1.
Malaysia
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Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy located in Southeast Asia. Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Brunei and Indonesia and a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government, with a population of over 30 million, Malaysia is the 44th most populous country. The southernmost point of continental Eurasia, Tanjung Piai, is in Malaysia, located in the tropics, Malaysia is one of 17 megadiverse countries on earth, with large numbers of endemic species. Malaysia has its origins in the Malay kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century, the first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements, whose establishment was followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates. The territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first unified as the Malayan Union in 1946, Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and achieved independence on 31 August 1957. Malaya united with North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963 to become Malaysia, less than two years later in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation. The country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, which plays a role in politics. About half the population is ethnically Malay, with minorities of Malaysian Chinese, Malaysian Indians. The constitution declares Islam the state religion while allowing freedom of religion for non-Muslims, the government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system and the legal system is based on common law. The head of state is the king, known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and he is an elected monarch chosen from the hereditary rulers of the nine Malay states every five years. The head of government is the prime minister, since its independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with its GDP growing at an average of 6. 5% per annum for almost 50 years. The economy has traditionally been fuelled by its resources, but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce. Today, Malaysia has a newly industrialised market economy, ranked third largest in Southeast Asia, the name Malaysia is a combination of the word Malay and the Latin-Greek suffix -sia/-σία. The word melayu in Malay may derive from the Tamil words malai and ur meaning mountain and city, land, malayadvipa was the word used by ancient Indian traders when referring to the Malay Peninsula. Whether or not it originated from these roots, the word melayu or mlayu may have used in early Malay/Javanese to mean to steadily accelerate or run. This term was applied to describe the current of the river Melayu in Sumatra. The name was adopted by the Melayu Kingdom that existed in the seventh century on Sumatra
2.
Sarawak
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Sarawak is one of the two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. The capital city, Kuching, is the centre of the state. Other cities and towns in Sarawak include Miri, Sibu, as of the 2015 census, the total population of Sarawak is 2,636,000. Sarawak has a climate with tropical rainforests and abundant animal. It has several prominent cave systems at Gunung Mulu National Park, Rajang River is the longest river in Malaysia, Bakun Dam, one of the largest dams in Southeast Asia, is located on one of its tributaries, the Balui River. Mount Murud is the highest point in Sarawak, the earliest known human settlement in Sarawak, located at the Niah Caves, dates back to 40,000 years ago. A series of Chinese ceramics dated from the 8th to 13th century AD was uncovered at the site of Santubong. The coastal regions of Sarawak came under the influence of the Bruneian Empire in the 16th century, in 1839, James Brooke, a British explorer, arrived in Sarawak. He, and his descendants, governed the state from 1841 to 1946, during World War II, it was occupied by the Japanese for three years. After the war, the last White Rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke, ceded Sarawak to Britain, on 22 July 1963, Sarawak was granted self-government by the British and subsequently became one of the founding members of the Federation of Malaysia, established on 16 September 1963. However, the federation was opposed by Indonesia leading to a three-year confrontation, the creation of the Federation also resulted in a communist insurgency that lasted until 1990. The head of state is the Governor, also known as the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Sarawak exhibits notable diversity in ethnicity, culture, and language, major ethnic groups in Sarawak are, Iban, Malay, Chinese, Melanau, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu. English and Malay are the two official languages of the state, there is no official religion. The Gawai Dayak is a festival celebrated on a public holiday. The official explanation of the word Sarawak is that it is derived from the Sarawak Malay word serawak, which means antimony. A popular alternative explanation is that it is a contraction of the four Malay words purportedly uttered by Pangeran Muda Hashim, Saya serah pada awak, James Brooke became the first of the White Rajah dynasty to govern Sarawak. Sarawak is nicknamed Land of the Hornbills and these birds are important cultural symbols for the Dayak people, representing the spirit of God. It is also believed if a hornbill is seen flying over residences
3.
Kedayan
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The Kedayan are an ethnic group residing in Brunei, Labuan, Sabah, and parts of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. The Kedayan language is the de facto language of Brunei and bears a similarity to Brunei Malay. In Sabah the Kedayan mainly live in the cities of Sipitang, Beaufort, Kuala Penyu, in Sarawak the Kedayans mostly reside in Lawas, Limbang, Miri and the Subis area. The Kedayan people are regarded as a sub-ethnic group of the Klemantan Dayak people. The origins of the Kedayans are uncertain, some of them believe their people were originally from Java, which they left during the reign of Sultan Bolkiah. Because of his fame as a sea captain and voyager, the Sultan was well-known to the people of Java, Sumatra and it is believed that when the Sultan arrived to the island of Java, he became interested in the local agricultural techniques. He brought some of the Javanese farmers back to his country to spread their techniques, the farmers inter-married with the local Bruneian Malay people, giving birth to the Kedayan ethnicity. Most Kedayans have adopted Islam since the Islamic era of the Sultanate of Brunei and they have also adopted Malay culture. The Kedayans are recognized as one of the people of Borneo. They are experts in making traditional medicines, the Kedayans are well-known for their cultivation of medicinal plants, which they grow to treat a wide range of ailments and to make tonics. Both the Kedayans and the Banjarese are related, to a certain extent, minority Rights Group International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Brunei Darussalam, Dusun, Murut, Kedayan, Iban, Tutong, Penan,2008, available 13
4.
