1.
Bintulu
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Bintulu /biːnˈtuːluː/ is a coastal town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. Bintulu is located 610 kilometres northeast of Kuching,216 kilometres northeast of Sibu, with a population of 114,058 as of 2010, Bintulu is the capital of the Bintulu District of the Bintulu Division of Sarawak, Malaysia. The name of Bintulu was derived from the native language Mentu Ulau. Bintulu was a fishing village when Rajah James Brooke acquired it in 1861. Brooke later built a fort there in 1862, in 1867, the first General Council meeting was convened in Bintulu. It is the earliest state legislature system in Malaysia, the construction of the earliest airstrip in Bintulu began in 1934 but was halted in 1938 due to financial difficulties. During World War II, the airstrip was heavily bombed by Allied forces, the British later rebuilt the airstrip, and it became fully operational in 1955. The old airport was replaced by a new airport in 2002, Bintulu remained a fishing village until 1969 when oil and gas reserves were discovered off the coast. Since then, Bintulu has become the centre of energy intensive industries such as a Malaysia LNG plant, a Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis plant, the economy has also expanded into oil palm and forest plantations, palm oil processing, wood-waste processing, and cement manufacturing. The port of Bintulu is the busiest in Sarawak, the town is also a gateway to Samalajau Industrial Park. The Borneo International Kite Festival is held annually in the town, during the 16th century, Bintulu was named River de Burulu by Portuguese cartographers. There are several legends surrounding the name Bintulu, during the Brooke dynasty, the indigenous practised headhunting to maintain their social status in the community. They threw the heads into the Kemena River, after which the heads had to be collected from the river, the practice of collecting the heads was known as Mentu Ulau in the local native language. Another story relates that two vaee segahan/segaan named Berengik and jaleb built houses along the river and they and their followers frequently carried out preservation of severed heads near a small river stream branching off from Sebezaw River because the river bank was flat and wide. Therefore, the river stream was named Mentu Ulau river. Outsiders who came to Bintulu subsequently pronounced the name as Mentulau, James Brooke was appointed the White Rajah of Sarawak by the Bruneian Empire in 1841. In 1861, the Sultanate of Brunei ceded the Bintulu region to Brooke, Bintulu was a small settlement at that time. A wooden fort named Fort Keppel was built in the village, named after Sir Henry Keppel, Sir Henry Keppel was responsible for crushing the Dayak piracy in the Saribas between 1840 and 1850
2.
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
3.
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
4.
Melanau people
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Melanau or A-Likou are an ethnic group indigenous to Sarawak, Malaysia. They are among the earliest settlers of Sarawak and they speak in the Melanau language, which is part of North Bornean branch of Malayo-Polynesian languages. In 2010, there are estimated to be 123,410 who consider themselves Melanau, in the 19th century, the Melanaus settled in scattered communities along the main tributaries of the Rajang River in Central Sarawak. Melanau or problematic Kajang speaking tribes such as the Sekapan, the Rajang, the Tanjung, the Melanau people were regarded as a sub-group of the purported Klemantan people. Today the Punan people are closely linked to the last riverine dwelling Melanau communities previously inhabiting the middle. The Kajang language is kept alive by the isolated Sekapan communities Kapit division of Sarawak. The Melanau are considered among the earliest settlers in Sarawak, the name Melanau was not used by the Melanau to refer to themselves until recently. They call themselves a-likou meaning people of the river, legend has it that the name Melanau was given by the Malays of Brunei to the inhabitants of the coastal swamp flats and riverbanks of central Sarawak which might signifies coast-dweller. Eda Green, writing in 1909, referred to, the Milanes, whose girls are as fair as any Europeans and the belles of Borneo. Grouping-wise, the Melanaus can be classified into the followings, Melanau Matu-Daro Melanau Pulau Bruit, Melanau Dalat Melanau Oya Melanau Mukah Melanau Belawai-Rajang Melanau Rejang Melanau Balingian Melanau Bintulu, and Melanau Miri. The largest group is the Matu-Daro Each group has its own characteristic dialect, an exception is the Melanau Bintulu dialect, which can hardly be understood by speakers of other dialects and is thought by many linguists to hardly fit into the Melanau language grouping. This tribe is known as Vaie whose language is very similar to Punan Lovuk Pandan and Punan Bah. Their early establishment were from Lavang and Segan riverine areas, the Melanau languages have been divided in the following eleven dialects Mukah Balingian Oya Dalat Matu-Daro Rajang Kanowit Sibu Bintulu Seru Tanjong. Another Melanau group worth mentioning and inclusion is the Melanau Igan and they live in kampungs by the Igan River, e. g. Kampung Skrang, Kampung Tengah, Kampung Hilir, that border the Mukah - district. However some speak a local Malay dialect and this group of Melanau is probably all Muslim. They have mainly adopted Malay culture, while preserving some aspects of Melanau culture and it is believed that this group was originally Malays who settled in the area. However, intermarriage with Melanaus over many generations produced new generations who considered themselves Melanau, similar to the Igan Melanaus ancestral beginnings, many Melanaus who had migrated to different areas in Sarawak experienced the same transformation. A group of Matu Melanaus settled in Bintawa area in Kuching after World War 2, however their offsprings, even though mostly Melanaus by blood, normally do not speak the language
5.
