PENANG - ONLY five people - all family members - turned up for the funeral of former karaoke outlet manager Ong Chee Leong, 29, who was found hanged in a prison clinic while awaiting trial for the murder of his girlfriend's three-year-old daughter, Shearwel Ooi Ying Ying.

Ong's former wife, his two daughters, aged three and nine, younger sister and brother-in-law were the only ones at the Batu Gantong crematorium where last rites were performed at 2.15pm on Tuesday.

They were given a few minutes to view Ong's body before it was cremated. It was the first time that the family saw Ong since he was arrested on July 8 last year.

Ong was found hanged in Penang Prison on Monday afternoon with a makeshift ligature from towels found in the prison clinic.

Ong's sister had earlier claimed the body from the Penang Hospital mortuary and the remains were taken straight to the crematorium.

George Town OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid said a post-mortem revealed Ong had died of asphyxiation.

'There were no other injuries on his body. The case has been classified as sudden death. We considered the case closed,' he said.

Prisons Department public relations officer Hadi Ag Kassim said Ong had been put under special observation since Feb 6 as he had tried to hurt himself earlier.

'He was placed in his own cell in the Penang Prison's clinic,' he said.

Ying Ying was found dead three days after she was reported missing on July 5. Her bone fragments were strewn at four different places: a cemetery, a river and an apartment dumpsite in Paya Terubong and another river in Jalan Air Itam.

Meanwhile, Ying Ying's family has applied to the High Court to have the case disposed and her bone fragments returned to enable them to hold the proper funeral rites.

An application to request the court to fast-track the case was submitted to the registrar yesterday by their lawyer Jagdeep Singh.

'We have asked the case to be fast-tracked to enable us to get back Ying Ying's remains for her final funeral rites,' said Ying Ying's father Ooi Eng Chew, 29. Senior DPP Azhar Abdul Hamid, the head of the prosecuting unit, said he was waiting for further instructions from the Attorney-General's Chambers. -- The Star/ANN.