GEORGE TOWN: A heritage activist has questioned the Penang government's continued silence on whether it would severely punish a land owner for illegally demolishing the 138-year-old grave of Foo Teng Nyong, the third wife of Kapitan Chung Keng Quee.
The grave, dubbed 'Penang's Taj Mahal', was designed and built in 1884 to celebrate Chung's love for Foo, who died while giving birth at 33.
Foo, besides being Chung's wife, was also the mother of Chung Siew Yin, Kapitan Chung Thye Phin and Chung Thye Cheong, as well as the paternal aunt of the "Tin King of Malaya", Foo Choo Choon.
Chung (Keng Quee) had been the owner of the biggest tin mine and largest employer in Malaya.
Mark Lay, who is co-founder of George Town Heritage Action (GTHA), questioned why no punishment had been meted out for the illegal demolition of Foo's tomb.
"The state authorities have gone totally silent on this issue...it looks like the land owner will likely go unpunished," he told the New Straits Times.
Foo's grave was recently demolished despite assurances by the Penang Heritage Council and Penang Heritage Commissioner Rosli Nor that nothing would happen to the grave.
The land owner had been asked to preserve the grave as part of its green belt and was required to seek permission before conducting any work on the site.
Despite the assurance, the gravesite was exhumed and demolished, much to the disappointment of Foo's great grandson, Jeffery Seow, who wanted the state authorities to compel the land owner to restore the grave to its original design and location or risk further action.
Seow had previously cautioned that the grave would be "destroyed without notice."
He had also said that the Penang government, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and the Heritage Commission must compel the land owner to restore the grave to its original design and location within six months, failing which a fine of RM50,000 will be incurred and a further fine of RM500 per day until the grave is restored.
Lay, meanwhile, took aim at MBPP, accusing the council of not understanding the difference between exhumation and demolition.
Lay said in Foo's case, exhumation would involve removing the front-facing engraved slab and base to expose the crypt cavity and removing the body from the tomb cavity.
Exhumation when done abroad, he said, is usually done with supervision by the authorities at an agreed time to ensure that the remains are treated with respect.
"Instead, the land owner illegally smashed and desecrated Foo's tomb with excavator," he said.
Meanwhile, Lay claimed that the nearby tombs of Thye Phin and his wife, Khoo Joo Bee, is now a "sitting duck" for redevelopment.
"The actual entrance to Thye Phin's and Khoo's graves has now been boarded up to keep from prying eyes.
"We hope the state authorities will do the right thing," he added.