Khaw Boo Aun's residence at Bukit Tambun(許武安故居)

Anyone know Khaw Boo Aun? Is anyone in the state, or Bukit Tambun know him?

Khaw Boo Aun, the historical figure in the Larut War. He constructed his residential house at Bukit Tambun in 1866. It was reported in Sin Chew Daily on 24-1-2010, all the historical relic in the building has been stolen, even the name plate was stolen....

The heritage building was at Bukit Tambun, not Penang Island; not at UNESCO's heritage zone; her fate is not similar to other heritage buildings in the island. It was reported by the daily that the descendants have no financial capability to maintain the heritage house of their ancestor.

Another heritage building at Seberang Prai, Kee Poh Huat Kongsi at Sungei Bakap was well maintained. Their family members including Madam Kee, a former state exco in charge of tourism and her husband, an active heritage activist. The family members understand the value of their ancestor's house, and kept the house in proper care.

I do not know the other family members of the Khaw or Koh families; the one who stay in Bukit Tambun even moved out from their family home, when the building was in bad condition. How about the family members who are in Penang, in Malaysia and even oversea? Why don't they group their resources to take care of the family house.

It is a sad story. The family member even reported that one of foreigner antique collector offered to buy their 140 years old family business wooden name plate for RM40,000. And the wooden name plate was lost recently....

I was also wonder why the heritage people was not aware of the abandon of the heritage building at Bukit Tambun. No one bought to the attention of state and federal government to preserve it? Why the NGOs initiated some donation or sponsorship campaign to help in the maintain?.

How about the state government, did the government know the fate of the heritage building? or is it because it is in Bukit Tambun, it was not as important as the one in UNESCO heritage zone?

Did the state assemblyman and Member of Parliament there, know the existence of the heritage building ,and their poor condition? I will also like to ask the question to the previous representative in state assembly and Parliament the same question, as it has been in neglected state for some time.....are they aware of the heritage in their constituency?. Otherwise the Chief Minister LGE should forced them to attend awareness course on the conservation of heritage buildings. Being people representatives in the state where there is UNESCO heritage site, they should have the knowledge and urgency to preserve heritage buildings in their area.

The state management of dragon boat activities has been poor, resulted in accident during the competition; the people who were appointed to the organizing committee was reported to be person not familiar with the dragon boat competition; and even worst the experienced people were replaced due to their political background. We should stop politicking after state election. It should be the person who can do well be appointed , not political background. The poor management has partly resulted in the Dragon Boat tragedy of Chung Ling High School students....

Similarly, the Bukit Tambun heritage building, is the state management of heritage questionable? the one responsible for state's heritage should answer for the lost of our historical relics.....

Why the historical building is not listed as heritage, to be eligible for aids and protection, many questions to be answer, or "tidak apa attitude",like the issue of city status, just hide in the carpet and pretend not to see.....let others solve the problem? did the federal government know the heritage building?

Where is the CAT?.....China's former President Deng Xiaoping(邓小平); has once said no matter what color of the cat, black or white; as long as it can catch mouse,it is good cat. Mr Chief Minister, it is high time to get a good cat, and bad cat should be removed.... Too many bad cats around will spoil the state of Penang, we are not Cat Town( but George Town)....

It may be too late, the historical relics may have lost and moved oversea....but the building still intact, we still have time to save the building.

Khaw Boo Aun (1837-1906)

Khaw Boo Aun, was the most prominent member of the Khaw clan. Khaw Boo Aun was involved in the 3rd Larut War (1871-1873) and was later made a member of the Perak State Council.

He was the Sin Seh of the Ghee Hin Sum Hup society and played an instrumental part in the 3rd Larut War (1871- 1873) as the financier to Raja Abdullah. (Sin Seh in those days means Second man or secretary).

Khaw Boo Aun was made a member of the Perak State Council in 1886. He served many years as a member of the Chinese Advisory Board since its inception in 1890. Khaw Boo Aun was the principal of Kwantung and Tingchow Public Cemetery committee and co-founder of Penang Chinese Town Hall and Seh Khaw Kongsi.

Khaw Boo Aun was also appointed as the sole Asian commissioner in the commission of enquiry into the state of Labor in the Straits Settlements and protected Natives States in 1890. He served as a Justice of Peace one year before his death in 1906.

The open policy of tin mining in Larut, attract and prompted the Teochews/Cantonese,and Hokkiens to clash over tin mining rights in Perak, leading eventually to the bloody Larut Wars involving the two main secret societies, the Ghee Hin and Hai San. The Larut war was a 14-year-long conflict.

Prior to the signing of the Pangkor Treaty on 3rd January 1873, Khaw Boo Aun alias Booy Aun accompanied Chin Ah Yam, met W A Pickering for an unofficial preliminary negotiations of the Penang Triad Society. Their co-operation with Pickering paved the way to the signing ofPangkor engagement 20th January 1874.

