Final farewell at site of collapse

BY LOONG MENG YEE

PETALING JAYA: They have been meeting every year for the last 10 years but this meeting will be their last at the site of Highland Towers. 

Survivors of the tragedy, which saw one block collapse 11 years ago, killing 48 people, will hold their last memorial there on Saturday as the remaining two buildings at the site are due to be demolished. 

Survivor Quah Seng Chit is pouring his heart and soul into making the 11th memorial the most meaningful ever.  

It is his way of remembering his firstborn Li-Jun, his six-week-old son who died when Block A collapsed at 1.30pm.  

Quah also intends to honour a promise made to his wife, Lorraine, who died on Nov 30 of liver cancer. 

Lorraine had wanted him to make sure the memorial went ahead despite her death.  

Quah (left) discussing plans for the memorial with Dr George and Chan Keng Fook at Highland Towers in Ampang.

“Even when Lorraine struggled with her illness towards the last days of her life, she was planning for the memorial. There was a time in the hospital that she told the doctors to take out all the drips and let her go home because she needed to prepare for so many things,” said Quah. 

Lorraine, whom Quah described as a “gorgeous wife, caring mother and a truly wonderful person”, had wanted the memorial to be a meaningful event as a closure to 11 years of pain, not only in losing their baby, but also 47 other friends who could not escape in time. 

“At that time, Lorraine and I both wondered why God had not taken us as well,” said Quah, recalling the horror and pain they felt when they returned home to Highland Towers from a post-natal check-up at the hospital only to find their home a rubble. 

Quah said they struggled through the next two years “existing but not living”. 

“I lost my faith in God and humanity for a long time. Bitterness consumed me because I had been quite faithful to a particular religion prior to the incident,” he said.  

“I had consulted the religious elders who told me the property in Highland Towers was a good buy and that Li-Jun was God’s gift to me to be enjoyed for a long time.”  

The Quahs eventually moved to Hong Kong and Shanghai. They were even blessed with another baby, Li-Jin, on Christmas Day in 1995. 

Unfortunately, Quah’s faith was again tested when Lorraine was diagnosed with liver cancer last year. He moved his family back to Malaysia early this year. 

Here, the Quahs embraced Christianity. They were touched by the care and love showed by fellow church members and friends who rallied around Lorraine offering prayers, home-cooked meals and warmth. 

Quah intends to live out Lorraine’s legacy by raising Li-Jin and to do good to mankind whenever possible. He said he was proud of Li-Jin, who was accepting his mother’s death with much maturity. 

“In his prayers, Li-Jin asks God to take care of his mummy and to protect me, saying he will have no one else if God takes his daddy too, after taking his mummy and elder brother,” said Quah. 

For this memorial, Quah hopes all parties whose actions contributed to the loss of lives at Highland Towers to make this closure more significant by coming to the negotiation table. 

“We have lost our dear ones and our homes. Our lives have been wrecked through no fault of ours. At the very least, return some justice to us so that we can move on with our lives,” said Quah. 

Another former resident, Dr Benjamin George, called on all residents to attend the memorial. 

“We have all found the strength to carry on with our lives, but a major chapter of our lives is buried here,” said Dr Benjamin.  

Saturday’s memorial at the Highland Towers site begins at 1pm.