Tan Pek Tjoean 陳百川 (Kopi Sua)

Tan Pek Tjoean (陳百川) was a hardware merchant based in Palembang, Sumatra Island Indonesia. He was closely associated with the chinese-medium Palembang Zhong Hua School (巨港中華學校), serving on the school board for a number of years both before and after the war. Other than the chinese community of Palembang, the school catered to students from outlying districts as well and at its peak had around 2500 students distributed amongst its campuses. It was commandeered by the Japanese forces during World War II, first as a Prisoner of War (POW) camp and then as living quarters for seamen. Tan Pek Tjoean was one of the board members who negotiated for the return of the school premises at the end of the war. He also served on the board of local chinese education which was set up after the war for centralised coordination of the chinese schools in Palembang.

Tan Pek Tjoean (陳百川)

For a number of years, Tan Pek Tjoen was also a chairman or vice chairman of the Chinese business association in Palembang. The newspapers reported that he was one of the chinese leaders who were invited by the then commander of the Indonesian forces in southern Sumatra, Colonel Simbolon, to a meeting to discuss support for the newly independent Indonesian nation in 1950. Colonel Simbolon was one of the key officers who was to participate in a coup by army units in Sumatra against the central government in Jakarta in 1958. The rebellion was effectively quelled by the central government by 1961. 

Tan Pek Tjoean passed away in 17 July 1959 and was buried in the Hokkien cemetery of Kopi Sua ( Whitley Road Cemetery). His neatly trimmed tomb is guarded by a pair of imposing soldiers who stand guard with their rifles. His funeral procession as seen below was well attended, testament to his contributions to the chinese community. 

Funeral Procession of Tan Pek Tjoean

Tomb of Tan Pek Tjoean (陳百川)

References
Facebook Post by Yik Han on Tan Pek Tjoean (陳百川), Heritage Singapore-Bukit Brown Cemetery
本坡殷商陳百川遺體 昨發引出殯榮哀. (1959, July 22). 星洲日報, Page 7