mount Vernon complex, which was initially intended for the storage of ashes from recent deaths, could no longer cope with the scale of exhumation projects fuelling the demand for columbarium niches. Another crematorium and columbarium complex was built at Mandai
Mandai
Mandai is the name of an urban planning area located in the North Region of Singapore. Mandai Road passes through the area, linking Woodlands Road to Upper Thomson Road....
, and this commenced operations in 1982, equipped with eight small and four medium-sized cremators and a total of 64,370 niches for the storage of cremated remains. Chinese voluntary associations such as Pek San Theng were allowed to build columbaria to house the remains of those exhumed from clan-owned cemeteries, and temples and churches were allowed to accommodate cremated remains. Mount Vernon Crematorium ceased operations on 30 June 2004.
Present
After a body is cremated, the family of the deceased can store the ashes at home or in a columbariumColumbarium
A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns . The term comes from the Latin columba and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons .The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is a particularly fine ancient Roman example, rich in...
, or scatter them in the sea about 1.5 nmi (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) south of Pulau Semakau
Pulau Semakau
"Pulau Sakeng", "Pulau Seking" & "Pulau Sakeng Police Post" redirects here.Pulau Semakau is located to the south of the main island of Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore. The Semakau Landfill is located on the eastern side of the island, and was created by the amalgamation of Pulau Sakeng ,...
. There are three crematoria in Singapore. The Mandai Crematorium, the only government facility, is now operated by the National Environment Agency
National Environment Agency
National Environment Agency formed on 1 July 2002, is a statutory board under the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in Singapore. As a statutory board, it gives NEA greater administrative autonomy to be more nimble in the protection of the environment...
. The other two crematoria are privately operated; one is in the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery
Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Temple
The Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery , is located at 88 Bright Hill Road at Bishan. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Singapore.-History:...
at Bright Hill Drive, Bishan
Bishan
Bishan is a neighbourhood of the city-state of Singapore situated in the Central Region, measuring approximately three by three kilometres. Primarily a housing estate, Flats here are generally more expensive compared to other estates due to its location in the central region, which commands a...
, and the other is in Tse Toh Aum Temple at Sin Ming Drive.
There are three government columbaria and 57 private ones. The government-operated columbaria are at Mandai, Yishun
Yishun
Yishun, or Nee Soon as it was initially named, is a suburban town in the northern part of Singapore, encompassing the Yishun Planning Area, in the North Region, which includes Yishun New Town and the Nee Soon private residential estate....
and Choa Chu Kang
Choa Chu Kang
Choa Chu Kang is a major residential town and neighbourhood and is a suburban area in the West Region of Singapore...
. (A fourth government columbarium at Mount Vernon is due to close at an unspecified date due to redevelopment of its surrounding area into a public housing estate.) Private columbaria are operated by the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Mary of the Angels in Bukit Batok, and the Singapore Soka Association
Singapore Soka Association
Singapore Soka Association or SSA is the Singapore affiliate of Soka Gakkai International SGI is a 12 million strong multi-ethnic Buddhist association in 190 countries and territories globally promoting and practicing the Nichiren school of Mahayana Buddhism.-Early years:Founded in 1967 and...
, among others. As with crematoria, there is a significant price difference between niches in private and government columbaria. A standard niche in any government columbarium costs less than $900, but one at the Kong Meng San monastery costs more than $15,000. The government columbaria allocate niches sequentially, and charge an extra $250 for any location change request; for an extra price, the private columbaria allow families to choose niche locations subject to availability, and even to pre-book niches before death.
There has been an increase in the number of Singaporeans pre-booking niches at private crematoria, even though some people consider talking about death and pre-booking a final resting place inauspicious. Reasons for pre-booking include wanting one's ashes to be close to those of loved ones, and hedging against higher prices for niches in future.
Foreigners who die outside Singapore are allowed to be cremated in the country, but their ashes have to be placed in private columbaria.
It has been observed that the architecture of government columbaria reflects the outlook of the Singaporean nation. The early columbaria were simple, with few aesthetic ornaments, just like early Singaporean housing flats. The later columbaria have more modern designs, with well-designed landscaped environments, and looking similar to contemporary HDB (Housing and Development Board) flats. These columbaria include the Chua Chu Kang Columbarium and the Mandai Columbarium, which was renovated and expanded in 2004 to accommodate approximately another 60,000 niches. The designs are more elaborate, and are often reminiscent of other structures people often encounter in everyday life. Comparisons have been drawn between the architecture of these columbaria and that of schools and condominiums, and hypotheses have been made that such are deliberate efforts to eliminate the sense of fear and dread traditionally associated with landscapes of death.