Singapore's real-life ghostbusters
Two brooding figures lead a procession of grim souls filing slowly through Lim Chu Kang Cemetery. As they near, you can begin making out hair-raising details: the pair is clad in black and white robes of the kind traditionally worn by long-dead Chinese mandarins, their faces are chalk-white with grotesque expressions, blood-red tongues hang down to their navels.
"They (the procession) are here to pray for 4D lottery numbers from the dead,” said Charles Goh, founder of Asia Paranormal Investigators. The two figures are channeling the spirits of 'Da Bo Gong' and 'Er Bo Gong,' mythical grim reapers of of the Chinese Hells collectively known as 'Hei Bai Wu Chang' (黑白無常).
OK, so it's not the noblest of otherworldly appeals, but we watched on from a respectful distance as the procession made offerings one by one, murmuring prayers and wishes as the two tall, hellish figures looked on. It's not the kind of thing you want to see by chance on a dark night, but it's one familiar to Charles as he leads the meta-curious on API's ghost tours.
Although identified by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) as a conservation-worthy building, Matilda House in the Punggol area is rumored to be guarded by a warding spirit.Phantom P.I.
Charles founded API because he believes in the paranormal. But for him, "ghosts, hauntings, mysterious creatures such as Bigfoot, and UFOs are just subjects that border on the fringes of accepted science. With critical analysis and proper research, we can explain them one day."
Apart from conducting ghost tours for the public, Goh actively investigates and debunks myths with his API colleagues. But you’ll never catch him with an amulet or necklace made of garlic when pursuing his ghostly quarry.
"To prepare for an investigation, we will bring standard ghost detection gadgets like EMF meters, temperature sensors, infra-red motion sensors, remote recording cameras, and digital recorders. Other normal gadgets include video cameras (with night vision), digital cameras, notebook, recorders, torchlight. etc.," said Charles.
Over the years, API has investigated numerous paranormal complaints such as hauntings, mysterious figures appearing in photos, stories of workers held down in their sleep and all manner of creepy phenomena. Using his repertoire of ghost-hunting gadgets, Charles and his cohort have dissected numerous outstanding legends, closing several previously unexplained cases.
For example, a businesswoman and her foreign maid in Tampines were stricken by a series of 'unexplained' incidents, including a cupboard fire, disappearing cash and random blood spots. When the woman and her maid tried to perform a cleansing ritual, the maid was 'possessed' by a spirit, screaming in a manly voice and thrashing wildly about.
Charles and his API team were dispatched to investigate, deploying their sensors to capture any paranormal activity. But none was detected. Next, the team performed the same dispelling ritual. No dice. Finally, the blood spots were found to be nothing more than wax residue. Without further evidence, the investigators concluded there was no paranormal activity, casting suspicion on the maid, who subsequently ran away and is thought to have used the ruse of a ghostly possession to conceal her theft of the money. The story was reported in Shin Min Daily News.
All in a day's work for API. However, one local legend is particularly poignant for Charles, and it's one that he investigated without his gadgets, just good ol' detective work.
Third door debunked
The island of Tekong is infamous in Singaporean folklore for being haunted. Recruits at the training base in Pulau Tekong have circulated tales of cupboards slamming spontaneously, children's laughter echoing in the dead of night and a lady in white floating about the obstacle course by guards on night patrols.
However, the most famous tale has to be that of how the bunk in Camp 1's Charlie Company barracks got its infamous third door.
According to Charles, "Many stories of how this bunk became haunted have been told over the years. The most common is about a recruit who went missing while on a route march. Depending on which version you hear, he was either found with his full pack items neatly displayed on the ground, his internal organs removed and placed in a stand-by-weapon position, his intestines spilled out, or his changkol blade embedded in his stomach but facing the wrong way."
Charles investigated and came to several conclusions, foremost being that the one myth might actually represent two separate tales. The first involved the missing recruit detailed above, in 1983. The second story concerned a series of disturbances that followed another recruit's possible suicide in that bunk in 1986. In response, military leaders called to the barracks a priest, who performed a ritual and recommended that a third door be installed to allow the aggrieved spirit an exit from the bunk. Charles conjectured that, over time, a spurious link had formed between the third door's creation and the route march recruit's death.
What's in it for you
So do we get to see ghosts?
Actually, no.
On any night during one of these tours, you might visit ritualized possessions under a spirit tree, witness funeral practices that see the torching of two-story paper buildings, or romp through a graveyard such as Bukit Brown Cemetery, where the headstones read like a who’s-who of old Singapore.
These are places forgotten by younger generations. Places where strange rituals were conducted by their forebears, with good reason. Places where you’ll feel the slow, fading pulse of Singapore’s history.
If you're intrigued enough to try one of API's ghost tours, visit the the company's website to check prices and current tour schedules, and don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes.
To see the API folks in action, check out this clip in which the investigators debunk the local Malaysian tale of a girl with extremely thin legs as just a misunderstood video.
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