Last June, the entirety of Marina Bay was treated to a rare view along the Singapore River, where a bumboat went up in flames. Its boatman had gone missing during the fire, and his body was located in the waters the next evening.

At a Coroner’s Inquiry yesterday, the court heard that the late Ong Hock Long, then 33, had been acting strangely on the day of his death. A Singapore River Cruise (SRC) employee, Dewi Sutra, testified that she was with Ong in the boat at approximately 5pm, and they were scheduled to arrive at Clarke Quay to pick up passengers.

But Ong suddenly steered the boat in the opposite direction towards Boat Quay, which thoroughly confused Sutra. In addition, he told her to board a passing boat so that he could be “left alone”. Shortly after complying, she witnessed Ong’s boat going up in flames.

According to Yahoo Singapore, Lieutenant-Colonel Andy Choo of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had testified that a fire that size was only possible when a significant pile of life-jackets were set ablaze, which happened to fit the profile of Ong’s boat at the time – more than 50 life-jackets were stored under the passenger seats. The find led to the conclusion that the fire was a deliberate act of arson.

In addition, investigating officer Inspector Lam Jia Yen stated that a toxicology report confirmed “traces of amphetamines and methamphetamines” in Ong’s blood. These drugs were known to cause confusion, affect a person’s receptive abilities and create hallucinations in conjunction with erratic behaviour.

Inspector Lam’s enquiries with the Credit Bureau also revealed that Ong had accumulated credit card loans with several banks dating back to 2014, and he needed his family’s assistance with clearing his debts as far back as 2011. In addition to a failed relationship, his circumstances may have factored into the events of that fateful day.

The Coroner’s will present a full report next Monday.

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