Malaysian veteran politician Karpal Singh cremated after emotional farewell

Members of the public came to pay their respects to the late lawyer and veteran politician Karpal Singh at his home in Penang on 18 April 2014. The body of the late Karpal Singh was cremated at the Batu Gantong Crematorium on Sunday after a fina
Members of the public came to pay their respects to the late lawyer and veteran politician Karpal Singh at his home in Penang on 18 April 2014. The body of the late Karpal Singh was cremated at the Batu Gantong Crematorium on Sunday after a final farewell by thousands of mourners chanting his name. FILE PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

GEORGE TOWN (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The body of the late Karpal Singh was cremated at the Batu Gantong Crematorium on Sunday after a final farewell by thousands of mourners chanting his name.

Family members spent some 30 minutes performing the final rites for the veteran lawyer and politician after his hearse reached the crematorium at about 1.35pm on Sunday.

They had to make repeated pleas to the public to move away from the casket.

They also pleaded for privacy and urged the press and the public not to take pictures throughout the ritual.

Mr Karpal was given a funeral with state honours.

Thousands of people had lined the streets of Penang to send off the hearse carrying Mr Karpal on his last journey.

The procession also made stops at several places dear to Mr Karpal - the Penang High Court, his office in Green Hall, the Penang state assembly building, his alma mater St Xavier's Institution and state DAP party headquarters in Rangoon Road - before making its way to the Batu Gantong Crematorium.

Earlier, DAP and Pakatan Rakyat leaders and other representatives of various associations and guilds paid their last respects to Karpal at the Dewan Sri Pinang.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in his eulogy said the state government mourned his untimely and unexpected passing.

Thousands of members of the public also paid their last respects.

Mr Karpal died in a car crash on Thursday. He was 73.

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