BY: Zaki Salleh
TANJUNG MALIM: Efforts to preserve any part of the Slim Village Bridge, estimated to be over 80 years old and which survived World War II, should be undertaken as part of heritage conservation.
The historic bridge collapsed the day before yesterday due to the strong currents of Sungai Slim, which carried debris, including trees, that destroyed part of the bridge.
The Slim Village Bridge was a witness to the Battle of Slim River in 1942 during the advance of Japanese forces in World War II.
Chief Researcher and Chairman of the Malaysian Historical Society (MHG), Shaharom Ahmad, expressed hope that efforts could be made to preserve the heritage of the bridge.
He noted that it was heartbreaking for the bridge to collapse after withstanding the test of time, including during the Battle of Slim River in World War II.
“Hopefully, the remaining marks of the battle on this bridge can be saved, even though a new bridge may be built later on.
“For instance, the museum could preserve the bridge pillars that still bear bullet marks, which could be saved and exhibited,” he said.
It is understood that Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) will try to salvage parts of the pillars that still show bullet marks.
Previously, a collaboration between MHG, UPSI, the Perak Heritage and History Association, and the Tanjung Malim District Council implemented several initiatives to restore the historic Slim River Battle site.
Among them was placing information boards at the Slim River battle site as part of efforts to highlight this historical area to visitors and locals.
Yesterday, the Perak state government announced that a temporary bridge will be built on Jalan Slim River-Ulu Behrang to replace the collapsed old bridge.