Iban people
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The Ibans or Sea Dayaks are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. Most Ibans are located in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Ibans were renowned for practicing headhunting and tribal/territorial expansion, and had a fearsome reputation as a strong and successful warring tribe in the past. The Iban population is concentrated in Sarawak, Brunei, and in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan and they traditionally live in longhouses called rumah panjai. Although Ibans generally speak various dialects which are mutually intelligible, they can be divided into different branches which are named after the areas where they reside. The majority of Ibans who live around the Lundu and Samarahan region are called Sebuyaus, Ibans who settled in areas in Serian district are called Remuns. They may be the earliest Iban group to migrate to Sarawak, Ibans who originated from Sri Aman area are called Balaus. Ibans who come from Betong, Saratok & parts of Sarikei are called Saribas, the original Iban Lubok Antu Ibans are classed by anthropologists as Ulu Ai/batang ai Ibans. Ibans from Undup are called Undup Ibans and their dialect is somewhat a cross between the Ulu Ai dialect & the Balau dialect. Ibans living in areas from Sarikei to Miri are called Rajang Ibans and this group is also known as Bilak Sedik Iban. They are the majority group of the Iban people and they can be found along the Rajang River, Sibu, Kapit, Belaga, Kanowit, Song, Sarikei, Bintangor, Bintulu and Miri. Their dialect is similar to the Ulu Ai or lubok antu dialect. In West Kalimantan, Iban people are more diverse. The Kantu, Air Tabun, Semberuang, Sebaru, Bugau and they can be related to the Iban either by the dialect they speak or their customs, rituals & their way of life. For hundreds of years, the ancestors of the Iban practiced animistic beliefs, although after the arrival of James Brooke, many were influenced by European missionaries, the longhouses of Iban Dayaks are constructed in such a way to act as an accommodation and a religious place of worship. The first thing to be erected during the building is the tiang pemun from which the pun ramu is determined and followed along the longhouse construction. Any subsequent rituals will refer to the tiang pemun and pun ramu, the supreme God is called Bunsu Petara, and is sometimes called Raja Entala or even Tuhan Allah Taala in modern times. The Iban calls this supreme god who creates the universe by the three names of Seragindi which makes the water, Seragindah which makes the land and Seragindit which makes the sky, there are seven main petaras of Iban Dayaks who act as the messengers between human beings and God. These deities are the children of Raja Jembu and the grandchildren of Raja Burong, Menjaya Manang as the god of health and shamanism being the first manang bali Anda Mara as the god of wealth and fortune
5.
Han Chinese
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The Han Chinese, Han people or simply Han are an ethnic group native to East Asia. They constitute approximately 92% of the population of China, 95% of Taiwan, 76% of Singapore, 23% of Malaysia, Han Chinese are the worlds largest ethnic group with over 1.3 billion people. Similarly, the Chinese language also came to be named the Han language ever since, in the Oxford Dictionary, the Han are defined as The dominant ethnic group in China. In the Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania, the Han are called the dominant population in China, as well as in Taiwan, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the Han are the Chinese peoples especially as distinguished from non-Chinese elements in the population. The name Hanzhong, in turn, was derived from the Han River, which flows through the regions plains. The river, in turn, derives its name from such as Tianhan, Yinhan, Xinghan or Yunhan, all ancient Chinese poetic nicknames for the Milky Way. This gave rise to a commonly used nowadays by overseas Chinese for ethnic identity – Huaren. The term is used in conversation and is also an element in the Cantonese word for Chinatown. The vast majority of Han Chinese – over 1.2 billion of them – live in areas under the jurisdiction of the Peoples Republic of China, where they constitute about 92% of its population. Han Chinese also constitute the majority in both of the administrative regions of the PRC—about 95% and 96% of the population of Hong Kong and Macau. There are over 22 million Han Chinese in Taiwan, they began migrating from the coastal provinces of mainland China to Taiwan during the 13th to 17th century. At first, these migrants chose to settle in locations that bore a resemblance to the areas they had left behind in mainland China, hoklo immigrants from Quanzhou settled in coastal regions, and those from Zhangzhou tended to gather on inland plains, while the Hakka inhabited hilly areas. Clashes between these groups over land, water, and cultural differences led to the relocation of some communities, of about 40 million overseas Chinese worldwide, nearly 30 million live in Southeast Asia. They are collectively called Nanyang Chinese, according to a population genetic study, Singapore is the country with the biggest proportion of Hans in Southeast Asia. Up until the past few decades, overseas Han communities originated predominantly from areas in southern China, christmas Island has a Chinese majority at 70%, large Chinese populations also live in Malaysia and Thailand. Prior to the 1965 split, Malaysia and Singapore used to have the largest overseas Chinese population in the world and this position has since been taken by Thailand. The prehistory of the Han ethnic group is closely intertwined with both records and mythology. Han Chinese trace their ancestry from a confederation of late neolithic/early bronze-age agricultural tribes that lived along the Guanzhong, the Yellow Emperor is traditionally credited to have united with the neighbouring Shennong tribes after defeating their leader, Flame Emperor, at the Battle of Banquan
6.
