After assault and son's death, Ong Ing Keong soldiers on

Ong Ing Keong is a deaf e-hailing driver who entered the limelight after being assaulted several months ago.

Ong, who has worked as an e-hailing driver for seven years, starts work early at 6am each day.

He has a rating of 4.94 on Grab, a testament to his passengers' satisfaction with his service.

Ong works for about 12 hours each day, taking only one day off per week to spend time with his family.

As a deaf driver, his main challenge is how to communicate with his passengers. Ong usually uses sign language or types things out on his phone.

Otherwise, Ong is no different from any other driver on the road.

A screenshot of the assault on Ong in May, when he was punched by a royal escort at St Regis hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Ong holds a press conference with lawyers Zaid Malek and Latheefa Koya at the Lawyers for Liberty office in Petaling Jaya several days after lodging a police report on the assault.

Ong, with Latheefa and fellow lawyer N Surendran at Bukit Aman where he was summoned on June 5 to give his statement.

A letter from Ong's lawyers dated July 29, sent to Attorney-General Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh about the status of the case.

Lawyers Surendran and Zaid at a press conference on Aug 14, revealing dashcam footage of the assault on Ong.

Ong with a group of activists at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya, where a memorandum was sent to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in September regarding the lack of action on the case.

Zaid at the magistrate's court which fined Taufik Ismail RM1,000 for the attack on Ong.

Ong with his friend Philip Pong speak to each other in sign language as they meet to enquire into the developments of the case.

Ong and his friends discuss the case which they feel should have revealed the face of the perpetrator to the public.

Nevertheless, Ong continues working each day, stopping for breaks in the shade when he tires.

He scrolls through his phone for messages while waiting for his next passenger.

He also looks back at pictures from happier times, before his only son was killed in a road accident in May – the same month as his assault.

A photo of Ong and his family on vacation in Singapore – one of the last memories he has of them together before his son's death.

Many days, Ong feels reluctant to head out to work. But he does so anyway, trying to put up a brave front for his wife.

Ong stops to pick up some passengers in Jalan Telawi, Bangsar, before heading off to his next location of the day.