Bintulu Division
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Bintulu Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions of Sarawak, Malaysia. It has an area of 12,166.2 square kilometres. Bintulu Division consists of two districts which is Bintulu and Tatau, together with a sub-district under Bintulu, which is Sebauh, three major towns in Bintulu are Bintulu, Tatau and Sebauh. The population of Bintulu Division was 179,600 and this makes Bintulu as one of the most loosely populated division in Sarawak with only 14 people per kilometre. Despite being the most thinly populated, Bintulu Division has the fourth biggest town in Sarawak, most of the Bintulu divisions population is concentrated in this town. Bintulu is traditionally a home to Iban, Chinese, Melanau, Malay, Orang Ulu, most Ibans are scattered throughout rural areas of Bintulu, namely in Tatau and Sebauh. Whilst, Melanau people are concentrated at the areas in Bintulu and rural communal areas, namely at Bintulu town, Tatau town, Kuala Tatau, Sebauh, Pandan. Many Malay people are not originally from Bintulu, however, intermarriage with locals especially Melanau people has made Malay as one of the major ethnics in Bintulu. Chinese people are concentrated at town areas, such as at Bintulu, Sebauh and Tatau town, while some resides at Sangan. Orang Ulu people, such as Kenyah, Kayan, Tatau, most of them still live deep in the rural areas like Kakus and Jelalong. Kedayan people, although small in number, can be spotted at Nyalau areas just at the border with Miri Division, there is a large influx of foreign worker population due to the strength of the petroleum industry. It was estimated more than 20% of Bintulu population are foreign workers, the economy is largely based on the petroleum and natural gas industries. Bintulu has an estimated 85% of Sarawak’s known natural gas reserves, in addition to export as liquified natural gas, on-shore facilities produce fertiliser, and formaldehyde resins. Bintulu also has half of Sarawaks crude oil reserves of 500 million barrels. Bintulu has around 27% of Sarawak’s tropical rainforest, and the industry remains a strong component of the Divisions economy. Bintulu Division has a designated area of 1,071,031 hectares for logging purposes. The Division is the producer of wood species from peat swamp forests such as Ramin, Alan. Bintulu Division produces an average of 4.7 million m3 of logs per year, agriculture is relatively minor although growing steadily, with oil palm, rattan and pepper the main products
6.
Tatau
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Tatau is a town, and the capital of the Tatau District in Bintulu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. Tatau became a district in 1987, before that it was a Sub District under Bintulu District. The main spoken languages are Iban, Kenyah, Beketan and Punan, SMK Tatau SK Tatau SJK Chung Hua Tatau
7.
Malays (ethnic group)
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These locations today are part of the modern nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, and southern Thailand. In literature, architecture, culinary traditions, traditional dress, performing arts, martial arts, throughout their history, the Malays have been known as a coastal-trading community with fluid cultural characteristics. The epic literature, the Malay Annals, associates the etymological origin of Melayu to Sungai Melayu in Sumatra, the English term Malay was adopted via the Dutch word Malayo, itself derived from Portuguese, Malaio, which originates from the original Malay word, Melayu. Prior to the 15th century, the term Melayu and its variants appear to apply as an old toponym to the Strait of Malacca region in general. Malaya Dwipa, Malaya Dvipa, is described in chapter 48, Vayu Purana as one of the provinces in the sea that was full of gold. Some scholars equate the term with Sumatra, but several Indian scholars believe the term should refer to the mountainous Malay peninsula, maleu-kolon - appeared in Ptolemys work, Geographia. Mo-lo-yu - mentioned by Yijing, a Tang dynasty Chinese Buddhist monk who visited the Southeast Asia in 688–695, according to Yijing, the Mo-Lo-Yu kingdom was located in a distance of 15 day sail from Bogha, the capital of Sribhoga. It took a 15-day sail as well to reach Ka-Cha from Mo-lo-yu, therefore, a popular theory relates Mo-Lo-Yu with the Jambi in Sumatra, however the geographical location of Jambi contradicts with Yi Jings description of a half way sail between Ka-Cha and Bogha. Among the terms used was Bok-la-yu, Mok-la-yu, Ma-li-yu-er, Oo-lai-yu - traced from the source of monk Xuanzang). Malayur - inscribed on the wall of the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Tamil Nadu. It was described as a kingdom that had a mountain for its rampart in Malay peninsula. Bhūmi Mālayu -, a transcription from Padang Roco Inscription dated 1286 CE by Slamet Muljana, the term is associated with Dharmasraya kingdom. Ma-li-yu-er - mentioned in the chronicle of Yuan Dynasty, referring to a nation of Malay peninsula that faced the southward expansion of Sukhothai Kingdom, the chronicle stated. Animosity occurred between Siam and Ma-li-yu-er with both killing each other. In response to the Sukhothais action, a Chinese envoy went to the Ram Khamhaengs court in 1295 bearing an imperial decree, Keep your promise and do no evil to Ma-li-yu-er. Malauir - mentioned in Marco Polos account as a kingdom located in the Malay peninsula, malayapura -, inscribed on the Amoghapasa inscription dated 1347 CE. The term was used by Adityawarman to refer to Dharmasraya. The word Malay refer to Mountain, other evidence that supports this theory include, stone tools found in the Malay Archipelago are analogous to Central Asian tools, the similarity of Malay customs and Assam customs. The New Guinea theory - The proto-Malays are believed to be knowledgeable in oceanography. Over the years they settled at places and adopted various cultures
8.
Orang Ulu
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Orang Ulu is not a legal term and no such racial group exist or listed in the Malaysian Constitution. The term was popularised by a minority known as Orang Ulu National Association that was formed in 1969. The Orang Ulu typically live in longhouses elaborately decorated with murals and they are also well known for their intricate beadwork detailed tattoos and rattan weaving. The Orang Ulu tribes can also be identified by their unique music - distinctive sounds from their sapes and they also practice Kanjet, a form of traditional dance. A vast majority of the Orang Ulu tribes are Christians but old traditional religions are practiced in some areas
9.
