N. Sumatran heritage in a shambles

N. Sumatran heritage in a shambles

TANJUNG TIRAM, North Sumatra: The historical palace of Lima
Laras in North Sumatra, which was constructed in 1907, looks like
a haunted house because it has not been maintained, Antara
reported on Monday.

The walls of its two-storeyed royal theater had decayed, its
roof leaked and its stairs had fallen down.

The Lima Laras kingdom was known for its close ties with
Selangor Kingdom in Malaysia, and a number of Malaysian kings had
visited the kingdom in its heyday.

Most antiques in the palace have been looted, while the
10,000-square-meter compound has become overgrown with weeds and
wild bushes, while the only road leading to the palace is in a
state of disarray.

Datuk Muhamad Din, 78, who claims to be the palace caretaker,
regretted the government's neglect of the historical palace,
saying he could do nothing but watch as the palace's ruins
crumbled over time.

He said the last king, Datuk Muda, and his four wives were
thrown out of the palace after the kingdom was toppled by the
Dutch in the 1920s. -- Antara