Singaporean Hostage Killed in Mumbai Terror Attacks

By Chen Shiyin

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- A Singaporean woman who had been held hostage by militants in Mumbai became the first person from the city-state to die in a terrorist attack, the government said.

The body of Lo Hwei Yen was identified by her husband last night, Singapore’s foreign affairs ministry said in an e-mailed statement released late yesterday. The 28-year-old Singapore lawyer was among 24 hostages found dead at the Oberoi-Trident hotel complex, the Straits Times newspaper reported.

The death toll from the attacks on 10 sites in Mumbai reached 160, with 11 militants killed, CNN reported. The Indian government said at least 370 were injured in more than 48 hours of violence as terrorists moved through India’s financial hub, targeting a Jewish center, the Oberoi, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel, a railroad station and a restaurant.

“Terrorism is a threat that knows no boundaries,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a letter to the victim’s husband that was released by e-mail today. “This is the first time a Singaporean has been a victim of a terrorist attack.”

Government officials are currently providing assistance to the victim’s family and will ensure the return of the body when permitted by Indian authorities, the foreign affairs ministry said in the statement.

“This tragic event underscores the imperative for all of us to be constantly vigilant and the need for the international community to band together to combat this threat,” S. Jayakumar, the island’s acting prime minister, said in a separate e-mailed statement yesterday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Chen Shiyin in Singapore at schen37@bloomberg.net.