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Thursday, August 5, 2010
Khaw Sim Bee
In the 19th century, King Rama V Chulalongkorn appointed a Penang Chinese, Khaw Sim Bee Na Ranong as the Governor of Phuket.
Khaw Sim Bee ( b 1860 d 1913), the youngest son, Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi(พระยารัษฎานุประดิษฐ์มหิศรภักดี)became governor of Trangfrom 1890-1900, and in 1900 commissioner of Monthon Phuket(มณฑลภูเก็ต,). He was a bureaucratic tycoon and an appointed Thai Governor of Kraburi, Trang and later the Monthon of Phuket. In Penang, Sim Bee founded the Koe Guan Company Ltd, then one of the biggest shipping companies in British Malaya. He also pioneered the insurance business in Malaya with his Khean Guan Insurance Company. Sim Bee also had business interests in Tongkah Harbour Tin Dredging Co Ltd and Eastern Shipping Co Ltd. While he was so influential in south Thailand, he married a Chinese woman from Penang Lim Seng Kim as principal wife, with whom he had five sons. However, he was also polygamous and a notorious womanizer. This proved to be his undoing, as he was killed by a doctor in Trang whose wife he had his eyes on. The shooting took place on 25 February, 1913. Also wounded was his nephew,the Governor of Trang. Khaw Sim Bee and his nephew were rushed to the Penang hospital, but succumbed to their injuries on 10 April and 2 May respectively. New Strait Times on 6-6-1913, however reported that he was assassinated by a Siamese dresser, Ma Chan, in Trang on 25-3-1913. The accused was sentenced to death by judgment in Penang (source: NST dated 6-6-1913 Pg 8untitled, http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/TOC.aspx?issueid=straitstimes19130606). Sim Bee's illustrious political and business career was cut short when he was assassinated in 1913. The incident was known as the Trang Outrage, the tragedy marked the slow decline of the Khaw business empire. His tomb was located at Ranong. Khaw Sim Bee's only son in Penang is Khaw Joo Chye(许如財), who was the one inherited Chakrabongse House.However after Khaw Sim Bee's death in 1913, a commissioner from outside the area was appointed to stop the traditionally inherited administrative power of the family. The family essentially divided into the Malaysian and Thai portions of the family. In 1932 all Chinese immigrants and their descendants had to adopt a Thai name after the military coup. The family of Khaw Soo Cheang on the Thai side of the border had been given the name meaning "from Ranong" by the Thai King and became the Na Ranong family. In Malaysia and elsewhere they are still known as the Khaw family.
His contribution to Thailand was the introduction of rubber trees to Thailand, which at his time was only grown in Malaysia. He also initiated the connection of Trang with Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phatthalung by road as well as the railroad connection to Nakhon Si Thammarat, one of the first railroads of Thailand. A statue of him can be seen at Khao Rang hill in Phuket.
Jalan Khaw Sim Bee or Khaw Sim Bee Road, between Perak Road and Westlands Road was named after him.
2010 : "Khaw Sim Bee"'s Mansion was demolished???
Penang state again lost another heritage building. It was the family residence of Khaw Sim Bee. According to the Sin Chew Daily, the Mansion was demolished on 26-7-2010 afternoon. The mansion was located at Pykett Road. Today the history repeated 1993 Metropole Hotel(formerly Asdang House) incident.....It was filed in Bursa Malaysia on 2-12-2009, reported the announcement that the mansion and the land was sold on 2-12-2009 by Khaw Bian Cheng Sdn Bhd(formerly Bian Hum Sdn Bhd) to wholly owned subsidiary of Mah Sing Group Berhad, Klassik Tropika Development Sdn Bhd for the proposed acquisition of all that piece of prime freehold land in Pykett Avenue, Georgetown, Penang measuring in total approximately 13,694.94 square metres (147,416 square feet or 3.38 acres) held under GRN (First Grade) 33671, Lot No. 951, Seksyen 13, Bandar Georgetown, Daerah Timor Laut, Pulau Pinang bearing address No. 20, Pykett Avenue, 10400 Penang for a total cash consideration of MYR38,651,118 or approximately MYR262.19 per square foot.(source: Bursa Malaysia and Reuters, Wednesday, 2 Dec 2009). The purchase was completed on 20-7-2010 as reported in the Sin Chew Daily newspaper. From the internet, the property sector was fully aware of the acquisition. But the bungalow was described as "is a dilapidated unoccupied small bungalow on the site", no further description on the building and ownership, is the building a heritage building owned by a historical figure, related to Khaw Sim Bee?.
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The article looked familiar to me, please quoted the source.