Raja Perempuan Che Ning, The Last Queen of Reman
On June 20, 2020, the Orang Perak team traveled to Pengkalan Hulu to visit the tomb of Raja Perempuan Che Ning, the last Queen of the Reman Kingdom, and had the opportunity to visit the Istana Singgah Raja Reman in Kampung Selarung, Hulu Perak. Before the fall of the Reman kingdom, its territory stretched from the upper reaches of the Patani River and Sungai Tanjung Mas down to the Lenggong area in the state of Perak. Raja Perempuan Che Ning was the queen to the last King of Reman, the wife of Tuan Jagong. The couple had three children (two sons and one daughter): the eldest, Tuan Menang (son), followed by Tuan Bayan (daughter), and the youngest, Tuan Lebeh (son).
Raja Perempuan Che Ning's youngest son, Tuan Lebeh Long Raya, was the heir apparent to the Reman throne following the passing of his elder brother, Tuan Menang.
We were very fortunate to meet with the descendants of Tuan Lebeh Long Raya while at the Istana Singgah Tuan Lebeh Long Raya in Kampung Selarung, who shared some information regarding the Kings of Reman.
Istana Singgah Raja Reman
According to oral accounts from the descendants to the Orang Perak team, Tuan Lebeh Long Raya, the youngest son of Raja Perempuan Che Ning, was summoned to a meeting in Bangkok with the King of Thailand to resolve issues regarding the separation and withdrawal of the Reman state from Siamese rule.
Unfortunately, it is said that Tuan Lebeh Long Raya was murdered and thrown into the sea while on his journey to his destination. His departure when he set off was the last time he was seen, and he never returned. Tuan Lebeh Long Raya's body was never found and simply vanished. Such was the fate of the heir to the throne, who has no tomb and remains missing to this day.
Tomb of Raja Perempuan Che Ning
According to records by N.A. Halim, it is stated that Tuan Lebeh Long Raya was arrested by the King of Thailand in 1899 on charges of conspiring with the King of Patani, Tengku Abdul Kadir.
The conspiracy charge related to efforts to separate the states of Patani and Reman from Thai rule. Tuan Lebeh Long Raya is said to have passed away while on the voyage to Bangkok before facing his prison sentence.
The husband of Raja Perempuan Che Ning, the King of Reman Tuan Jagong, passed away a few weeks after his son was taken to Bangkok. Since the bitter tragedy that befell her family, Raja Perempuan Che Ning's health began to decline.
After the signing of the Bangkok Treaty in 1909, its clear impact was the end of the border conflict between Reman and Perak, which simultaneously brought an end to the Reman Sultanate.
Tomb of Raja Perempuan Che Ning
Fifteen years after that bitter event, Raja Perempuan Che Ning passed away in 1915 in Kampung Selarung. The tomb of Raja Perempuan Che Ning is located high on a hill, approximately 150 meters from the main road.
Tomb of Raja Perempuan Che Ning's Grandson (Tuan Mat Bin Tuan Lebeh)
The site of this tomb is fenced off, measuring 70 feet by 70 feet, and contains 8 other graves belonging to the descendants and lineage of Raja Perempuan Che Ning.
The tomb of Raja Perempuan Che Ning was gazetted on November 22, 1979. Gazette No. P.U.(A)292 Hulu Perak District, Mukim Kroh Lot No. 769. Its area is 20.2m x 20m. Department of Museums File Reference JM/M/701/PK1 (2). References:
- Tempat-Tempat Bersejarah Perak (Historical Sites of Perak), N.A. Halim, 1981 - p. 155
- Interviews with descendants of Tuan Lebeh at Istana Singgah, Kampung Selarung
