Protected by past governments, century-old Buddhist monastery in Anwar's Tambun constituency faces eviction over quarry works

A historic Buddhist monastery in the mountain caves of Chemor, Perak, which attracts thousands of devotees every year, is now at risk of being wiped out following the Perak state government’s decision to grant a 30-year lease to a private company to carry out granite quarrying.

For a century, the Malaysia Dhamma Sakyamuni Monastery (Caves Monastery) has stood amid the serene surroundings of Gunung Kanthan, a limestone hill that forms part of the Kinta Valley and lies within Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Tambun parliamentary constituency.

In 2023, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court’s decision against a cement company’s move to evict the monastery, and authorities now seem intent on allowing this to happen, in contrast to past decisions by the Perak state government to ban blasting activities at the site.

In 2015, the then Barisan Nasional state government declared the areas surrounding the Sakyamuni Monastery a buffer zone.

Faced with imminent danger, the monks are appealing to Anwar to intervene, with a press conference called by rights group Lawyers for Liberty and activists on Aug 11.

“Sakyamuni Caves Monastery is situated within the constituency of Tambun, whose MP is Anwar Ibrahim. The prime minister is duty-bound to take immediate steps to resolve this matter,” LFL said in a statement.

It said that besides its historic, religious and cultural significance, the monastery also sits within ancient limestone caves that are home to rich biodiversity, qualifying it for National Heritage status.

“These pleas have fallen on deaf ears in government.

“The federal government must take urgent steps to protect this important place of worship for the Buddhist community. The monastery is a place of significant importance to the broader Buddhist community in Malaysia,” it added.