A classmate from 1984-85

In the past two years, I have been Googling for my old classmates from the American University, 1984-85. I have managed to all of them--from Bangladesh, Colombia, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe-- but one person who eluded me was Mala Somasunderam from Malaysia. I had last seen her 15 years ago, when she visited me in Hong Kong and I paid a return visit to her in Kuala Lampur. When all my Googling efforts failed, I tried the old fashioned method of mailing her a letter. It worked.

While in school, Mala told everyone that she would one day marry a millionaire and drive around in a chauffeured BMW. And that's what she did. I was met at the KL airport in the largest BMW I've set my eyes on, housed at the Hilton (in an executive suite), and chauffeured around. Certainly not the style of travel I am used to. Mala proved to be a generous host.

Mala

Mala took me to Malacca, a seaside town which, in terms of colonial history, bears a remarkable resemblance to Sri lanka. Both places were ruled by the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British in that order. The local architecture was a legacy of these European styles. The Chinese population appeared to be dominant, as in Penang, and I also saw the shop houses that I had seen in Penang.

We also visited Genting, only 50km from Kuala Lampur and, at 1800 meters, a welcome escape from the steamy capital city. I battled with a slot machine at the casino, happy to lose Ringgit 50 while expecting to hit the jackpot any minute.

Since my last visit 15 years ago, I saw remarkable changes in Malaysia. The new airport is a treat, unlike the Hong Kong airport where passengers are required to descend to a train and ascend again when going to a distant boarding gate. The highways and other infrastructure facilities appear to be well maintained. There is a nice blend of ethnic groups, although descendants of Indian and Sri Lankan immigrants appear to feel that they are third class citizens (after the dominant Malays and the Chinese). Corruption, especially among politicians, appears to be rife, but Malaysia is so rich in resources that corruption does not appear to affect the country's development. In fact, Malaysia would be a good act for Sri Lanka to follow as the latter aims to quadruple tourist arrivals.

A visitor and other happennings

Readers of the Letters to the Editor column of the Post are familiar with complains about feral cows in Sai Kung and how they are a danger to motorists. Each time a complaint appears, a couple of responses are sure to follow, reminding the complainer that the cows were here first and asking them to leave Sai Kung if they don't like the lifestyle. Recently, an old bull was seen in the area. The bull, like one or two others seen around, have been driven away from the herd by younger bulls who now have all the cows to themselves. Although they look forbidding, these bulls are harmless, probably half-blind and slowed down by other infirmities.

Some time ago, I wrote about "Cooker" Wong, the villager who took are of all metal, plastic, and cardboard discards in the village. He was the local scavenger. Cooker lived in an old house, a remnant from the 1940s or 50s, the only such house in the village. Then, he died on a nearby hillside on a cold night.

Although he rarely had visitors while alive, Cooker's daughter suddenly appeared within a month of his death, hired a backhoe, and leveled his house. I have no doubt that a sparkling new "small" house will be built here, with luxuries that Cooker never enjoyed.

In typical New Territories style, the debris from the old house was dumped nearby.

Desecrating our country parks

When I taught at the Chinese University, I drove through Ma On Shan on the way to work and back. The hills are among the most verdant and majestic in Hong Kong. Over a ten year period, I began to notice that graves were appearing on the hillside. Now, these graves have become "memorial gardens" with ornamental pine tress and other embellishments.

While everyone complains about the small house policy in the New Territories (see http://www.landsd.gov.hk/en/legco/house.htm, which have glutted areas like Sai Kung with thousands of three-storied houses, some with touching distance of each other, another insidious encroachment of our country parks goes on, unabated. They are the graves of indigenous villagers, the same ones who are eligible for the small houses. These graves are everywhere in our country parks, some occupying the most scenic spots overlooking bodies of water. The villagers are first buried in these graves and, after seven years, their bones are interred in more elaborate graves built of concrete.

Of course, these graves are the sites that are visited during Ching Ming Festival, which also lead to numerous hill/forest fires.

What's wrong with cremation?

Recent graves near Shan Liu village. Note the burned paper money.