By Liz Price
[Published in The Expat, and in Senses, and on
http://www.sensesofmalaysia.com/articles_state/state_perak_lizprice1.php]
Papan is one of the smallest and oldest towns in Malaysia and part of its charm is that half of the town lies in ruins. Located off the Lumut Highway, 16km from Ipoh, it is almost a ghost town, yet many of the buildings are still occupied. It is incongruous to see a row of three buildings, one a total ruin, the next one sporting a new coat of paint and the third in its original state. Glance across the road and you’ll see a row of derelict buildings with trees almost covering the masonry, and birds swooping in and out enjoying the wilderness.
No 74 Main Street, Papan, must be one of the most famous addresses in Perak. It was from this building that during the Japanese Occupation, Sybil Kathigasu ran a clinic with doctor husband, Dr. A.C. Kathigasu, who is of Ceylonese descent, but born in Taiping. They gave medical aid to the Perak People Anti-Japanese Army and Force 136 operatives, who were hiding in the hills of Papan. The PPAJA later merged to become the Malayan People Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) after Sybil was arrested and tortured by the Japanese. She eventually died from the wounds she suffered as a prisoner of war.
Sybil, a Eurasian, was the only Malayan woman ever awarded the George Medal for bravery. The book “No dram of mercy” by Sybil Kathigasu is Sybil’s moving story told in her own words and is well worth reading too.
No 74 still stands and is a memorial known as “Sybil’s Clinic Papan”. It is maintained by Law Siak Hong, who has devoted much of his time in preserving and setting up the old clinic as a historical attraction. He has also organised several historical events in Papan and is president of the Perak Heritage Society (PHS).
If you have time, have a look around No 74 and to learn a bit about the history of Papan through the photos and exhibits on display. The memorial museum is open most weekends and public holidays – if you wish to be sure, call call Law Siak Hong at 017.506 1875 or 05.254 2742.
Papan has always been associated with tin, although the name Papan means plank in Malay and probably refers to earlier days when in the mid 19th Century Papan came into being as a timber town. At that time about 200 Malays and 200 Chinese worked there in a lumber settlement. Then immigrant Mandailings from West Sumatra came to Papan after the Klang War, and settled in late 1870s and early 1880s, after their leader, Raja Asal was awarded the mining rights to the land and later the penghulu-ship. By the 1880s Papan was an important area for tin mining, when there were thirteen mines in operation. A dam was built by the Mandailings, possibly with the help of the Chinese, to supply hydraulic power to the mines. More Chinese arrived in Papan to work in the mines and the town grew. Due to the abundant alluvial tin, Papan grew rich. Streets were laid out by the 1890s and by the turn of the 20th Century the main street had more than 100 shop-houses and public buildings. Morning markets were held at the lower end of town. There was a school, post office and government dispensary. Entertainment was confined to the upper end of town, where there was a Cantonese opera theatre, brothels and opium dens.
The Papan mosque was completed in 1888, built in the character of the mosques in Mandailing. It has a large timber hall raised on piles and a double tier roof. The mosque still stands today, next to the Rumah Besar which was built by 1896. The original Kwan
Yin temple was built in 1874. Many of the mansions and other buildings are still in existence today. The town grew in population during the Japanese Occupation. Thousands of war refugees fled to Papan after Ipoh was bombed by the Japanese in December 1941. Papan acquired the reputation of being “a bad place” during the Occupation, from where the MPAJA and Force 136 operated. It was during this period that Sybil Kathigasu and her husband were running the clinic. Examples of medical tools and medicines bottles are on display in the clinic. Looking around the exhibits is a moving experience when you think of the atrocities that took place. Having learnt about the history, it is fascinating to go for a walk around the town and venture into some of the ruins. Trees are taking over and invading houses as the branches claw their way up the old stone walls, looking like tentacles of a giant wooden octopus covering the buildings. Some of the abandoned houses still have old furniture in place.
And of course there are local ghost stories. You can almost imagine the ghosts lurking in the shadows At least one house, No 2, is reputed to be haunted. Papan is a fascinating place, and hopefully will remain standing for decades to come.
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