Elaeis
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Elaeis is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm Elaeis guineensis is the source of palm oil, it is native to west and southwest Africa. The American oil palm Elaeis oleifera is native to tropical Central and South America, mature palms are single-stemmed, and can grow well over 20 m tall. The leaves are pinnate, and reach between 3–5 m long, the flowers are produced in dense clusters, each individual flower is small, with three sepals and three petals. The palm fruit is reddish, about the size of a large plum, each fruit is made up of an oily, fleshy outer layer, with a single seed, also rich in oil. The two species, E. guineensis and E. oleifera can produce fertile hybrids, the genome of E. guineensis has been sequenced, which has important implications for breeding improved strains of the crop plants. Since palm oil contains more saturated fats than oils made from canola, corn, linseed, soybeans, safflower and it contains no trans fat, and its use in food has increased as food-labelling laws have changed to specify trans fat content. Oil from Elaeis guineensis is also used as biofuel, human use of oil palms may date back about 5,000 years in coastal west Africa. Palm oil was discovered in the late 19th century by archaeologists in a tomb at Abydos dating back to 3000 BCE. It is thought that Arab traders brought the oil palm to Egypt, Elaeis guineensis is now extensively cultivated in tropical countries outside Africa, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia which together produce most of the world supply. Especially in Indonesia, there is growing pressure for palm oil producers to prove that they are not harming rare animals in the cultivation process. Attalea maripa, another oil-producing palm Journal of Oil Palm Research Energy and the environment List of Arecaceae genera Social and environmental impact of palm oil
10.
Rattan
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Rattan is the name for roughly 600 species of old world climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. Rattan is also known as manila, or malacca, named after the ports of shipment Manila and Malacca City, the climbing habit is associated with the characteristics of its flexible woody stem, derived typically from a secondary growth, makes rattan a liana rather than a true wood. Calamoideae also includes tree palms such as Raphia and Metroxylon and shrub palms such as Salacca and they dont have spinose stems and climb by means of their reflexed terminal leaflets. Of these only Desmoncus spp. furnish stems of sufficiently good quality to be used as rattan cane substitutes, there are 13 different genera of rattans that include around 600 species. The largest rattan genus is Calamus, distributed in Asia except for one species represented in Africa, the rattan genera and their distribution, In Uhl & Dransfield, and also Dransfield & Manokaran, a great deal of basic introductory information is available. Available rattan floras and monographs by region, Uses by taxon, rattans are also superficially similar to bamboo. Unlike bamboo, rattan stems are solid, and most species need structural support, many rattans have spines which act as hooks to aid climbing over other plants, and to deter herbivores. Rattans have been known to grow up to hundreds of metres long, most of the worlds rattan population exist in Indonesia, distributed among the islands Borneo, Sulawesi, and Sumbawa. The rest of the supply comes from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia. In forests where rattan grows, its value can help protect forest land, by providing an alternative to loggers who forgo timber logging. Rattan is much easier to harvest, requires simpler tools and is easier to transport. It also grows faster than most tropical wood. This makes it a tool in forest maintenance, since it provides a profitable crop that depends on rather than replaces trees. It remains to be seen whether rattan can be as profitable or useful as the alternatives, rattans are threatened with overexploitation, as harvesters are cutting stems too young and reducing their ability to resprout. Unsustainable harvesting of rattan can lead to forest degradation, affecting overall forest ecosystem services, the use of toxic chemicals and petrol in the processing of rattan affects soil, air and water resources, and also ultimately peoples health. Meanwhile, the method of rattan production is threatening the plants long-term supply. Generally, raw rattan is processed into products to be used as materials in furniture making. The various species of rattan range from millimetres up to 5–7 cm in diameter
11.
Black pepper
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Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. When dried, the fruit is known as a peppercorn, when fresh and fully mature, it is approximately 5 millimetres in diameter, dark red, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed. Peppercorns, and the ground pepper derived from them, may be described simply as pepper, or more precisely as black pepper, green pepper, black pepper is native to south India and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. Currently, Vietnam is the worlds largest producer and exporter of pepper, dried ground pepper has been used since antiquity for both its flavour and as a traditional medicine. Black pepper is the worlds most traded spice and it is one of the most common spices added to cuisines around the world. The spiciness of black pepper is due to the chemical piperine, black pepper is ubiquitous in the modern world as a seasoning and is often paired with salt. The word pepper has its roots in the Tamil word for long pepper, todays pepper derives from the Old English pipor. and from Latin which was the source of Romanian piper, Italian pepe, Dutch peper, German Pfeffer, French poivre, and other similar forms. In the 16th century, pepper started referring to the unrelated New World chili pepper as well, Pepper was used in a figurative sense to mean spirit or energy at least as far back as the 1840s, in the early 20th century, this was shortened to pep. Black pepper is produced from the still-green, unripe drupes of the pepper plant. The drupes are cooked briefly in hot water, both to them and to prepare them for drying, the heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper. The drupes are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn. On some estates, the berries are separated from the stem by hand, once the peppercorns are dried, pepper spirit and oil can be extracted from the berries by crushing them. Pepper spirit is used in medicinal and beauty products. Pepper oil is used as an ayurvedic massage oil and used in certain beauty. White pepper consists solely of the seed of the pepper plant and this is usually accomplished by a process known as retting, where fully ripe red pepper berries are soaked in water for about a week, during which the flesh of the pepper softens and decomposes. Rubbing then removes what remains of the fruit, and the seed is dried. Sometimes alternative processes are used for removing the outer pepper from the seed, ground white pepper is used in Chinese and Thai cuisine, but also in salads, cream sauces, light-coloured sauces, and mashed potatoes. White pepper has a different flavour from black pepper, it lacks certain compounds present in the layer of the drupe
12.
