SINGAPORE: Actor Aloysius Pang will be accorded the honours of a military funeral, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on Friday (Jan 25).
He will be cremated on Sunday at Mandai Crematorium.
Pang’s body arrived in Singapore on Friday evening from New Zealand, two days after he died of injuries sustained in a military training accident.
It made the over 10-hour journey from Auckland in a Republic of Singapore Air Force KC-135R aircraft, which landed in Singapore at about 5.45pm.
His family received his body at Paya Lebar Air Base.
Chief of Army, Major-General Goh Si Hou was also at the air base to offer his condolences, said MINDEF.
Corporal First Class (National Service) Pang, 28, was seriously injured on Sunday during a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) training exercise in New Zealand.
READ: Actor Aloysius Pang dies after sustaining serious injuries in SAF training accident
He died on Wednesday night (Singapore time) in a hospital in Hamilton four days after the incident.
At a press conference on Thursday, SAF senior commanders said Pang was crushed between the gun barrel of a howitzer and its cabin after he was “unable to get out of the way” as the barrel was lowered.
An independent Committee of Inquiry will be convened to investigate the circumstances leading to the incident, MINDEF had said.
MINDEF and SAF will continue to render assistance and support to Pang’s family, the ministry said in its press release.
READ: Aloysius Pang ‘precious’ to the family; priority is to bring his body home soon: Brother
Pang’s brother, Kenny, told reporters on Thursday night that his brother had slipped into an unconscious state by the time his family members arrived in new Zealand.
“None of us can be mentally prepared for any of this … Now, it’s just for us to grieve,” Kenny Pang said.
Pang’s artiste agency, NoonTalk Media, said those who wish to pay their last respects to him can do so from noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday.
A private wake for the family will be held on Saturday morning.
“We respectfully appreciate the privacy given during this period,” the management agency said on its Facebook page.
Aloysius Pang began his career as a child actor at the age of nine. He took a hiatus, but returned to acting in 2012 and picked up awards along the way, including Best Newcomer at the 2015 Star Awards.
