Sunday 5 August 2012

Chin Ah Yam 陈亚炎

Kapitan Chin Ah Yam

Chin Seng Yam or commonly known as Chin Ah Yam (of Ho Hup Seah) was a famous Chinese Kapitan of Perak. He was a powerful leader of a notorious triad of Ghee Hin during the early 1850s. His main opponent was Kapitan Chung Keng Quee of Hai San triad. Chin Ah Yam of Dapu Hakka origin, was given a seat in the first Perak State Council and earned the title Kapitan following with his appointment.

Chin Ah Yam was originally a Hakka chief in Larut District of Perak, where he represented the Ghee Hin tribe based in Penang. Chin Ah Yam of Ghee Hin and Chung Keng Quee of Hai San were long-time enemies, they fought for power and control of tin mining rights in Perak. However, their little quarrels had never thought that it could lead to a great turbulence to the State's economy by waging a series of twelve years wars.

In the late 1880s, the importance of Ghee Hin in Larut had ceased, with the control of tin mines was transited to the Hai San. Following with the British Colonial intervention in Perak for peace keeping, in January 1874, the infamous Pangkor Treaty was signed among the two leaders of the triads and the Malay rulers and chiefs and marked the end of the Chinese wars. Where Chin Ah Yam, signed a separate Chinese Engagement at Pangkor, undertaking to cease the wars between the two triads, resulted Chin and his triads were immunized from the obligation to pay the claim for causing chaos in the State, thus gaining more popularity from his triad members.

Chin Ah Yam was known to have founded the Kwantung Association and the Ku Kong Chow Association (古冈州公会) in Taiping. Before Chin Ah Yam died in 1899, it was said that he had visited England. Chin Ah Yam died in his house at Eastern Road, Taiping and was buried at the Kwantung Cemetery, Tupai (in Taiping). The Chin family later spelled their surname as Chan. Chin Ah Yam's children were Chin Guang De, Chin Guang Yuan, Chin Yu Lin, Chin Yuet Ming, Chin Yuet Qing and Chin Ng Zi.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the interesting piece on Chin Ah Yam. He was my maternal grandmother's grandfather. Her surname was Chan, but I have yet to establish which of the children was her father. Recently I was in Taiping and saw Kapitan Chung Keng Quee's former residence. It is being restored at the moment and looks quite remarkable. I hope to find out a little more about Chin Ah Yam, and maybe even discover his old residence on Eastern Road.

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    Replies
    1. Hi suet fun, I have some information about Chin Ah Yam, kindly let me know if you are interest. Thank you.

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  2. hi there,i need more info about chin ah yam and shun tak association if u have ?

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  3. You can contact Mr Goh at 019 508 8808
    Address: Persatuan Ku Kong Chow Perak Utara
    No 42, Jalan Maharaja Lela, 34000 Taiping Perak. Tel 605- 8073862

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