PENANG, Fri: The Penang Bar today held a Reference for
3 of our departed members of the Bar – the late Mr. Teoh Hang Weng, Mr. Yeang
Kok Kheang and Mr. Yeap Ghim Guan.
The Reference was presided by Senior High Court Judge Yang Arif Dato’ Balia
Yusof bin Haji Wahi together with Yang Arif Tuan John Louis O’Hara and Yang Arif
Dato’ Abd Rahim bin Uda. Also present were the Deputy Registrars and Senior
Assistant Registrars of the Penang High Courts.
Ms. Lalitha Menon appeared for the Penang Bar while Dato’ V. Sithambaram
represented the Bar Council and Malaysian Bar with Puan Ruzaimah binti Mohd.
Ridzuan, the Assistant Penang State Legal Adviser representing the
Attorney–General of Malaysia.
To allow a personal touch to these Reference proceedings, each departed member’s
family was requested to approach a fellow member of the Bar who was personally
known to the departed member and the family, to speak on their behalf. Mr. Ooi
Soo Jit, Mr. Ramsun Ho Chii Huey and Mr. Darshan Singh Khaira had therefore been
chosen to represent the families of Mr. Teoh Hang Weng, Mr. Yeang Kok Kheang and
Mr. Yeap Ghim Guan respectively.
At 11.20am, Tuan Khairul Anuar bin Abdul Halim, the Deputy Registrar for High
Court 4 declared the commencement of the Reference proceedings and Ms. Lalitha
thanked the Courts for allowing the Penang Bar to hold our second Reference this
year and in allowing us to continue with the tradition.
Mr. Ooi Soo Jit subsequently rose to speak on the late Mr. Teoh Hang Weng, who
passed away at the tender age of 32 on 9 March 2006 after just 6 years in
practice. Nevertheless, during his relatively short time at the Bar, he had
achieved a lot and was the pride of his family and loved ones. The late Mr. Teoh
leaves behind his parents, siblings, fiancée and many friends to mourn their
loss.
Mr. Ramsun Ho then spoke on behalf of the family of the late Mr. Yeang Kok
Kheang. Mr. Yeang was a teacher for 15 years before he read law in England and
was admitted to the Malaysian Bar in 1983. Mr. Yeang was a sole proprietor and
was very well known to regular Court–goers in Penang as he had a very courteous
and soft–spoken nature. Mr. Yeang passed away on New Year’s Day this year, aged
61, leaving behind his wife, children and a host of relatives and friends.
Mr. Darshan Singh Khaira then rose to share many anecdotes and stories involving
Mr. Yeap as they were personal friends as well as “kindred spirits”. Mr. Yeap
practiced for over 40 years and had a successful legal practice handling both
civil and criminal cases and he was also well–known in the political circles
during the 1960’s and 1970’s. The late Mr. Yeap suffered a stroke in 2005 and
passed away on 12th March 2007, aged 66, leaving behind his beloved wife and 3
daughters, one of whom, Yeap Su Lynn, has followed in her father’s footsteps and
now runs his legal firm, Yeap & Co. in Butterworth.
Dato’ V. Sithambaram informed the Court that the Bar Council and Malaysian Bar
viewed the passing of these 3 departed members of the Penang Bar with deep
regret, sorrow and sympathy for their families. He also noted that these days,
such legal personalities are few and far between.
Puan Ruzaimah said although she did not personally know the 3 departed members,
she shared the sentiments expressed earlier by her colleagues and on behalf of
the Attorney General and Solicitors General of Malaysia together with all the
Judicial and Legal Officers, she expressed her sympathy and condolences to the
families of the departed members.
Lastly, YA Dato’ Balia concluded the Reference proceedings by saying that from
all that he had heard about the 3 departed members, he was sad that they are no
longer with the Bar and their passing is a loss to the profession as well as to
their respective families.
After the Reference proceedings concluded shortly before 12.00 noon, the Judges,
Registrars, families of the departed members as well as members of the Bar and
guests were invited to a tea hosted by the Penang Bar Committee.