My "Sakura Boulevard"

A huge sigh of relief as my Tanjung Kupang crash story did not see print in New Sunday Times as earlier expected.  

For a flash respite, I walked over to my "Sakura Boulevard" in Bandar Baru Uda, Johor Bahru.  The sight of the delicate petals floating in the air from its branches was sheer poetry.

Delicate petals

Bandar Baru Uda

"Buddhism teaches that everything is life, from human beings to the smallest roadside pebble or a single blade of grass. Every bit of the world that surrounds us embodies the mystery of the universe and the wondrous law of life. A rugged mountain that has been buffeted by harsh winds emanates the poetry of intense struggle; the innocent smiles of children convey the love of life." - Soka Gakkai International.

Meanwhile, an excerpt of my story on the 1977 Tanjung Kupang crash.  I have taken out the part where I interviewed the mother of one of the victims of the ill-fated flight.  It had caused her much anguish and distress.

JOHOR BARU: Over the years, the visitors to the Tanjung Kupang memorial in Jalan Kebun Teh here have grown lesser in number.
  The memorial contained the remains of the 100 people on board the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH653 which crashed into a mangrove swamp in Tanjung Kupang near Gelang Patah here on Dec 4, 1977.
  Of the 100, seven were crew members and 93 were passengers.
  The crowd who visited the memorial may have lessen over time, along with the pain of those who lost their loved ones in the crash, but the memories still linger.
  Abdul Latif Ahmad, 48, a businessman, was at the memorial yesterday with his wife, Bahiyah Ahmad, 46.
  Bahiyah's mother lives near to the memorial site, making it convenient for the couple to visit the site regularly.

Abdul Latif Ahmad at the Tanjung Kupang Memorial

"I was 10 at the time of the crash.  I am from Kampung Rambah in Pontian.  At that time, all the villagers rushed to the site because our former Agricultural Minister Datuk Ali Ahmad was one of the passengers," said Abdul Latif.
  Ali was the best friend of Abdul Latif's late father, Ahmad Mohd Yatim.  Ali, who was born in Kg Rambah, and much loved and respected by the villagers.
  Also on board were Public Works Department head Datuk Mahfuz Khalid, and Cuban ambassador to Japan Mario García.
  "I was too young to follow my father to the site but I heard stories about how human flesh, body parts and hair were hanging on the mangrove trees.
  "It was horrific.  And in Kebun Teh, before the residential area was fully developed, taxi drivers said they would see headless corpses in the area.
  "In the first five years after the memorial was built, the relatives flocked here.  But now that it has been 37 years since the tragedy, the number of people who come here have grown lesser," he said.
  And no, news of MH370 that went missing on March 8, had not brought the crowd back except perhaps journalists who are out for a fresh news angle.
  Abdul Latif said the younger generation may not even know about the memorial.

A tabebuia rosea tree in Taman Johor Jaya.  Pix by Mary Victoria Dass.