‘We are loved’: Family of Indonesian girl killed in Chinatown accident thanks S’pore public
Arlina Arshad
The Straits Times
April 8, 2026
“We are seen. We are held. We are loved.”
With these words, the family of an Indonesian girl who died in an accident in Singapore’s Chinatown thanked members of the public, medical staff, and officials in Singapore and Indonesia for their support.
In a heartfelt four-page statement issued on April 6 through their lawyers, Mr Ashar Ardianto and Ms Raisha Anindra paid tribute to their six-year-old daughter Sheyna Lashira Smaradiani, who died on Feb 6.
The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore previously said that Sheyna died from cranio-cerebral injuries, as determined by a hospital autopsy. Her remains were repatriated to Indonesia on the morning of Feb 8 and she was buried in the Tanah Kusir cemetery in South Jakarta later that day.
On April 8, the driver, a 38-year-old woman, was charged in Singapore’s State Courts with two counts of driving without due care and attention, causing death and grievous hurt.
Prosecutors said she had allegedly failed to keep a proper lookout while making a right turn out of an open-air carpark in Spring Street, knocking into two pedestrians near the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
The case was adjourned for six weeks for investigations to continue. It will be heard again at a pre-trial conference on May 13. A gag order was granted as the woman’s six-year-old son, who was in the car at the time, is a potential witness. The woman’s lawyer has applied for a gag order to be imposed under the Children and Young Persons Act.
According to the couple’s statement, the family had been transiting through Singapore from Japan en route to Indonesia. On the morning of Feb 6, the family had breakfast near their hotel before heading out around midday to explore the area. The couple were travelling with their two children and Mr Ashar’s mother.
The statement said that “in a moment so swift it defied comprehension, joy was extinguished” and Sheyna, while holding her mother’s hand, “was taken from them”.
The couple described Sheyna as “a child of incandescent vitality; joyful, spirited, and deeply loved”.
At the time, Ms Raisha was seriously injured and admitted to Singapore General Hospital. The Indonesian Embassy said earlier that she sustained internal injuries and fractures, and was treated in the hospital’s high dependency unit. As such, she was unable to “say goodbye” to her daughter.
The statement said: “Raisha has since emerged from critical danger, though her journey towards recovery remains long and arduous.”
They added that the care and dedication of the hospital team “have given her not just medical support, but hope”.
The family also expressed appreciation to members of the public who assisted at the scene.
“Strangers became guardians in moments of chaos… That act, quiet and human, will never be forgotten.”
They also thanked Indonesia’s ambassador to Singapore, Dr Hotmangaradja Pandjaitan, and embassy staff for their assistance since the day of the accident.
They said the ambassador had opened his home to Mr Ashar and supported the family as he carried out the arrangements to take Sheyna home for burial before returning to Singapore to be with his wife.
In Indonesia, friends and former classmates of Ms Raisha launched a fund-raising effort to help with her medical expenses.
The family also acknowledged The Ascott Limited and staff at Robertson House, where they stayed for nearly four weeks, describing the support as providing “not merely accommodation but also sanctuary” and treating them like family.
“To the people of Indonesia and Singapore, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Terima Kasih banyak dari lubuk hati kami yang paling dalam.”
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