Penang's heritage advocates are distressed to learn that more than 70 graves related to a pioneer family from the 1800s in Batu Lanchang have been dug up.
The graves include the century-old tomb of Koh Seang Tatt, a philanthropist who died in 1899. Koh's family helped develop the island during its early years under colonial rule.
The tomb at the Batu Lanchang Hokkien cemetery, which held the remains of Koh and his wife, was broken into, and the bones and other ceremonial possessions within removed.
Heritage activist Tan Yeow Wooi decried the incident and said the tombs bore much of the island's precious heritage. He expressed deep concern especially about the fate of the main tomb, belonging to Seang Tatt's grandfather, the pioneer kapitan, Koh Lay Huan, who died in 1826, and his wife which lies on a hillock in the cemetery.
State Local Government Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow, who visited the site this evening, said the farmers around the sprawling cemetery had said more than 70 graves were dug up. Some of the remains were found placed in bins and left inside a columbarium.
Chow said the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) had given planning approval in December 2009 to a developer, Kemuning Setia Sdn Bhd, to undertake a residential project on 11.5 acres of the 27-acre site.
The project comprises six units of 3-storey bungalows, 48 units of 3-storey semi-detached houses and 44 units of 3-storey terrace houses.
Chow said the MPPP had also received an application from a Koh Chang Poh, believed to be a descendant of the family, to remove 33 graves, but approved only 23.
"Since the structures are so very old, I will get the George Town Heritage Office and the heritage unit of the MPPP to determine the historic value of the graves," he said.
"These graves represent the first wave of Chinese migrants to Penang," he said.
Author: Himanshu Bhatt | Source: Sun2Surf [January 13, 2011]