Proposal over possible exhumation of Penang’s 139-year-old grave triggers online petition

GEORGE TOWN – An early proposal by a property developer that included the possible exhumation of the 139-year-old grave has triggered an online petition filed by one of the descendants of Foo Teng Nyong – the third wife of Kapitan Cina of Perak Chung Keng Quee.

It all started with a notice in a Chinese daily on February 16 seeking for her descendants to come forward that later resulted in an online petition on Change.org put up by one of her descendants. So far, the petition has garnered almost 400 signatures.

However, some of the descendants were shocked to find Foo’s grave in Jalan Bunga Telang (off Greenhill Drive and Jalan Gajah) in Tg Bungah is no longer part of a plot of land owned by the family. It was initially part of the Chung family burial plot in Mount Erskine.

Now, Penang Heritage Trust committee member Clement Liang said the attention has bought time for the descendants and conservationists to research into the matter before presenting the findings to the local authorities and the project developer.

“We hope that the outcome will be favourable to all and the developer can be patient before deciding on the next recourse,” he told The Vibes.

He also thanked the Penang Island City Council for being open-minded about the possibility of delaying earthworks until better research is obtained on the site’s historical significance.

According to information gathered online, Foo and Chung were married in 1873, and he was one of the richest men in Penang in the late 19th century. Chung was also the one who built Hai Kee Chan, translated as the Sea Remembrance Hall – what we know today as the Pinang Peranakan Mansion.

Their eldest daughter Chung Siew Yin, born in 1874, became the philanthropist wife of Lam Kam Thong.

Her sons were Kapitan Chung Thye Phin, who was once the president of the Penang Chinese Town Hall and led Penang Chinese Literary Association – and Chung Thye Chong, director of Straits Echo.

Foo was also the aunt of Foo Choo Choon, who was known as the Tin King of Malaya. Her grave’s size, shape and unique design are testament of the family’s position in society.

Meanwhile, Penang State Heritage commissioner Rosli Nor also confirmed that the landowner had written in with a proposal to build high-rise apartments and had inquired if Foo’s grave could be exhumed.

He added that the site may possess historical significance but it is not gazetted as a heritage monument at the moment. 

The decision lies with the state heritage council chaired by the Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow. – The Vibes, March 4, 2022

Additional reporting by Ian McIntyre