THE government should gazette the May 13, 1969 cemetery in Sg Buloh as a national cultural heritage site so that others can learn from the country’s past mistakes.

Tang Ah Chai, the spokesperson for the 513 committee, also called the government to release the findings of the incident which are still under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

“Make this site a heritage site so the younger generation can learn about history and remember it.

“It is still a mystery as to how many victims were involved. The government said hundreds but many believe it is much higher than that.

“After 50 years, we want to debunk the myth. Not just to reveal the truth but also to bury the fear that has been lingering among us.

“To debunk the myth, we need a thorough study, and to study the case we need the facts which are still under the OSA.

“We don’t have much progress and we hope the government can release related information to us for it to be studied,” he said at the commemoration day of May 13 racial riot this morning in Sg Buloh. 

The gravesite is the size of two badminton courts, with 114 tombstones – one Indian, two Malays and 111 Chinese (including an unidentified one), all buried courtesy of the Malaysian government.

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

Meanwhile, Selangor state assemblyman Teng Chang Kim, who was also present at the commemoration event, said the government owed the victims an explanation.

“Until today we do not know how many were killed. We only know that they are buried here. The government must explain to the family members what happened,” he said.

He added that the new government must bring meaningful progress for the future of the country.

“Although we can forgive those people who did this, we can’t manipulate the history.

“We have a new government but it’s not enough. We must reveal the history – this will bring a meaningful progress for us as a nation,” he said.

The riot was the result of the aftermath of the 1969 general election when opposition parties made gains at the expense of the ruling coalition, the Alliance Party.

Official reports put the number of deaths at 196. However, Western diplomatic sources had suggested that the number was close to 600. Majority of the victims were Chinese. – May 11, 2019.