But when Boo Aun imposed a blockade for about six months in the water route stretching from Perak to Penang, preventing tin ore from being shipped out of Klian Pauh controlled by the Hai San, theBritish forced the two warring secret societies to sign the Treaty of Pangkor in 1874 which ended the bloody conflict.

Khor Boo Aun died in 1906 Jan 8th, the coffin was in state in his Bukit Tambun house for 3 years before it was transferred back to China for burial.

His life story should be suffice to tell us that he was a historical figure of old Penang, and his residence should be preserve for the future. Please act fast......it has the potential to become Khoo Kongsi, Cheing Fatt Tze, Penang Teochew Association, of Seberang Perai......

最後一塊門匾也不放過‧許武安故居文物無一倖俛

星洲日報／大北馬‧2010.01.24

（檳城‧威南）武吉淡汶開埠的歷史風雲人物――甲必丹許武安故居的門匾“新豐和”早前被人盜竊。隨著門匾遺失後，許武安故居有價值的歷史文物，已全部被淘空。

許武安在1866年在武吉淡汶大街建一座故居大宅和馬車跑道，成為武吉淡汶開埠功臣。當年其顯赫的事業王國，包括妻妾5名，財丁旺盛，是檳州華社領導人之一，非常風光。

金字門匾具考古價值

隨著許武安的百年故居在30年前荒廢後，大宅內的古物一件件被宵小偷走，如今連最後一塊具有考古價值的門匾，也不翼而飛。


許進貴：屬家族商號
“新豐和”對其他人無意義

許武安的曾孫許進貴說，這塊門匾刻上“新豐和”三個金漆大字，是其家族的商號，當時許武安建好大宅時，這塊門匾就掛到現在。

他不能理解，為何有人要偷竊其祖先的文物，因為這招牌對別人來說是沒有意義的。

“門匾上有刻有我們許家家族的印章，即使有一天，別人拿來掛在自己的門前，也失去它的意義。”

曾有考古學家高價收購他說，14年前有一名澳洲考古學家出價4萬令吉要買這塊匾，當時他堅持不賣。

許進貴坦言，他沒有想到祖屋門匾，會引起別人的歹意，畢竟要把它摘下來，不只要動用樓梯，還要費大功夫，才不會破壞匾。

住在其祖屋對面的許進貴說：“我在12月23日凌晨3時左右，聽到外面有吵聲，當時睡意正濃，沒有去理會，隔天早上出門時發現門匾失蹤。

“不應偷走我們祖先文物”

“我知道這匾很有歷史價值，匾上的字體和金漆經過140年也沒有剝落，但這畢竟是我們祖先的文物，不應該把它偷走。”

由於許武安後代沒有能力維修祖屋，許進貴在30年前從祖屋搬出來。過後的日子，屋內的壁畫、擺飾品、家具、石磨、木門及連許武安6呎長的畫像都一一被偷走。

無人住守‧空無一物‧百年大宅剩空殼變危樓

甲必丹許武安的故居，因無人住守，所有可變賣或拆除的物品都被取走，大宅最終剩下一個空殼，成為危樓。

這座已有140多年歷史的古宅，在歲月洗禮下，庭院被榕樹根緊緊攀附，僅留下四面禿牆及殘垣敗瓦，屋頂也早已坍塌。近年來，除了許武安的後裔定時到大宅內拜祭祖先，目前幾乎已經人煙絕跡。

許武安第4代曾孫許進貴依然住在武吉淡汶，對於祖屋的古物一再失竊，他感到無可奈何。

60歲的許進貴說，由於祖屋維修費太高，他在26歲時，和母親及兄弟搬遷出來，自己在祖屋對面建了一間屋子居住。

許進貴雖然沒有繼承祖先遺留下來的產業，但收藏了一些祖屋使用過的碗盤，全部超過百年，歷史價值甚高。

許武安父親曾叱吒一時

18世紀的威南，河運貿易形成氣候，造就一位叱吒風雲的傳奇人物，許武安的父親--許栳合。

當年的許栳合是北馬潮幫社會領袖，也是威南縣歷史版圖上的一個靈魂人物。

當年峇都交灣是甘蔗鄉，從中國南來的許栳合，通過高淵吉輦河（當時稱高興港），把吉輦和大山腳的甘蔗通過水路運載到高淵收集站提煉成白糖。

18世紀是許栳合綻放商才的舞台，河運拓展了他的事業，創造他的糖業“豐和號”王國。

許佬合及其長子甲必丹許武安（1835年至1906年）當年先定居在高淵直落依卑吉輦河邊，通過水路收集甘蔗。

許佬合在最風光時期，即1870年帶著次子許武科回中國，留下許武安發揚祖業。許武安繼承了父業，立了“新豐和”的商號。

在許武安權勢的巔峰時期，每逢慶典必請戲班演梨助興，許宅大門若不關上，大戲就不能收鑼。

(Sinchew Daily, 24-1-2010)