KUALA LUMPUR: A family was forced to bury their mother in the same plot as their father after they found that an infant had been buried in the plot that was purchased for her 26 years ago.
Khaw Choon Cheow died on Nov 22, 1998 and was buried in plot A1552 at the Cheras Christian Cemetery. The Khaw family purchased the adjacent plot, A1553, from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall to be reserved for his wife.
According to China Press, the Khaw family and their lawyer held a press conference to ask City Hall to address their concerns and explain the situation.
Lawyer Ng Kian Nam said the family bought plot A1553 for RM200 through a middleman in November 1998 and they still have the official receipt from City Hall.
"When their mother died and they began preparations for her burial this year, City Hall officials told the family that the purchased plot had been used to bury an unidentified infant, leaving the family shocked and distressed."
To avoid delaying the burial, the family reluctantly accepted City Hall's suggestion to bury their mother above their father.
Unhappy with the arrangement, the family submitted seven demands to City Hall, hoping to be able to honour their mother's wish to be laid to rest beside her husband.
According to City Hall's written response dated Aug 23, a family member allegedly signed a document on Nov 26, 1998 allowing a stranger to bury an infant in the plot.
City Hall had disclosed the identity of the infant's mother.
The family denied that they allowed the infant to be buried in the plot as they were not related to the baby's family.
Ng questioned City Hall's claim, suspecting possible forgery of the document.
He said City Hall did not produce documents to support its claim.
"We hope the authorities will respect contractual agreements and do their best to resolve this issue."
Ng said he would pursue further action against City Hall under the contract law, consumer protection laws, local government regulations and the Federal Constitution.