'I WAS told yesterday morning that Mr S. Puhaindran, my good friend and grassroots leader's daughter-in-law was caught in The Oberoi Hotel as a hostage.

I've been following events through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and on the news, but unfortunately we couldn't know very much about what was happening.

I could see things were getting a bit dangerous for anyone who was caught in the hotel and, unfortunately, what we feared came true.

ALL S'POREANS SHARE IN THE GRIEF: JAYA

ACTING Prime Minister S. Jayakumar said last night that all Singaporeans shared in the grief of the family of lawyer Lo Hwei Yen, 28, who was killed in Mumbai.

In a statement expressing the Singapore Government's sadness at her death in the terror attacks in the Indian city, he said: 'The loss of any life to terrorism is sad, but the loss of a fellow Singaporean is a pain more keenly and more closely felt by every Singaporean.

'I know that all Singaporeans feel deeply for the family, and our hearts go out to them in their time of sorrow and grief.'

COMMANDOS WIPE OUT ATTACKERS AND FREE HOSTAGES

MUMBAI: Indian commandos trained for urban warfare mopped up the last holdouts in the deadly terrorist strikes that rocked Mumbai, an outrage that has slammed this most vibrant of cities to the ropes and raised fears of another confrontation with Pakistan.

A Singaporean woman's body was among about 40 others recovered yesterday, raising the death toll to more than 140.

That toll may yet rise as about 280 people have been injured, some seriously.

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