Actor Shaun Chen reveals his two regrets after his father died in hit-and-run accident in March

JOHOR BAHRU – Malaysian actor Shaun Chen has opened up about the devastating loss of his father in a hit-and-run accident in his home town of Negeri Sembilan.

Mr Tan Po died at the age of 84 on March 28 after he was struck by a car while riding his motorcycle.

Chen, 47, reflected on how his father’s sudden death affected him in the latest episode of his online series Shaun With You, which was uploaded on Nov 24.

The Mediacorp artiste recounted the moment he received the news from his good friend while on vacation with his family in Bangkok.

Adding to the anguish, he was unable to return to Malaysia immediately as an earthquake in Myanmar had shaken the Thai capital.

Speaking about the delayed emergency response following the fatal accident, Chen claimed: “People at the scene called a clinic, but the clinic said it had to call headquarters, which would then dispatch an ambulance. That wasted about 15 minutes.”

He alleged that during those 15 minutes, no bystanders stepped in to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on his dad, believing they should not touch him.

“I think it was okay to touch him, turn him around and check if he was breathing. If he was, then you could give him CPR,” he said. “If I had been there and knew how to perform CPR, I would’ve done it.” 

Chen claimed that 30 to 45 minutes had passed by the time the ambulance arrived at the scene. “Even then, they had to take him to a nearby hospital, which is very old and does not have complete facilities. The whole process led to the missing of the golden hour and only after transferring him to a hospital in the city did the doctor tell us he had already passed away.”

Chen, who recently starred in local blockbuster drama Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story (2025), said his one regret was that he was in Thailand when the unthinkable happened.

“I kept using the phone (to get assistance for him), but there was no way to even have any last words, like, say goodbye to him. That was something I deeply regret.”

The actor said an even bigger regret was not getting the chance to travel with his father, who had always wanted to visit China.

“I told him I’d arrange it someday. I really regret not being able to take him there,” Chen said. “At his age, he just wanted to spend more time with his children and travel the world.”

While he has publicly urged the driver whose vehicle hit his father to come forward and apologise, he claimed the person has yet to do so, despite turning himself in to the police. “He didn’t come out to say anything. I believe he doesn’t dare to,” Chen said, adding that the case is still pending with the authorities.

He described his late father as a simple, responsible person who taught him to always put family first.

“Family is the most important thing. If you’re overseas, call your family every day to check in on them or do a video call with them,” he said. “You must cherish and love the people around you, especially your parents and siblings.” THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK