In The Works Heritage Trail Of Historic Tin Towns Across M Sia And Thailand

---

 Heritage expert Rungsima Kullapat says the route would include key stops on Malaysia’s tin mining belt and showcase both tangible and intangible heritage.
Thai heritage expert Rungsima Kullapat said Chinese tin miners brought their beliefs with them, and went everywhere taking Thai Buddhist amulets with them.GEORGE TOWN: A Thai heritage expert is spearheading efforts to establish a heritage trail linking historic tin mining towns from southern Thailand to Negeri Sembilan to promote shared cultural and industrial heritage through creative tourism
The proposed trail would stretch from Ranong in Thailand through the tin mining belt of the peninsula, including Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and even Pahang.
Rungsima Kullapat, a project manager for the development of tin mining heritage in Thailand, said there would be key stops at important locations on the tin mining belt.
“Penang is not a tin mining town, but it played a major role as a port city where tin was smelted and exported,” she said at a talk here yesterday on the heritage of Chinese miners along the Andaman coast of southern Thailand.
Although the Ranong heritage trail is still under development, Rungsima said she is seeking additional support to extend the initiative southwards. It would highlight both tangible and intangible heritage, including mine sites, port facilities, cuisine, and traditional crafts.
During the talk, Rungsima spoke about the historical figures who shaped the region’s tin industry, including Chinese pioneers Khaw Soo Cheang and Khaw Sim Bee, who has a road named after him in George Town.
She pointed out that the Eastern Smelting Company, which began as the Seng Kee Tin Smelting Works at Dato Kramat Road in 1897, was the longest-running tin smelting company in Penang and had a key role in connecting southern Thailand and Malaysia. (The smelting works were closed in 1998 and the land redeveloped.)
Rungsima also noted that Penang puts effort into protecting its heritage and letting people be aware of how important it is to conserve the heritage, not only the buildings but also its intangible heritage, like food and even craftsmanship.
“We must continue raising awareness so that the younger generation becomes more interested in culture and heritage,” she said.
Rungsima also said the people of southern Thailand and Penang had a shared sense of home across the border through familial ties and relationships that went beyond business links. - FMT

---