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