Ng Tse Kong, 37, sits alone in a ward at the Tampines Home for the Intellectually Disabled in Singapore. The mentally retarded man stayed at home with his decomposing father for five days after he had passed away because he was unable to tell anyone what had happened.

Chin Shin Chiu Grace, age 93, prepares to be forcibly relocated to another Singapore Housing Authority flat after social workers discover the single widower living in unsanitary conditions.

Itimi Dickson, 17-year-old professional soccer player from Ghana, fears the worst as he awaits his verdict on an assault charge after he punched another player during a Singapore Soccer League match. A disciplinary inquiry is being held behind the door on the left.

A brother and sister nervously wait for their parents to arrive home as firemen finish putting out a fire that the children accidentally started in their apartment at Jurong West, Singapore.

A nervous young girl clutches her brother's arm as they approach mummified murderers on display at the Songkran Niyomsane Forensic Science Museum in Bangkok, Thailand.

A 14-year-old inmate incarcerated for gang-related activities receives a visit and a scolding from his mother at Kaki Bukit Center prison school, Singapore.

Members of a Singapore Police SWAT team subdue an intoxicated man who had become belligerent and was threatening to harm passers-by.

More than 500 Singaporeans attended the funeral of beloved former president Ong Teng Cheong.

The wife and daughters of Malaysian money-changer Haja Ahamadsa react upon learning that the 36-year-old had been murdered on the job.

Anthony Ler Wee Teang, having just been sentenced to hang for arranging to have his wife murdered, still smiles smugly even as he is led out of Singapore's High Court building.

Birthday boy Sang Raja the elephant has just turned two and can't wait to get to his birthday cake. With him is trainer Paul Saminathan at the Singapore Zoo.

Sand artist Jasmine Koh puts the finishing touches on her masterpiece at an international sand sculpture competition at Singapore's Siloso Beach.

An elderly man sporting a government-issued beggar's license counts the day's take at Geylang Serai food center, Singapore.

Traditional pedal-powered trishaws are quickly becoming a thing of the past in Singapore, but 89-year-old Thien Kim Fook still powers on. He says he's been pedaling 'since the Japanese were here.'

Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki is given a heavy police escort upon her arrival at Singapore's Changi Airport.

Cultural interaction takes place at an underground dance party aboard a subway train leaving Orchard MRT station, Singapore. The event was sponsored by Nokia as part of a product launch for a new mobile phone.

Nuraliza Osman (left), who was crowned Miss Singapore Universe 2002, celebrates with other event contestants.

Six-year-old Emily Tan is intrigued by the picture being painted on her arm as she prepares to celebrate Singapore's National Day with her family.

New Face modeling contest winner Mariam Daskalopoulou (center) is congratulated by classmates at Chai Chee Secondary School, Singapore.

Johnny and Luther Htoo, 13-year-old twin leaders of Myanmar's rebel "God's Army," are spotted at the police compound where they are being held near the Myanmar/Thailand border. Luther is at left with bandana and pink shirt. Johnny, the long-haired one, is at right, shirtless and partially hidden and surrounded by police bodyguards.

Singapore's infamous opposition political leader Dr. Chee Soon Juan boldly belittles the government at a Singapore Democratic Party rally for Nee Soon Central district.

An elderly lady known only as "Water Mary" dines alone at Jamiya Home for the indigent in Singapore. Mary has no recollection of her past or even what her surname is and sits alone sobbing most of the time.

A sultry young lady mingles through the crowd at the reopening party for the famous Madam Wong's club, Mohammed Sultan Road, Singapore.

A crowd of more than 75,000 people turned up for The New Paper Big Walk 2001. The annual event has become a part of Singapore popular culture.

Even at 4pm, heavy smog smothers Hong Kong Island as seen from the 100th floor of the International Commerce Centre. The city's air pollution index frequently pegs far beyond the level at which air is considered safe to breathe by the World Health Organization.