Compiled by TEH ATHIRA YUSOF, C.ARUNO AND R. ARAVINTHAN
MANY family members, whose urns were stolen from a columbarium in Kulai, Johor, refused the management’s offer to compensate them with additional niches, China Press reported.
According to a 38-year-old who declined to be named, Perpetual Memorial Park offered to compensate family members with two niches, each of which had space for two urns.
The man called the park’s proposal “illogical”, saying replacement niches could not bring back his father’s ashes which had been interred there since 2022 before being stolen.
“Even if the urn is found, there’s no way to be certain that the ashes inside actually belong to my father.
“That’s a regret that we will always have to live with,” he added.
Other family members, who were there to meet with Perpetual Memorial Park management on March 29, said they could not accept the offer either.
Many expressed disappointment that they will not be able to properly pay respects to their departed loved ones this year.
“My father hasn’t even had his first Qing Ming (tomb-sweeping festival) and now his ashes are gone. This is an irreparable loss,” one victim said.
Another victim told the press that her family would have to pay respects at home this Qing Ming instead of the columbarium.
“We hope the spirits of our loved ones in heaven can still find comfort,” she said.
The management of Perpetual Management Park said they will not be making comments on the matter to the media.
It was earlier reported that 22 urns belonging to 20 family members had been stolen from the park earlier in March.
Police have arrested four suspects to investigate the matter.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
