SHAH ALAM, July 16 — The Teoh Beng Hock Trust Fund set up last year for the dead political aide’s only son, Teoh Er Jia, stands at close to half a million ringgit today and is still growing.

“As at June 23, 2010, [the] total collection of the Trust Fund is RM477,809.66,” Serdang MP and DAP member, Teo Nie Ching, told The Malaysian Insider.

Teo, a 29-year-old lawyer, is one of two trustees for the fund. The other is Er Jia’s mother, Soh Cher Wei, also 29.

The trust fund was launched last year by the DAP following feedback from partymen and members of the public — outraged by events surrounding Beng Hock’s death exactly one year ago today — who were looking for a way to show their support to the family.

Donations were inconsistent and have slowed down compared to the months immediately following Beng Hock’s death, Teo said, “but are still coming in”.

“For example, last month, the total amount collected was RM630. In May, the amount was RM1,700,” she said, adding the money was collected from donation boxes placed at the party’s national headquarters and a DAP sympathiser’s restaurant, “Rocket Café” in Petaling Jaya.

Other donors have also deposited money directly into the trust fund (Public Bank account number: 3154 127 533).

“The main purpose of the fund is to provide for the child’s education in the future, especially if he wants to attend university, as it is quite expensive,” Teo explained.

 She added that only RM19,236.75 has been used to date on four-month-old baby Er Jia , including a one-off payment to preserve his umbilical cord or blood cord, a growing trend among new parents.

Soh, a primary school teacher in her Batu Pahat hometown, is now a single mother.

While she has been inducted into the Teoh family in a traditional Chinese ceremony last year — which accords her the same rights as if she was officially wedded to Beng Hock — finances remain a concern with their working class background.