Brunei
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Brunei, officially the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace, is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, the country is surrounded by the state of Sarawak. It is separated into two parts by the Sarawak district of Limbang, Brunei is the only sovereign state completely on the island of Borneo, the remainder of the islands territory is divided between the nations of Malaysia and Indonesia. Bruneis population was 408,786 in July 2012, the maritime state was visited by Spains Magellan Expedition in 1521 and fought against Spain in the 1578 Castille War. During the 19th century, the Bruneian Empire began to decline, the Sultanate ceded Sarawak to James Brooke and installed him as the White Rajah, and it ceded Sabah to the British North Borneo Chartered Company. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate and was assigned a British resident as colonial manager in 1906, after the Japanese occupation during World War II, in 1959 a new constitution was written. In 1962, an armed rebellion against the monarchy was ended with the help of the British. Brunei gained its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 January 1984, Economic growth during the 1990s and 2000s, with the GDP increasing 56% from 1999 to 2008, transformed Brunei into an industrialised country. It has developed wealth from petroleum and natural gas fields. Brunei has the second-highest Human Development Index among the Southeast Asian nations, after Singapore, according to the International Monetary Fund, Brunei is ranked fifth in the world by gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity. The IMF estimated in 2011 that Brunei was one of two countries with a debt at 0% of the national GDP. Forbes also ranks Brunei as the fifth-richest nation out of 182, based on its petroleum, according to legend, Brunei was founded by Awang Alak Betatar, later to be Sultan Muhammad Shah. He moved from Garang, a place in the Temburong District to the Brunei River estuary, according to legend, upon landing he exclaimed, Baru nah, from which the name Brunei was derived. He was the first Muslim ruler of Brunei, before the rise of the Bruneian Empire under the Muslim Bolkiah Dynasty, Brunei is believed to have been under Buddhist rulers. It was renamed Barunai in the 14th century, possibly influenced by the Sanskrit word varuṇ, the word Borneo is of the same origin. In the countrys name, Negara Brunei Darussalam, darussalam means abode of peace. The people are pagans and are men of goodwill and their colour is whiter than that of the other sort. in this island justice is well administered. One of the earliest Chinese records is the 977 AD letter to Chinese emperor from the ruler of Po-ni, which some scholars believe to refer to Borneo
7.
Limbang Division
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Limbang Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions of Sarawak, Malaysia. It has an area of 7,788.50 square kilometres. Limbang Division consists of two districts which are Limbang and Lawas, together with a single sub-district under Limbang and two sub-districts under Lawas, Long Semadoh and Ba’kelalan are rural settlements in the southern part of Lawas district. Two major towns in Limbang are Limbang and Lawas, there are also few smaller towns such as Sundar, Trusan, Merapok and Tedungan. Limbang Division splits Brunei Darussalam into two, West Brunei to the west and Temburong District in the middle of Limbang and Lawas districts, Limbang is located between West Brunei and Temburong, while Lawas is located between Temburong and the Malaysian state of Sabah. This geographical situation, as well as the autonomy of Sabah, as of 2002, the population of Limbang Division was 81,152. This makes Limbang one of the most sparsely populated divisions in Sarawak with only 10.5 people per square kilometre, most of the Limbang Division population is concentrated in the coastal areas of Limbang and Lawas. Limbang is traditionally a home to Malay, Lun Bawang, Kedayan, Iban, Murut/Lun Bawang, Chinese, other Sarawakian ethnic groups do exist, especially Bidayuh and Melanau, who migrate from various parts of Sarawak. It has one of the highest concentration of Orang Ulu and Kedayan people, due to being so close to Brunei, the Malay dialect in Limbang Division is somehow distinct to other parts of Sarawak. It has more Kedayan, Brunei Malay and Sabah regional dialect influences to it, note,1 Excluding Kedayan.2 Including Kedayan and Orang Ulu ethnics such as Lun Bawang, Murut, Kelabit and Penan. Limbang mostly relies on its agriculture, timber industry and tourism sector to keep growing, commercial sector is thriving in Limbang because of its location is within Brunei vicinity. Limbang has one of the highest number of tourist in Sarawak whereby Bruneian and Sabahan as the main contributor, main commercial areas in Limbang are, Limbang Lawas Tedungan Owing to its geographical location, Limbang is completely cut off from the rest of Sarawaks road network. It is however has good links to both parts of Brunei located to the east and west of the district. There is also a local network of roads in the district. There are two border crossing checkpoints in Limbang district, both into Brunei. Tedungan, Located 43 km west of Limbang, it is the crossing into the main part of Brunei from Limbang. The Brunei checkpoint is called Kuala Lurah, Pandaruan, This checkpoint is located 15 km east of Limbang on the Pandaruan River which forms the border between Sarawak and Bruneis Temburong district. The crossing has to be done by ferry, the checkpoint on the Brunei side is called Puni and operates out of a wooden building located 500m from the ferry landing point
8.
