Car park plans puts May 13 burial ground at risk

Soon after the May 13, 1969 racial riots, the government had picked two places for the victims to be buried – one in Gombak and the other in Sungai Buloh.

However, the burial ground in Sungai Buloh risks being affected by plans to create a carpark.

The burial ground, which is located opposite the UiTM Sungai Buloh campus, sits on a hill behind Masjid Jamek Ibnu Sina.

About 100 people have been laid to rest among the bushes. Some of the tombstones, apart from names and dates, also have the words “courtesy of the Malaysian government” inscribed on them.

The bushes have since been cleared for the parking lot project, and this has sparked off concerns over the fate of the adjacent burial ground.

In view of this, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) chief executive officer Tang Ah Chai urged the authorities to gazette the land and erect a fence to protect the site.

On Monday, Tan and officials from the Gombak land department visited the site to check its ownership.

“Back then, the government buried May 13 victims here. A fence was erected.

"But as time passed, the fence gave way, and now some of the tombs were displaced,” Tan told Malaysiakini.

"Our plan is simple, two steps for now. In conjunction with the Qing Ming festival (when tombs are cleaned), we cut the grass, clean the area and put up a new fence,” he added.

As for the car park, Tan said he was informed that the mosque is planning to create one.

If this is the case, he stressed that the car park should not encroach into the area where the tombs are located.-Mkini