Chinese embassy expresses regret over Ferrari accident
Watch your conduct and respect local laws.
In a letter addressed to The Straits Times, that’s what the Chinese embassy in Singapore has told its citizens living in the Republic, following a tragic accident over the weekend that has killed three people and injured two others.
The driver of the Ferrari that caused the three-vehicle accident was a China national, financial investor Ma Chi, who died in the crash. The Sichuan native was speeding when he crashed his limited-edition Ferrari into a taxi near Bugis junction early on Saturday morning.
The embassy also conveyed its sincere and deep condolences to the victims and their families.
“We hope that Chinese citizens living in Singapore will respect life, value the safety of themselves and others, abide by its laws and regulations, and live responsibly and gracefully,” said the letter written in Chinese.
“We hope that such traffic and unfortunate incidents will not recur.”
Chinese nationals in Singapore are divided over the embassy's letter.
Administration executive Li Ying agreed that the embassy should "express regrets towards the taxi driver" and also play its part by asking Chinese nationals to stop posting insensitive comments online.
"That being said, it doesn't mean that Singaporeans have all the right to degrade PRCs...will there be so much hoo-ha if the [Ferrari] driver was a Singaporean?" the 24-year-old said.
However, Zhou Feng said the letter had "added fuel to fire". Said the 22-year-old: "Why must the Chinese embassy apologise and speak out? The focus should be on the reckless driving not the nationality."
The 52-year-old taxi driver, Cheng Teck Hock, died in Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Sunday evening after his heart stopped.
His passenger has been identified as Shigemi Ito, a 41-year-old Japanese woman who is believed to be living and working in Singapore.
Another two people -- 26-year-old motorcyclist Muhammad Najib Ghazali and Wu Wei Wei, the 20-something female passenger in the Ferrari, were also injured and are currently recuperating in Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
