The First Chinese Individual to Receive the Dato Seri Title in Perak
Lau Pak Kuan arrived in Malaya in 1912 at the age of 18 with his wife, Kok. Initially, he began working as a tin ore laborer using a wheelbarrow. After a few years, Lau Pak Kuan was promoted to a supervisor at his workplace.
He started his first mining business as an operator for Toong Foh Loong Kongsi, located in Menglembu. This was followed by another company in Jelapang, located outside the town of Ipoh, by establishing the Xi Men Mining Company. In less than a decade, he successfully opened no fewer than 10 more mining companies, which included Tong Yat Mine in Papan, Tong Heng Loong Mines in Chemor, and Tong Ho Loong Mines in Malim Nawar. All the mining-related business assets he owned eventually brought Lau Pak Kuan great wealth through his growing mining empire. At the age of 26, Lau Pak Kuan joined the Perak Chinese Chamber of Commerce as a regular member and was very active in charity and social work.
Ultimately, to appreciate his services and contributions to the community, Lau Pak Kuan was awarded the JP position by Sultan Iskandar Shah (the 30th Sultan of Perak) in 1936. Lau Pak Kuan was also elected as the Vice-Chairman of the "Nanyang Overseas Chinese, Save China Fund-Raising Committee," where they had to send funds to China to defend their homeland against the Japanese invasion. In 1940, he was appointed as a member of the Perak Chinese Advisory Board. During the Japanese occupation of Malaya, Lau Pak Kuan fled to Burma (now known as Myanmar), then to India, and finally to Chungking, China. This was because Lau Pak Kuan learned that he was wanted by the Japanese military for his anti-Japanese activities in Malaya. Shortly after arriving in Chungking, he was appointed to the Central Chinese Supervisory Committee, which was responsible for raising funds and establishing the Overseas United Bank of China with branches throughout Southeast Asia, India, Burma (Myanmar), and Annam (Vietnam). During that time, he also met Chiang Kai-shek and was appointed by General Lee Chun Ren and Pak Chung He as an advisor to the 5th Regiment. After the Japanese surrender, Lau Pak Kuan finally returned to Malaya and was appointed by the British Military Administration (BMA) to serve as an officer authorized to issue permits to those returning to Malaya from abroad. He also became the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party in Perak. Lau Pak Kuan once petitioned the British High Commissioner to establish a home guard in the Kinta Valley area. This was because, at that time, many people, especially the Malays, did not trust the Chinese and viewed them as staunch supporters of the communist terrorists.
The British High Commissioner agreed to implement the proposal submitted by Lau Pak Kuan, and in 1952, approximately 4,000 members were recruited and trained in the use of weapons by the government. They were a formidable Chinese force led by several British officers. Part of the management and salary costs were paid by the tin mining companies. The purpose was to obtain protection from Communist terrorists and avoid losses from attacks and robberies. For your information, Lau Pak Kuan was one of the co-founders of the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) established in 1949, alongside Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Tun Leong Yew Koh, and Tun Lee Hau Shik. As the first Chairman of MCA Perak and a trustee of the national party, he helped establish the Social Welfare Lottery Board to assist poorer members of the association. However, Lau Pak Kuan left the MCA after his delegation failed in London in an attempt to convey specific views for the Chinese association in Malaya to the British Government. After the war ended in Malaya, Lau Pak Kuan became the Director of the Paloh Old Temple and established the Paloh Temple School, which was a free school for the poor and older students.
He also founded the Perak Zheng Loon Association and the Tiong Hua hospital for the poor. Due to his tireless efforts for the welfare of the community, Lau Pak Kuan was eventually appointed as a Justice of the Peace by the British and was later awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956. For the information of our loyal readers at orangperak.com, he also received the Dato title in 1963 and the Dato Seri title in 1966 from Sultan Idris II (the 33rd Sultan of Perak). This made Lau Pak Kuan the first Chinese person to receive the Dato' Seri title from the Sultan of Perak. Lau Pak Kuan passed away on April 16, 1971, at the age of 77. In recognition and commemoration of his services to the people and the city of Ipoh, the Ipoh City Council named a 1 km road in Taman Ipoh after him.
