Latest news with #AaronKok
CNA
27-05-2025
- General
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Liverpool tragedy: Aaron Kok one street over from car ploughing through crowd
CNA938 Rewind - Liverpool tragedy: Aaron Kok one street over from car ploughing through crowd A car has ploughed into a crowd of Liverpool fans during a parade celebrating their side's Premier League soccer title. But authorities don't think the incident was terrorism-related. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin speak with Aaron Kok, Founder and CEO, 1896 Travel, who was in the vicinity when the tragedy unfolded. 11 mins CNA938 Rewind - Liverpool tragedy: Singaporean tour operator in Liverpool A car ploughed into large crowds of Liverpool fans during a parade celebrating the Reds Premier League title. Police say they do not believe the incident was terror related. A 53-year-old British man has been arrested. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin speak with Mirza Salim, Founder and Director of Matchday Affairs, a tour agency organising fan trips to EPL football matches. 13 mins CNA938 Rewind - Violet Oon – a culinary icon with a thirst for knowledge & hunger for life In 'Made in SG', Melanie Oliveiro speaks with Chef Violet Oon, widely known as Singapore's doyenne of Peranakan cuisine. Chef Violet will discuss highlights of her culinary career which include how her turn as a music, arts critic and food journalist informed her approach to food; how she has worked closely with her two children – CEO Tay Yiming and creative director Tay Su-Lyn – to further build on her life's work. She'll also talk about her newly opened restaurant at Dempsey Hill and why she considers it a homecoming of sorts. 36 mins CNA938 Rewind - Mad about pagodas! ACM's 'Pagoda Odyssey 1915: From Shanghai to San Francisco' In 'Destination Anywhere', Melanie Oliveiro finds out about Asian Civilisations Museum's ongoing exhibition 'Pagoda Odyssey 1915: From Shanghai to San Francisco', featuring 84 hand-carved models , together for the first time in over a century. Dr Kevin Lam, Senior Curator for Chinese Art at ACM will talk about how the pagodas were originally made in Shanghai, and will highlight iconic pagodas from different regions and historical periods. 16 mins
Straits Times
27-05-2025
- Straits Times
Chaos, concerns for Singaporean fans in Liverpool after Reds' victory parade incident
Singaporean Liverpool fan Aaron Kok (last row, with white jacket) attended the team's open-top bus parade on May 26. PHOTO: COURTESY OF AARON KOK SINGAPORE – Singaporean Aaron Kok was among thousands of red-clad fans lining the streets of Liverpool on May 27, soaking in the lively atmosphere as the British city celebrated the club's 20th top-flight league title with an open-top bus parade with the players. Kok, founder and chief executive of 1896 Travel, a local sports tourism company, had travelled with over 100 other Liverpool fans from Singapore to take part in the festivities. But as the party wound down after the three-and-a-half-hour parade, the 48-year-old realised something was wrong when he noticed about 10 ambulances and people receiving medical attention on the ground. Concerned, he checked in with his fellow travellers as the group had dispersed into smaller clusters along the 10-mile (16.1km) route. It took him about an hour to confirm that everyone was safe. He eventually found out that a car had ploughed into the crowd during the parade. He said: 'It definitely did put a dampener to things. When the first videos came out, everyone was absolutely stunned. 'Gradually over night, things stabilised... and it was very assuring that authorities controlled everything after that.' According to the BBC, the incident occurred at about 6pm (UK time) on Water Street, near the Strand, a mile before the parade's finishing point. Just moments earlier, Liverpool had paraded the Premier League trophy from the top of a bus. At least 47 people were injured in the crash, including four children, the ambulance service reported. Twenty-seven were taken to hospital, two of whom – including one child – sustained serious injuries. Police arrested a '53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area,' who was identified as the driver of the vehicle that struck the group of supporters. A number of Singaporeans had made the trip to Liverpool during the week to catch the final day of the Premier League season as the Reds hosted Crystal Palace in a 1-1 draw on May 25 before hoisting the league trophy. Real estate agent Eric Kwek, 47, was at the Royal Albert Dock jetty, located near the end of the parade route, and was unaware of the incident until a friend from the UK texted to ask if he was safe. Eric Kwek (bottom) did not know about the incident until a friend from the UK texted him to ask if he was okay. PHOTO: COURTESY OF ERIC KWEK He had read earlier reports of 17 people being injured in incidents involving flares during pre-celebration events, which prompted warnings from Merseyside Police ahead of the team's bus parade. He said: 'We were quite shocked and overwhelmed, and we felt lucky that we were at that spot (we were at) because there were two kids with us – my daughter and nephew. 'We feel sorry for the people who were injured. We'd seen a report a day earlier that there were 17 people injured... and we were just hoping that no one else would get hurt.' Seline Kok, 32, who works in social services, did not witness the incident but sensed something was amiss when she saw ambulances and police cars. Her initial thought was that there had been a stampede or crush due to the crowds. Seline Kok (third from left) had to stay with a friend in the city centre as she was unable to get an Uber to her Airbnb after the incident led to road closures and overcrowded train stations. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SELINE KOK With the incident leading to road closures and overcrowded train stations, she could not find an Uber or car to take her to her Airbnb even after midnight, but thankfully a friend in the city centre offered her a place to stay. She said: 'It was actually something I was quite worried about since yesterday because of the lack of crowd control, plus people carried glass bottles and dropped them everywhere. 'It felt like most people, us included, didn't think so much about our safety because we were so busy celebrating that historic win. 'It was quite scary because we didn't know the extent of the incident and how many people got run over, plus we didn't know where was safe in the city centre.' Andrew Kwong (third from left) had travelled to Liverpool to catch the team's open-bus parade. PHOTO: COURTESY OF ANDREW KWONG Andrew Kwong, a retail sales account manager at Apple, had travelled to Liverpool for the parade after the Covid-19 pandemic scuppered his plans to celebrate the Reds' 2019-20 title. He recalled how the city was taken over by a sea of red and chanting fans, with people setting up near the end point of the route seven hours before it even started. The 46-year-old said: 'It was very packed, cold and wet, but everyone was in high spirits. At the time, I didn't think anything could have put a damper on the day. 'But shortly after the parade ended, we were already back in our hotel when we got the news. And if there was anything that was going to spoil the day, that was going to be it. A terrible event that never needed to happen.' The Straits Times has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to check if any Singaporeans have been affected by the incident. Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
