YONG Siok Kang was only 11 years old when his father died in the May 13, 1969, racial riots in Kuala Lumpur.

Yong Tiong Seng was working at a construction site in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, when the unrest broke out.

Unknown assailants attacked Tiong Seng’s construction site on the night of May 13 and killed him.

Siok Kang, now 61, recalled how his mother and seven other siblings were shocked to learn that his father was murdered during the riot.

“He was away in Kampung Baru and we were staying in Klang at that time. He was always working, and when the riot occurred he wanted to make sure that the equipment at the site was safe.

“Unfortunately, he was killed after the mobs attacked his construction site. He was probably the only Chinese in Kampung Baru when it happened.

“My mother was pregnant when he died, and my father never had the chance to see his youngest child,” Siok Kang told The Malaysian Insight at the mass grave of the May 13 victims in Sungai Buloh this morning.

Siok Kang said he found out about his father’s death from an Indian colleague of his father.

The man hid in a water tank as soon as he saw Tiong Seng being attacked.

“The Indian man survived the incident and told us that my father was hacked to death by a group of men.

“He was there during incident and was scared for his life. He hid in an empty water tank for two days.

“He was rescued when soldiers took control of the area,” Siok Kang said.

Tiong Seng’s body was among 114 victims buried at a cemetery in Sungai Buloh behind the Ibnu Sina mosque.

The cemetery is the size of two badminton courts, with tombstones marking the graves of an Indian, two Malays and 111 Chinese (including an unidentified one), all buried courtesy of the Malaysian government.

The gravesite is on a slope in the jungle beyond the furthest reach of what was then the Sungai Buloh leprosarium.

Siok Kang said he held no grudges towards the Malay community following the death of his father.

He blamed May 13 riot on irresponsible politicians who used racial sentiments to stoke hatred among Malaysians.

“I have no problems with the Malays, as I grew up. I have Malay friends and they are all good people.

“This incident happened because of politics.

“Irresponsible politicians used racial and religious sentiments to cause people to hate each other.

“The riot is nothing but politically motivated. The victims are innocent people,” he said.

Another May 13 survivor, Goh Eng Thong, 65, lost eight family members in the riots.

He remembers the day when he was rescued by police officers.

Goh’s father owned a bicycle shop and lived in Kampung Pandan prior the riot. His father’s bicycle shop was burnedeto the ground.

“I lost my father, sister, brother and close relatives on May 13. They are all buried here in Sungai Buloh.

“On the night of the incident, we heard that there will be riot. So, my father closed his shop early. By 7pm the road was already in chaos. Fire everywhere and dad’s shop was also on fire.

“When people start attacking each other, my family got separated. It was chaotic as people were running to save themselves. I hid under a small drain until police officers came to secure the area.

“Only then I found out that my family members were gone. My father, sister and brother all died. As well as my relatives,” said Goh.

“It is hard for me to forget that day. I have been haunted by the incident for half a century. It is not easy to put behind.”

The rioting on May 13, 1969, broke out after the 1969 general election, when opposition parties made gains at the expense of the ruling coalition, the Alliance Party.

The number of deaths is officially 196, however, Western diplomatic sources suggested the number was closer to 600.

Majority of the victims were Chinese. – May 11, 2019.