Re: Yap Ah Lai

["Dixie" <Dixie@singnet.com.sg>]

> Yap Ah Lai

> The founder of Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital of Malaysia,
> was a Hakka called Yap Ah Lai or Yap Ah Loi the Chinese Kapitan.
> I am sure all the Hakka friends in Malaysia and Singapore are 
> familiar with this name. I wish someone could write about him. 

He is probably also know as Yap Ah Loy, which is the name that I have seen.

Most young Singaporeans, those age 40 and below, have not heard of him.
However, with the present screening of the hit tv series, Guest People,
more Singaporeans knew about him now. He is one of the Great Hakkas
featured in one of the introductories to the series. The others being Sun
Yatsen, Deng Xiaoping and Lee Tenghui. Singapore's founding prime minister,
Lee Kuan Yew, was not mentioned however, although every Singaporean know
that he is Hakka. The tv station was probably afraid that the series might
get criticized for being too pro-government.

I also learnt that many of the other Chinese Kapitans in KL were also of
surname Yap. They are probably related to Yap Ah Loy. There were also many
Kapitans in Malaysia who are Hakkas. However, I do not know whether Hakkas
dominate the no of Kapitans in Malaysia.

- Dixie