Night Exhumation For My Maternal Grandfather's Grave (Private Arrangement) @ Lim Chu Kang Cemetery [Singapore]

In the terms and conditions for the lease of burial plot in Singapore, it's clearly stated that the duration is only for 15 years and we definitely got a good deal for my maternal grandfather's grave as the exhumation notice came in only last year; effectively meaning he almost doubled his lease!

Earlier this morning, at midnight, i prepared the pail of water with flowers and a branch of pomegranate plant (said to ward off evil in Chinese customs), and left it outside my house; would need it later when i return.

Walked over to my parents' place where i boarded a mini-bus rented by my third uncle. Yes, it's the day for the exhumation of my maternal grandfather's grave and based on our zodiac signs, birth dates and birth times, the auspicious time for exhumation was calculated to be between 1 and 3 am. 

Arrival at Lim Chu Kang Chinese Cemetery in the wee hours.

The convenience of having the torchlight feature on our mobile phones. I know to depend solely on the mobile phone's torchlight would not be sufficient for photo-taking using my DSLR and i actually brought along a higher-powered one. 

When we reached the grave of my maternal grandfather, the undertaker had already opened it up, leaving only the coffin intact as breaching it would require the presence of the family. 

Prayers were recited and we were asked to turn around with our back facing the grave. I can't see what happened (a pity if you ask me) but i can hear the sound of chainsaw cutting through the coffin that was made on wood and had laid undisturbed 6 feet under for almost 30 years. 

Breach was successful and we were (finally) allowed to turn back! 

As it was raining rather heavily in the late afternoon, the coffin was filled with water and the undertaker had to drain it while at the same time, search for the bones of my grandfather. 

Do note that the stench of stale water could be hard to stomach for some people although i didn't think it was as bad as i expected; sewage water was way worse! 

Found the bones; good news for us as we didn't find much bones in the grave of my maternal great grandmother when she was exhumed from Bukit Brown Cemetery.

Makeshift tentage - thankfully, the sky was clear and we didn't encounter the same heavy rainfall from late afternoon. To play safe, i even lugged along my super big rainbow umbrella! 

Water from the grave was drained using a pail and then poured over a plastic basket with holes; this would allow the workers to see if there are remnants of bones that could then be collected for consolidation in the bag.

The same bag as seen above. 

Collection of my grandfather remains in all shapes and sizes; from far, you might have mistaken them for a bag of wet leaves! But it's professionals at work here and they know how to make the correct recognition; i think. 

My grandfather's tomb was quite near to the main road although from where we stood, we were able to catch the many stars in the sky! I brought a tripod for the purpose of this exhumation but the ground was too muddy.  

The work continued - this private arrangement for exhumation was arranged by my third uncle and in addition to the undertaker, there were four other workers helping out. 

Scooping out the pungent water from the coffin - i shared earlier that the water drained would be poured over the basket. What i neglected to mention was that the water was eventually poured onto the ground; which means i would likely have walked over the same pool of water.

In this middle of the night, it can be quite unnerving to hear the occasional snapping branches and noticing fast moving objects from the corner of the eyes. Don't be too imaginative as there were about 3-4 dogs near my grandfather's grave and they were in fact more scared of us than we were of them. 

Constant draining of water as every piece of bone would be important for the family members. It's hard work no doubt but Chinese has always put a high priority for the dead; to the extent that we believe that the placement of the tomb plays an important role in the prosperity of the descendants.

Coffin was eventually drained of water; thanks to the illumination of the torch i brought along, i am able to take some decent photos even though some appeared to be still blurred.

The climb out of the grave; frankly, i would have loved to step in for a picture as not many people lease burial plots nowadays given that there's a deadline for removal and there's a general acceptance  for cremation among the Chinese. However, i didn't utter a single word as it did seem disrespectful. 

Empty grave. It's almost like moving house when you clear your home of all furnishings! 

For safety purpose, the workers would have to close up the grave and the easiest way is to put back everything! I didn't stay throughout to see the process; hence, i am assuming that the stones that made up the exterior of the tomb would be thrown in first and then eventually covered with the soil that was dug out.

No, the undertaker wasn't shielding my mom with the traditional paper umbrella; the purpose was to protect the bag containing the bones of my maternal grandfather. I don't quite understand the rationale of it since there's no sun in the middle of the night. 

Leaving the workers to continue with the rest of the work. 

Our grandfather's remains would be sent for cremation and my family shall collect them half a day later for placement in same crematorium as my maternal grandmother; Mandai Crematorium.

Waiting along the dead quiet Lim Chu Kang road for our transport. It's better to arrange for transport as taxi drivers might not be keen to pick up passengers along the stretch at night. 

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Exhumation Notice

As above. It affects quite a few blocks in Lim Chu Kang Chinese cemetery and registration of claims must be made by 30 September 2019. Unclaimed graves will be exhumed, with their remains cremated and kept for three years before burial in the sea. 

Private Exhumation Contractor

My uncle engaged the services of Jin Niu Exhumation Services for the exhumation of my maternal grandfather's grave and you may click here for the facebook page; the cost ranges from S$1,300 to S$1,800. [Update: noted that the facebook page is no longer valid; please call Mr Cheong Kam Leong at 90536206 or 83136932 instead]