Pan-Borneo Highway
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Pan Borneo Highway, also known as Trans Borneo Highway, is a road network on Borneo Island connecting two Malaysian states, Sabah and Sarawak, with Brunei. The highway is numbered AH150 in the Asian Highway Network and as Malaysia Federal Route 1 in Sarawak, in Sabah, the route numbers given are 1,13 and 22. The highway is a joint project between both governments which started as soon as the formation of Malaysian Federation in 1963 which comprised Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, the lack of a road network system in Sarawak was the main factor of the construction. The section that connects Sarawak, Sabah, and Brunei is the Lawas–Temburong stretch, the completion of the stretch made traveling by car from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu possible. However, the government continues to build newer sections to connect areas in Sarawak. The length of the highway is expected to be about 2,083 kilometres for the Malaysian section. As of 2002, about 95. 2% of the highway has been completed, the Tenom–Sipitang section, completed in 2006, is the newest segment of the highway. Meanwhile, the Indonesian sections of the Pan Borneo Highway is known as the Trans-Kalimantan Highway, the western route connects the city of Pontianak to Tebedu. In general, the Pan Borneo Highway uses the same used in the Malaysian federal roads. However, the system used in the highway is different from other federal roads. The syntax for Pan Borneo Highway codes is xx-yy, where xx is the route number, for example, 1–32 in Sibu, Sarawak. The highway also extends southwards from Miri towards Bintulu, Sibu and Kuching, and ends at Sematan on the West Kalimantan/Sarawak border
13.
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
14.
Bintulu District
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The Bintulu District is one of two districts of Bintulu Division in Sarawak, Malaysia. It has an area of 7,220.40 square kilometres. Bintulu District has a sub-district, which is Sebauh, there are two towns in Bintulu District, namely Bintulu and Sebauh. The population of Bintulu District was 186,100, most of the Bintulu districts population is concentrated at Bintulu proper. Bintulu is traditionally a home to Iban, Chinese, Melanau, Malay, Orang Ulu, most Ibans are scattered throughout rural areas of Bintulu, namely in Tatau and Sebauh. Whilst, Melanau people are concentrated at the areas in Bintulu and rural communal areas, namely at Bintulu town, Sebauh, Pandan. Many Malay people are not originally from Bintulu, however, intermarriage with locals especially Melanau people has made Malay as one of the major ethnics in Bintulu. Chinese people are concentrated at town areas, such as at Bintulu, Sebauh and Tanjung Kidurong, while some resides at Kuala Kebulu. Orang Ulu people, such as Kenyah, Kayan, Tatau, most of them still live deep in the rural areas like Kakus and Jelalong. Kedayan people, although small in number, can be spotted at Nyalau areas just at the border with Miri Division, there is a large influx of foreign worker population due to the strength of the petroleum industry. It was estimated more than 20% of Bintulu population are foreign workers, the economy is largely based on the petroleum and natural gas industries. Bintulu has an estimated 85% of Sarawak’s known natural gas reserves, in addition to export as liquified natural gas, on-shore facilities produce fertiliser, and formaldehyde resins. Bintulu also has half of Sarawaks crude oil reserves of 500 million barrels. Bintulu has around 27% of Sarawak’s tropical rainforest, and the industry remains a strong component of the Divisions economy. Agriculture is relatively minor although growing steadily, with oil palm, rattan, deposits of coal have been discovered, but are yet unexploited. Although Bintulu is well connected to parts of Sarawak with good networks of road. People of Bintulu District can opt for rural shuttle bus service to Tatau, Sebauh, Nyalau, the only shuttle bus operating for both town and rural services is Jepak Holding. As for people who wish to travel to areas which are inaccessible by road such as Jelalong
15.
Sebauh
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Sebauh is a sub-district of Bintulu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It shares a boundary with Miri, Baram, Kapit, Belaga and it has a total area of roughly 5,262.90 square kilometres. Sebauh town is an administrative and economy centre of Sebauh sub-district. The population of Sebauh sub-district was 21,754, despite being almost equivalent in size of land and population to Tatau District, Sebauh has yet to be upgraded to become a full district of Bintulu. Sebauh Sub-District is home to Iban, Chinese, Melanau, Malay, most Ibans are scattered throughout rural areas of Sebauh, namely in Pandan, Labang, Tubau and Kakus. Melanau people are concentrated at Sebauh town and rural areas, namely at Pandan. Many Malay people are not originally from Sebauh, however, intermarriage with locals especially Melanau people has made Malay as one of the major ethnics in Sebauh, Chinese people are more concentrated at Sebauh town, while some reside in the rural areas of Kuala Kebulu and Jelalong. Orang Ulu people, such as Kenyah, Kayan, Tatau, most of them still live in rural areas like Kakus and Jelalong. There is an influx of worker population due to timber logging. Most of these workers are from Indonesia. Agriculture is a part of the economy in Sebauh with oil palm, rattan. Around 70% of Sebauh people are involved in agriculture, and 25% in the timber industry, deposits of coal have been discovered, but are yet unexploited. The Pan-Borneo Highway did cut through Sebauh Sub-District, however, the road to Sebauh town branches out from this highway at around 30 km from Bintulu town, with another 25 km going inside from the junction. There is a bus operating for Sebauh-Bintulu route by Jepak Holding. Private vans and four-wheel drive vehicles go to parts of Sebauh sub-district which are accessible by road, people who wish to travel to upriver areas which are inaccessible by road such as Jelalong, Pandan, Labang, Kuala Kebulu and Bukit Balai, use ferry and boat services. River transport charges remain high in Sebauh District due to the distance involved. There are some areas which are accessible by timber tracks and palm estate roads such as Labang, Tubau. Availability of transports to these areas are limited through bookings at Bintulu town, Sebauh Sub-District is moderately served with electrical and water supplies
16.
