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Malaysians outraged as old mansion torn down

Malaysian activists yesterday mourned the demolition of an old house with architecture blending three cultures, saying authorities are letting the country's heritage fall victim to commerce.

The legendary Bok House, built in 1929 with a mix of Chinese, Malay and Western architectural forms, was one of the last stately mansions on a downtown Kuala Lumpur street now lined by steel-and-glass skyscrapers, hotels and a disco.

Dominating the street are the 86-story Petronas Twin Towers, once the world's tallest buildings and now a symbol of Malaysia's modernity.

The Bok House's demolition began on Friday. By Sunday, the two-story, red-tile-roof house -- fronted by a grand portico on two pairs of neo-classical capitals -- was reduced to a rubble with City Hall's approval.

"It is so shocking. It is so appalling. No competent authority would have agreed to it," said Elizabeth Cardosa of the voluntary group Heritage Board of Malaysia.

"It isn't a political issue. It is about our legacy," she said.

The Star and the New Straits Times newspapers published letters from residents outraged by the destruction of the house by its owners, the family of entrepreneur Chua Cheng Bok, who died in 1940.

"Why are we sacrificing our treasured assets when our neighbor is busy salvaging them?" wrote Wong Weng Yew in the Star, referring to Singapore's drive to save old buildings.

The owners are not breaking any law by taking it down.

Rais Yatim, the Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister, was quoted as saying: "The government cannot take over all buildings considered by many as having heritage value."

However, Cardosa said the ministry does have the power under the National Heritage Act.

Activists say a profitable high-rise will likely be built on the site.

When Japan occupied Malaysia in World War II, Bok House was occupied by the Yokohama Specie Bank. It became a boarding house in the late 1940s and in 1958 it was turned into Le Coq d'Or, then considered the city's finest restaurant.

The eatery shut down in 2001, and the building languished behind an overgrown yard.
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