Lau was also a vice-president of the Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP).

[2][3] Lau was born to a poor family and his mother died when he was three years old.

In Australia he met his wife, Kapitan Dato' Janet Lau Ung Hie.

[4] Lau died of bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma)[3] in his home in Kuala Lumpur on 9 April 2010.

The funeral began with a procession around the Sibu town and a requiem mass.