States and federal territories of Malaysia
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The states and federal territories of Malaysia are the principal administrative divisions of Malaysia. Malaysia is a federation comprising thirteen states and three federal territories, eleven states and two federal territories are located on the Malay Peninsula, collectively called Peninsular Malaysia or West Malaysia. Two states are on the island of Borneo, and the remaining one federal territory consists of islands offshore of Borneo, out of the 13 states in Malaysia,9 of the states are hereditary monarchies. The governance of the states is divided between the government and the state governments, while the federal territories are directly administered by the federal government. The specific responsibilities of the federal and the governments are listed in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of Malaysia. Theoretically, any matter not set out in the Ninth Schedule can be legislated on by the individual states, however, legal scholars generally view this as a paupers bequest because of the large scope of the matters listed in the Ninth Schedule. The courts themselves have generally favoured a broad interpretation of the language of the Ninth Schedule, the Ninth Schedule specifically lists the following matters as those that can only be legislated on by the states, land tenure, the Islamic religion, and local government. Nine of the states, based on historical Malay kingdoms, are known as the Malay states. Each Malay state has a ruler as titular head of state. The rulers of Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilans elective ruler holds the title of Yamtuan Besar, whereas the ruler of Perlis is titled Raja. The federal head of state, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected among the nine rulers to serve a 5-year term and they have separate immigration policies and controls and a unique residency status. Each state has a legislature called Dewan Undangan Negeri. Members of DUN are elected from single-member constituencies drawn based on population, the state leader of the majority party in DUN is usually appointed Chief Minister by the Ruler or Governor. The term of DUN members is five years unless the assembly is dissolved earlier by the Ruler or Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister, however, Rulers and Governors hold discretionary powers in withholding consent to dissolve the DUN. Each state sends two senators elected by the DUN to the Dewan Negara, the house of the federal parliament. The law in question must also be passed by the assembly as well. Non-Islamic issues that fall under the purview of the state may also be legislated on at the level for the purpose of conforming with Malaysian treaty obligations. Each state is divided into districts, which are then divided into mukim
17.
Kuching
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Kuching /ˈkuːtʃɪŋ/, officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division, Kuching was the third capital of Sarawak in 1827 during the administration of the Bruneian Empire. The town continued to receive attention and development during the rule of Charles Brooke such as the construction of a system, hospital, prison, fort. In 1941, the Brooke administration had a Centenary Celebration in Kuching, during World War II, Kuching was occupied by Japanese forces from 1942 to 1945. The Japanese government set up a Batu Lintang camp near Kuching to hold prisoners of war, after the war, the town survived intact. However, the last Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Charles Vyner Brooke decided to cede Sarawak as part of British Crown Colony in 1946, Kuching remained as capital during the Crown Colony period. After the formation of Malaysia in 1963, Kuching retained its status as capital and was granted city status in 1988. Since then, the Kuching city is divided into two administrative regions managed by two local authorities. The administrative centre of Sarawak state government is located at Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Kuching is a major food destination for tourists and the main gateway for travellers visiting Sarawak and Borneo. The city has one of the major industrial and commercial centres in East Malaysia. The name of Kuching was already in use for the city by the time Brooke arrived in 1841, there are many theories as to the derivation of the word Kuching. It was perhaps derived from the Malay word for cat, kucing or from Cochin, an Indian trading port on the Malabar Coast, some Hindu artefacts can be seen today at the Sarawak State Museum. However, another source reported that the Kuching city was known as Sarawak before the Brooke arrived. The settlement was renamed to Sarawak proper during the kingdom expansion and it was only in 1872 that Charles Brooke renamed the settlement to Kuching. There was one unlikely theory based on a story on miscommunication, according to the story, James Brooke arrived in Kuching on his yacht Royalist. He then asked his local guide about the name of the town, the local guide thinking that James Brooke was pointing towards a cat, and said the word Kuching. However, ethnic Malays in Sarawak usually refer the name of a cat as pusak instead of the Malay word kucing, some source also stated that it was derived from a fruit called mata kucing, a fruit that grows widely in Malaysia and Indonesia. There was also a hill in the city that was named after the fruit, which is called Bukit Mata Kuching
18.
History of Sarawak
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History of Sarawak can be traced as far as 40,000 years ago paleolithic period where the earliest evidence of human settlements is found in the Niah caves. A series of Chinese ceramics dated from 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, first arrived in Sarawak. Sarawak was later governed by the Brooke family between 1841 and 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. Following this, it one of the founding members of the Federation of Malaysia. However, the federation was opposed by Indonesia, and this led to the three-year Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, from 1960 to 1990, Sarawak experienced a communist insurgency. The first foragers visited the West Mouth of Niah Caves 40,000 years ago when Borneo was connected to the mainland of Southeast Asia, the landscape around the Niah Caves was drier and more exposed than it is now. Prehistorically, the Niah Caves were surrounded by a combination of closed forests with bush, parkland, swamps, the foragers were able to survive in the rainforest through hunting, fishing, and gathering molluscs and edible plants. The skull probably belongs to a 16-to 17-year-old adolescent girl, mesolithic and Neolithic burial sites have also been found. The area around the Niah Caves has been designated the Niah National Park, another earlier excavation by Tom Harrisson in 1949 unearthed a series of Chinese ceramics at Santubong that date to the Tang and the Song dynasties in the 8th to 13th century AD. It is possible that Santubong was an important seaport in Sarawak during the period, but its importance declined during the Yuan dynasty, other archaeological sites in Sarawak can be found inside the Kapit, Song, Serian, and Bau districts. During the 16th century, the Kuching area was known to Portuguese cartographers as Cerava, much of Sarawak was part of the Bruneian Empire. For a short period of time it was self-governed under the Sultan of Bruneis younger brother, by the early 19th century, Sarawak had become a loosely governed territory under the control of the Brunei Sultanate. The Bruneian Empire had authority only along the regions of Sarawak held by semi-independent Malay leaders. Meanwhile, the interior of Sarawak suffered from tribal wars fought by Iban, Kayan, and Kenyah peoples, following the discovery of antimony ore in the Kuching region, Pangeran Indera Mahkota began to develop the territory between 1824 and 1830. When antimony production increased, the Brunei Sultanate demanded higher taxes from Sarawak, in 1839, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II, ordered his uncle Pangeran Muda Hashim to restore order. Pangeran Muda Hashim requested the assistance of British sailor James Brooke in the matter, however, in 1841 during his next visit to Sarawak in 1841 he agreed to a repeated request
19.
