Charitable board targets RM3 mln Lambir crematorium to complete by mid-2024

MIRI (Dec 27): Miri Chinese Charitable Trust Board is targeting to complete its state-of-the-art crematorium in Lambir by the middle of next year with financial aid from Unifor and funds raised, said Sarawak Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin.

Construction work for the RM3 million project started in October this year and is scheduled to be completed within eight months to cater for the increasing demand for cremation services in Miri.

When completed, it will have two furnaces, with each cremation completed within an hour and ashes collected within two hours instead of the following day under conventional practice.

“This development is much needed in Miri City as demand is high, the waiting period for cremation could be days to a week and bereaved families have to wait in line for the turn when there is a bottleneck,” said Lee.

This is due to the trend that only Buddhists, atheists, and increasingly more Christians are opting for cremation instead of traditional burial in Miri.

The minister said this after visiting the Lambir Crematorium project site today, where he was briefed on the progress and the needs of the project by its chairman Temenggong Yong Vui Seng and other board members.

Unifor has allocated RM450,000 this year for his project, which already received the nod from the Department of Environment on the environmental impact assessment report and the relevant authorities.

Lee will be supporting the board’s request for more funds for the completion of this project at a 10-acre site that included two columbariums and traditional cemetery burial plots, saying this is an urgent need in the city.

“Previously, we sent Bintulu down for cremation, and it took two weeks during the Covid-19 epidemic period,” he said.

The current crematorium in Riam is run by Ghee San Riam Association – which has been in operation for 18 years – and upgraded to include three furnaces, including a computerised control system, in 2020.

Miri Chinese Charitable Trust Board oversees the management of Miri Tua Pek Kong Temple, Riam Chinese Cemetery, Krokop Chinese Cemetery, Lambir Chinese Cemetery, Miri Home For The Age, and other community projects, apart from helping independent schools in Miri.

Temenggong Yong said Lambir Cemetery currently has two separate columbariums, including one for Christian families, and the board is already thinking ahead of expanding the capacity to meet the increased demand when the crematorium is completed next year.

When asked if non-Chinese could use the Lambir crematorium after it was finished, he said that they were welcome as the facility was intended for general use and not confined to the Chinese community.

The board has also previously assisted in the burial of inmates of Home For The Age who passed away without any family members stepping forward to claim their remains.