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Press Cutting - From Pirate To God
The press cutting in this entry published in the StarMag on the 15th February 2009 writes about the real life stories of tow Pirate Kings who hailed from Perak; Tan Lian Lay and Tan Huan Siea. Though their stories are not found in "official versions of history", Lee Eng Kew, Taiping's amateur archeologist and field historian highlights these half forgotten parts of the state's "alternative" heritage in this particular article and with the help of indie filmmaker Khoo Eng Yow, stories of the Pirate Kings and also Eng Kew's story have been made into documentaries.
Tan Lian Lay
His story began after World War II when the Japanese surrendered, they left many weapons to him and the Ang clan (secret society of coastal Perak) which was probably intended to cause problems for the returning British. According to various ordinary folk interviewed, Lian Lay was a brutal man.
When somebody reported him after the war to the British for collaborating with the Japanese, Lian Lay slaughtered not only the squealer but also all 11 of his family members, down to the grandchildren - a chilling example of si kar liao (Hokkien) or ham kar chan (Cantonese), both meaning "whole family dead".
When Lian Lay's own henchmen made mistakes, they were asked to have a hearty meal and to smoke extra opium - before being executed.
Sometime in 1946, he was forced to flee to Bagan Siapi Api (Bagan Api) in Sumatra after killing a local Ang clan cheftain. Lian Lay embarked on both piracy and extortion both on land and at sea. By 1948, he ran into trouble with the local police controlled by the Kuomintang. At a big negotiation over turf rights, Lian Lay shot some policemen. When cornered, he tried to surrender but was gunned down by the authorities.
From such and ugly end, how did he end up becoming a deity? According to Lee, after Lian Lay died, his spirit spoke, through a medium. "He wanted to repent for his sins and help people - by giving them lottery numbers!"
Tan Huan Siea (The People's Bandit)
Despite being on Perak's "Most Wanted" list of criminals, Huan Siea ruled the coast of Perak from 1959 till 1981. He was not a conventional pirate who attacked ships. Instead he sort of "privatised" the Perak coastline and established his own exclusive zone of huge shellfish farms, each generating some RM25,000 per month.
With this kind of money, he had potent machine guns and could even outrun enforcement officials with his small and light but high-powered boat. Once, when he was cornered, he simply threw his hoard of cash in the air and fled while the authorities were "distracted".
The secret behind his two decade survival was simply "because people supported him". He did not prey on ordinary folk but instead paid his workers up to RM1500 per month, a huge sum in the 70s. He also donated money regularly for temple festivals, and when he bought things, he always told the locals to keep the change. In that sense, he was something of a Robin Hood rather than an outright baddie.
The press cutting also includes a short half-page write up on Lee Eng Kew.