Sarawak State Legislative Assembly
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The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly is the state legislature of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is an institution consisting of 71 members elected from single-member constituencies throughout the state. Elections are held no more than five years apart The State Legislative Assembly convenes at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building in the state capital, the first legislative assembly in Sarawak was formed during the rule of the White Rajahs. The General Council of the Kingdom of Sarawak was convened on 8 September 1867 by Charles Brooke and its members were chosen from local tribe leaders who were thought to be capable of assisting Brooke in administering the kingdom. The General Council later evolved into the Council Negri in 1903, the Council Negri first met in Bintulu. It continued to function even after Sarawak was ceded to the British Empire in 1946, the Assembly originally had 48 seats. That expanded to 56 in 1985, to 62 in 1985, in 2014 the Assembly passed a Bill to take the number of constituencies to 82. It has a number of seats than any other state assembly in Malaysia. The State Assembly enacts laws that apply in the state of Sarawak in matters specified in the Joint, legislation successfully passed in the Assembly are known as ordinances. The Assembly must sit at least once a year to approve taxation to and this is done during the tabling of the budget by the executive Cabinet. Aside from administrative matters, members of the Assembly are free to speak on any issues, as stipulated in the Privileges, Immunities, members of the Assembly are responsible for checking and criticising the executive governments actions. The Speaker presides over proceedings in the Assembly and he is appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri on the advice of the Chief Minister. The Speaker can only vote to break a tie, the following is the Speaker of the Sarawak State Assembly Roll of Honour, since 1963, The State Assembly also consists of committees that handle administrative matters
20.
Flag of Sarawak
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James Brooke, who was the first Rajah of Sarawak, originally used the St Georges Cross as the states flag. The decision for Sarawak to have its own flag was made in 1845, the first Sarawak flag was originally made up of a cross, half blue and half red, on yellow, thought to be based on Brookes coat of arms. There is a controversy on whether the first flag was made up of purple and red, or blue and red. On 7 May 1870, the colour of the blue cross was changed to black by the second Rajah, Charles Brooke, and was hoisted on 26 September. It was retained as a coat-of-arms on a Blue Ensign when Sarawak was ceded to the British Crown on 1 July 1946, the 1870 version saw continued use even after cession, flying side-by-side with the Union Flag. Upon the formation of Malaysia and subsequent independence of the state, the Trisakti was adopted on the 10th anniversary of Sarawaks independence in 1973, and was first hoisted by the then Chief Minister of Sarawak, Abdul Rahman Yakub who also designed the flag. Accompanying the new design of the flag is the new anthem and motto, Sarawak Bahagia. It resembled an inverted flag of Czechoslovakia, in 1988, the flag was replaced again with the current version along with yet another new state anthem and motto, Ibu Pertiwiku and Bersatu, Berusaha, Berbakti. The new design was adopted on the 25th anniversary of independence of Sarawak within the Federation of Malaysia, on the Trisakti flag, the blue triangle represents unity among the people of Sarawak, red represents courage and perseverance, and white represents honesty and purity. Sarawak at Flags of the World Chater, W. J. Sarawak Long Ago, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka
21.
Demographics of Sarawak
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Sarawaks population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. Sarawak has more than 40 sub-ethnic groups, each with its own language, culture. This makes Sarawak demography very distinct and unique compared to its Peninsular counterpart, Sarawak has more than 40 sub-ethnic groups, each with its own distinct language, culture and lifestyle. Unlike Indonesia, the term Dayak is not officially used to address Sarawakians native ethnicity, the Dayak of Sarawak comprises the Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and other tribes as listed below. The Ibans comprise the largest percentage of Sarawaks population, Iban is native to Sarawak and Sarawak has the highest number of Ibans in Borneo. Formerly reputed to be the most formidable headhunters on the island of Borneo, because of their history as farmers, pirates and fishermen, Ibans were conventionally referred to as the Sea Dayaks. The early Iban settlers migrated from Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo south of Sarawak and they crossed over the Kelingkang range and set up home in the river valleys of Batang Ai, the Skrang River, Saribas, and the Rajang River. The Ibans dwell in longhouses, stilted structures with a number of rooms housing a whole community of families. An Iban longhouse may still display head trophies or antu pala and these suspended heads mark tribal victories and were a source of honour. The Dayak Iban ceased practising headhunting in the 1930s, the Ibans are renowned for their Pua Kumbu, silver craft, wooden carvings and bead work. Iban tattoos, which were symbols of bravery among Iban warriors, have become amongst the most distinctive in the world. The Ibans are also famous for a rice wine called tuak. The large majority of Ibans practise Christianity, however, like most other ethnic groups in Sarawak, they still observe many of their traditional rituals and beliefs. The major festivals of the Iban people are Gawai Bumai that includes at least four stages i. e. Sizeable Iban communities are present in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Most will return home during the Gawai Dayak, the word Bidayuh in itself literally means land people in Biatah dialect. In Bau-Jagoi/Singai dialect, the pronunciation is Bidoyoh which also carry the same meaning, the traditional community construction of the Bidayuh is the baruk, a roundhouse that rises about 1.5 metres off the ground. It serves as the granary and the house for the settlements community. Longhouses were typical in the days, similar to that of the Ibans
22.
