新加坡咖啡山的墳墓: Bukit Brown Cemetery in Singapore
Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery first started in the early 20th century, some of its old graves were re-interned here. As a government cemetery, it is regretable that nowadays they no longer maintain this cemetery, and let the wild grass and undergrowth swamped this place, making the place difficult to navigate for desecendants to come to pay respect to their ancestors during Qing Ming. Sometimes it is difficult to move in certain parts of the cemetery, as a result many graves have been abandoned.
The relevant department should have taken more care of this government cemetery, and maintain it properly. If they forsake this cemetery, it is as if to let people forget about this place. Forgetting this place is like forgetting the history and heritage of this nation. This time, for the proposed exhumation of the graves, although the authorities have engaged specialists to do docmentation, but these are but photographic and written documentation, the original gravestones would probably be destroyed.
Development is a sign of modernization, but not at the expense of historical culture. The graves at Bukit BRown are the best historical artifacts. It is really hope that the authorities would pay more attention to the preservation of Bukit Brown and not destroy it in the sake of development
The relevant department should have taken more care of this government cemetery, and maintain it properly. If they forsake this cemetery, it is as if to let people forget about this place. Forgetting this place is like forgetting the history and heritage of this nation. This time, for the proposed exhumation of the graves, although the authorities have engaged specialists to do docmentation, but these are but photographic and written documentation, the original gravestones would probably be destroyed.
Development is a sign of modernization, but not at the expense of historical culture. The graves at Bukit BRown are the best historical artifacts. It is really hope that the authorities would pay more attention to the preservation of Bukit Brown and not destroy it in the sake of development
- Ah Kew
(Source of information and translation: Raymond Goh posted in Heritage Singapore - Bukit Brown Cemetery, Facebook posting at 11:11pm on Jan 16 2013 )
Original Text in Chinese
新加坡咖啡山的墳墓
文：李永球 星洲日報／文化空間
http://life.sinchew.com.my/node/3388?tid=64 with 2 photos on:
許子根祖父的墳墓多年沒人掃墓祭祀了。
新加坡墳墓田野工作者發現有精美雕刻的古墓之一。
文：李永球 星洲日報／文化空間
趁著到新加坡推介新書及喪禮講座之際，受到當地墳墓田野工作者吳安全、林志強二君，以及洪毅翰君的邀約陪同，走了一趟咖啡山公塚之旅。公塚佔地400多依格，共有約20萬個墳墓。2011年6月，新加坡政府為了開闢一條新的公路，徵用這裡的土地，影響到4千多個墳墓必須搬遷。因為這樣，引起墳墓田野工作者到來展開尋墓活動，尤其吳安全，幾乎每個星期天都來到這裡尋墓，精神可嘉！
咖啡山公塚在20世紀初葉才開發為公塚，分為武吉布朗墳場及王氏太原堂墳場，其中一部份古墓是從他處移葬此處，本來屬於華人民間宗鄉會所管理，數十年前歸政府管轄，可是有關當局完全置之不理，任由樹木野草叢生，將墳墓纏繞得密密麻麻，真的苦了孝子賢孫在清明節掃墓，很多地方連進都進不了，根本寸步難行，因此眾多墳墓已經多年沒人來祭拜。
當局不應該如此對待華人公塚，理應清理美化，也方便孝子賢孫掃墓祭拜。將公塚當做棄兒，似乎要人們忘了它，忘了公塚就是忘了國家歷史文化。這次遷墓，當局雖有僱請專家做墳墓調查及收集資料，可是那只是文字及圖片資料，原有文物將被摧毀不存。發展是時代進步的象徵，可是發展不應該忽略歷史文化，墳墓就是最好的歷史文化實物，冀望當局多多關注及保存咖啡山，儘量不要再為了發展而又打這裡的主意！
新加坡地少人多，大自然的山林極少，除了墳墓田野工作者每週到這裡尋墓，自然協會的朋友也來這裡觀鳥及認識植物。於是每週這裡都有專人帶團導覽觀鳥看樹兼訪墳墓的活動，吳安全及其弟為了方便人們訪墓，做了很多記號及指示說明。華人對公塚是萬分避忌，不過洋人卻不忌諱，住在新加坡的洋人當這裡是個運動散步的公園，有全家推著嬰兒車到來散步的，有來遛狗的，有父子或夫妻齊跑步的，甚至年輕洋妹跑步到山裡去，可見新加坡的治安真的好。
吳安全從2011年6月開始每週到這裡尋墓，找到了許多清朝古墓，一些草樹叢生無法進入的，他從導覽團樂捐來的錢，用在請人砍樹除草，使到古墓重見天日，這些清理費用已經花了數千新幣。他在這裡找到以街道命名的新加坡“路名”先賢之墓有30多個，也找到早期首富章芳林家族、顏永成家族、林文慶家族等望族墓群。有一天，一位老人托他尋找一個墳墓，給他逝者名字及死亡日期等資料，說此人乃馬來西亞首相署部長許子根的祖父許永起。他先翻找檔案簿，再到公塚去找，果然給他找到了，卻無法聯絡到那位老人了。至於林志強，他注重的是國民黨、共和黨及小刀會人物的墳墓，也給他找到很多個相關的墳墓。
我跟著他們走，參觀了暹羅領事兼英國甲必丹陳金鐘墓、丘菽園墓（此墓受到築路影響須遷移），還有來自印尼擁有“雷珍蘭”等勳銜人物墓、祖籍南京的大天球馬戲團創辦人之墓、許永起墓（多年沒人掃墓，雜草嚴重覆蓋）、清朝知事、進士等人物墓，以及許多古墓及雕刻精美奇特的墳墓等，真令我獲益良多。
一些墳墓野草樹木密密麻麻覆蓋，他們逕直走進去，不怕野獸蛇蟲，可見勇氣膽識過人，我倒是有點擔心的。這方面我比較差勁，一般上我是選擇在清明節前後公塚除草後才尋墓。實在欣賞敬佩他們的執著及愛心，這個工商社會需要像他們這樣的傻瓜，來做一些沒人願作卻有意義的傻事！
（星洲日報／文化空間‧文：李永球）
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