Lady Meriam

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Lady Meriam Chong (also known as Mariam Abdullah) was the first wife of Tunku Abdul Rahman, who later became the founding father and first Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Lady Meriam was the daughter of a tin mine tycoon in Thailand. She was ethnically Chinese and Thai, but converted to Islam upon marriage to Tunku in 1933.

She was personally chosen by Tunku's mother, Che Menjalara (who was of Thai descent herself) as Tunku's bride. According to reports, Che Menjalara forced Tunku to marry her, despite Tunku's refusal. They were married according to royal custom at the imperial palace.

Their marriage resulted in two children, Tunku Khadijah and Tunku Ahmad Nerang. Unfortunately, in 1935, 30 days after she had given birth to their second child, Tunku Ahmad Nerang, Lady Meriam passed away due to complications with malaria.

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