Betong Division
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Betong Division, formed on 26 March 2002, is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Formerly part of Sri Aman Division, Betong is in the Saribas area and it has a total area of 4,180.8 square kilometres, and is the smallest of the administrative divisions of Sarawak. Saribas is famous for its Iban longhouses and is regarded as the center for Iban culture and it was annexed to Sarawak by Rajah James Brooke, after his victory over the Sekrang and Saribas Iban at the Battle of Beting Maru on 31 July 1849. Betong Division contains two districts, Betong and Saratok. The population is mixed, with the majority Iban interacting well with the Malay. In Sarawak, Betong has the most number of administrative sub-districts, the sub-districts under Betong district are Pusa, Spaoh, Debak and Meludam, while those under Saratok district are Roban, Kabong and Budu. The population of Betong Division was 116,700, Betong division is traditionally a home to Iban, Malay and Chinese people. Most Ibans are scattered throughout rural areas of Betong and Saratok, whilst, Malay people are concentrated at the town and major village areas in Betong and Saratok. Chinese people are concentrated at town areas, such as at Betong and Saratok. Other races such as Bidayuh, Melanau and Orang Ulu are not native to Betong division, however, due to migration all over Sarawak, more and more of them coming to Betong to settle. Foreign workers is a sight in Betong division. Many of them work in palm oil plantations, Betong Division is divided into three broad topographical regions — the coastal or riverine region, the midland region, and the inland or hilly interior region. The coastal or riverine region is made up of peat swamp with very limited suitable area for agricultural activities in its natural condition. In areas with improved irrigation systems, the soil has gradually improved to some agricultural activities to be carried out. Some of the crops planted in the coastal or riverine region are wet paddy, sago, coconuts, some of the coastal or riverine areas have potential for aquaculture activities such as brackish water fish, tiger prawn and crab cultivation. The midland region has more areas for agricultural activities. Crops such as pepper, rubber, paddy, and oil palm are planted in the midland region, most of the livestock and pond fish rearing are also found in this region. All the commercial livestock in the area are in this region
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Kapit Division
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Kapit Division, formed on 2 April 1973, is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. It has an area of 38,934 square kilometres. Ethnically, the population of Kapit Division was 68. 7% Iban,19. 1% Orang Ulu, 7% Chinese,3. 4% Malay,1. 3% Melanau, and 0. 3% Bidayuh, Kapit Division consists of three districts and two sub-districts. Some 86% of the area is held in forest reserve. The economy is agricultural, based on forestry, oil palm, paddy, rubber, banana. The Bakun Dam is based partly in Kapit Division
24.
Kuching Division
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Kuching Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Formerly part of what was called the First Division, it is the center, Kuching Division has a total area of 4,559.5 square kilometres. Kuching Division consists of three districts, Kuching, Bau, and Lundu and two subdistricts, Padawan, and Sematan. The population of Kuching Division was 705,546 and this makes Kuching Division the most populated division in Sarawak. Most of the residents in Kuching Division live in Kuching District, Kuching Division is a melting pot of Sarawak diverse multi-racial society. However, the composition of Kuching Division is somewhat different compared to the whole Sarawak. Malay and Chinese form majority groups in Kuching, while in the whole Sarawak, Iban, basically, it is traditionally a home to Chinese, Malay and Bidayuh people. Most Chinese are of Hakka and Hokkien descent while some are Foochow and they live mostly at urban and suburban areas. Kuching Division has the highest number of Malay people in Sarawak, most Sarawakian Malays originated from Kuching Division. They are scattered all throughout Kuching Division, with exception of areas of Padawan sub-district. Kuching Division is also a home to the largest Bidayuh community, like Sarawakian Malays, most Sarawakian Bidayuhs are from Kuching Division. They form a majority group in Bau district of Kuching, other significant minority in Kuching Division are Iban and Melanau. Most of them originated outside Kuching, however, the earliest Iban settlement in Kuching can be found at Kampung Siol Kandis, Petra Jaya, Kuching. Most Melanau people who reside in Kuching have assimilated into Malay society due to professing Islam, some of them have no longer speak in Bahasa Melanau due to the assimilation. Kuching Division is a home to Sarawak capital city, Kuching and it is a centre of business, commercial, mixed industries, service sectors, education hub and tourism centre for Sarawak. Kuching relies heavily on its population to run its economy. Kuching Division is a centre of transportation sectors in Sarawak, with exception of river transportation and it has wide range of transportation services such as by air, land and river. Kuching Division has the widest and most extensive networks in Sarawak
25.
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
26.
Miri Division
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Miri Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions of Sarawak, Malaysia. It has an area of 26,777.1 square kilometres. The population of Miri Division was 316,400, ethnically, the population was Iban, Chinese, Malay, Melanau, Kayan, Kenyah, Lun Bawang and Kelabit. Due to the industry, there is also a large foreign worker population. Miri Division consists of two districts, Miri and Marudi, the economy is largely based on petroleum and natural gas extraction from both onshore and offshore wells, and related petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas and chemical production. Another major industry is timber processing from Miris huge tropical rainforest, processed wood products, rather than log export has been given priority by the government. Agriculture is includes oil palm, rubber, and pepper as the main products, Tourism, particularly ecotourism, is a growing component of the economy. - Web page about Miri City Miri Tourism
27.