Limbang
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Limbang is a border town and the capital of Limbang District in the Limbang Division of northern Sarawak, East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. The division has an area of 3,978.1 square kilometres, Limbang is located on the banks of the Limbang River, between the two halves of Brunei. It is a 30-minute speedboat ride or at least a two-hour drive to Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. The Limbang District, which today is part of Sarawak, was part of the Sultanate of Brunei following the founding of the Bruneian Empire. However, it was only after the signing of the Treaty of Protection of 1888 that Brunei lost control over the territory and this treaty eventually did not save Brunei from foreign intervention because the British did not prevent Charles Brooke from seizing Limbang in 1890. In 1901 and 1902, Brooke and Hewett asked Sultan Hashim to cede Belait and Tutong to them but Sultan Hashim refused and said, “What would happen to me, my chiefs, I should be left like a tree, stripped of branches and twigs”. Limbang economic importance was realised from the 15th century until now, when Limbang was still under the rule of Brunei, Limbang was considered as the Rice Bowl of Brunei as Limbang was a major producer and supplier of sago and rice to Brunei. Its economic importance was one of the reason why Limbang was seized by Rajah Charles Brooke of Sarawak. SJK Chung Hwa Limbang SK Limbang SK Melayu Pusat SK Kampung Pahlawan SK St. Edmund SMK Seri Patiambun Limbang SMK Medamit SMK Limbang SMK Kubong SMK Limbang Limbang is served by the Limbang Airport. Owing to its location, Limbang is completely cut off from the rest of Sarawaks road network. It however has good links to both parts of Brunei located to the east and west of the district. There is also a local network of roads in the district. There are two border crossing checkpoints in Limbang district, both into Brunei. Tedungan, Located 43 km west of Limbang, it is the crossing into the main part of Brunei from Limbang. The Brunei checkpoint is called Kuala Lurah, Pandaruan, This checkpoint is located 15 km east of Limbang on the Pandaruan River which forms the border between Sarawak and Bruneis Temburong district. The crossing used to have to be done by ferry, the checkpoint on the Brunei side is called Puni and operates out of a wooden building located 500 m from the ferry landing point. Pandaruan Bridge open on 8 December 2013 eliminating the need to cross the river by ferry, as the only road connection to outside the district is through Brunei, one must have a passport to travel into or out of Limbang. The Limbang Regional Museum is located in a built by Rajah Charles Brooke in 1897
9.
Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak
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Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak, GCMG, born Charles Anthoni Johnson, ruled as the head of state of Sarawak from 3 August 1868 until his death. He succeeded his uncle, James Brooke, as the second White Rajah of this country on the coast of Borneo. Charles was born in Berrow Vicarage, Burnham, Somerset, in England, to the Rev. Francis Charles, Emma Frances Johnson, née Brooke, was the younger sister of James Brooke, the first Rajah of Sarawak. Charles was educated at Crewkerne Grammar School and entered the Royal Navy and he adopted his uncle Jamess name and entered his service in 1852 as Resident at the Lundu station. In 1865, James named Charles as his successor, Charles married Margaret Alice Lili de Windt at Highworth, Wiltshire on 28 October 1869, she was raised to the title of Ranee of Sarawak with the style of Her Highness on the same day. Esca was later adopted by Rev. William Daykin, moved to Canada, in 1891 he established the Sarawak Museum, the first museum in Borneo. Brooke founded a school in 1903, called the Government Lay School. This was the forerunner of SMK Green Road, by the time of his death, Britain had granted Sarawak protectorate status, it had a parliamentary government and a railway, and oil had been discovered. All three White Rajahs are buried in St Leonards Church in the village of Sheepstor on Dartmoor, the White Rajahs of Sarawak, Dynastic Intrigue and the Forgotten Canadian Heir. The Name of Brooke, the End of White Rajah Rule in Sarawak
