Nearly 2000 people from 18 countries attended a solemn joint memorial service at the Taoyuan stadium not far from the crash site.

Government officials from Taiwan and Singapore, as well as airline executives, joined the mourners, bowing to the pictures of the 82 dead to pay their last respects.

Multicultural ceremonies were held to accommodate the needs of different religions and nationalities.

The crash, the first deadly accident in Singapore Airline's 28-year history, happened when the aircraft used a partially closed runway to try to take off at Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek international airport on October 31.

It smashed into construction equipment and burst into flames. Taiwan's Aviation Safety Coucnil, which led the probe, is looking into the extent of pilot error and whether safety measures were adequate at the airport.

The International Federation of Airline Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) has called on the Taiwan government to release the three pilots of the Los Angeles-bound SQ 006.

The detention of the pilots in Taiwan "does not serve to further the investigation of the accident," said IFALPA in a statement issued late Nov 17.

Captain C. K. Foong, a Malaysian with more than 11,000 hours of flying time, and his two first officers have been barred from leaving Taiwan during the investigation into the crash.

"The pilots of SQ006, who have willingly assisted in the investigation, should be allowed to leave Taiwan and return to their homes and families," said the 50-year-old IFALPA, which represents over 120,000 pilots in 95 countries.

Singapore Airlines has accepted full responsibility for the October 31 disaster, citing pilot error, and has offered US$400,000 compensation to each of the families of the dead.

But the carrier, which faces the threat of expensive lawsuits, has also called for a review of safety procedures at the airport.