Mukah Division
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Mukah Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. It was established on 1 March 2002 and it has an area of 6,997.61 square kilometres. Mukah Division contains five districts, Mukah, Dalat, Daro, Matu. The population is mixed, with mostly Melanau, Malay, Iban. During the 2014 Balingian by-election, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has announced that a new airport will be built for Mukah, the overall cost of the project is estimated at RM600 million. The earthworks has begun on 16 April 2014 at a site about 7 km from the town centre, the new airport is expected to be completed in 2018. As of February 2015, 16% of the construction has been completed, there are two higher education institutes in the division, UiTM Mukah campus and Mukah Polytechnic. Also, there is a power plant built in Matadeng. In March 2015, Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has launced the Laila Taib College Mukah Campus, the 35-acre campus is within the Mukah Education Hub and costs RM336 million. The campus is still under construction, meanwhile, in Belawai, the fishery sector is being focused. There is Tanjung Manis Deep Sea Fishery Complex to support the sector, Tanjung Manis also connected to Sibu via Serdeng/Tanjung Manis/Bruit/Sg. Nai Road and Sibu/Bawang Assan/Serdeng Road. The fishery industry is synonym with Mukah town too, the Melanaus are fish lovers and fish are incorporated in traditional dishes, for example umai. Mukah town even has statues of Ikan Merah and Udang that suggests the importance of the industry to the town, medan Mall Everwin Mall Glory Supermarket Mukah Central Mukah offers a different tourism attraction in Sarawak. Being the only Melanau-majority town, the Melanau culture is the best that Mukah has to offer, there is a grand Kaul Festival held annually at Kala Dana Beach at Mukah. In 2012, approximately 70,000 visitors attended the festival, a park called Kala Dana Recreation Park or Site of Kaul Festival was built there and had recently been renovated and is now more modern. It also has an observation tower and this festival attracts many visitors from Sarawak-wide and sometimes even foreign tourists. The chief minister also attends this festival each year, for 2014, the festival was held on 23–27 April. In 1996, the Mukah Light Industrial Estate was established by the Mukah river, the planned area covers 61 hectares
28.
Samarahan Division
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Samarahan Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Formerly part of the First Division, which included Kuching, it became a separate Division on 24 July 1986, Samarahan Division formerly contained four administrative districts, Samarahan, Asajaya, Serian and Simunjan. But on 11 April 2015 the Serian District was separated to form a new Division, the population is ethnically mixed, with mostly Bidayuh, Iban, Malay and Chinese predominating. On 11 November 2016, the status of Majlis Daerah Samarahan has been upgraded to Majlis Perbandaran Kota Samarahan, giving Kota Samarahan, the declaration took place in Kota Samarahan by the then Chief Minister of Sarawak, Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Haji Adenan bin Haji Satem. He was represented by his deputy, Deputy Chief Minister, Tan Sri Datuk Amar James Jemut Masing
29.
Sarikei Division
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Sarikei Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Sarikei Division contains four districts, Sarikei, Meradong, Julau. The early history of Sarikei can be traced as far back as the early 19th century, there are many historical events to show its existence. Rajah James Brooke first visited Sarikei on 30 April 1845, the establishment of Sarikei as a new division was mainly based on security consideration. It was felt that with the establishment of a new Sarikei Division the government would be able to concentrate and focus more in its efforts to contain, the population is ethnically mixed, with Iban, Melanau, Malay, Bidayuh and Chinese predominating. The majority of the live in Sarikei town. The economy of the division is mostly agricultural, Sarikei Division produces more pepper than any other divisions in Sarawak. It is also famous for fruits, especially pineapples and oranges, the timber industry, as elsewhere in Sarawak, is also a major component of the local economy. Sarikei is the centre of the division and it can be reached by land, water. One also can drive from Kuching to Sarikei or from Sibu to Sarikei
30.
Serian Division
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Serian is a town, and the capital of the Serian Division separated on 11 April 2015 from Samarahan Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located about 40 miles from Kuching, sub-district headquarters towns are Siburan and Tebedu. The town is famous for its durians, which are popularly believed to be the best in Sarawak. This has prompted the Serian District Council to erect a giant monument to this king of fruits right in the middle of the market square. However, other such as the tiger and the buffalo statues seem out of place as there are no tigers or buffalos in this district. About 65% of the population are Bidayuh, the other main ethnic groups are Iban, Chinese, and Malay. There are many found in Serian District Sarawak. Ranchan Waterfall is the most famous one, located at about 5 kilometres from Serian town and is accessible easily by road, simuja Waterfall is another waterfall can be found in Serian but it was damaged badly by logging activities. It is located about 7 kilometres away from town, there is no proper road to the waterfall and visitors have to hike 1-2 kilometres from Serian-Sri Aman trunk road to get there. Tebedu, located about 50 kilometres away from Serian town on the Indonesia-Malaysia border, is one of two official land border crossings between Indonesia and Malaysia. Limestone formations and paddy fields can be seen along the way to Tebedu, other attraction points of Serian are Gua Tiab Bilanting which is situated at Kampung Pichin and also Bukit Parang which is located at the Borneo-Kalimantan border. Stores and shops are packed by mainly Bidayuh people returning home from Peninsular Malaysia, abroad or major towns on Gawai, official web page of Serian District Council
31.
Sibu Division
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Sibu Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions of Sarawak, Malaysia. It has an area of 8,278.3 square kilometres. The population of Sibu Division was 257,300, ethnically, the population was mostly Iban, Chinese, Malay, and Melanau. Sibu Division consists of three districts, Sibu, Kanowit, and Selangau, the economy is largely based on timber extraction from the extensive tropical rainforest. Processed wood products, rather than log export has been given priority by the government, agriculture is relatively minor, with oil palm and pepper the main products. Tourism, particularly ecotourism, is a component of the economy. The two major rivers in the Sibu Division are the Rajang River and the Igan River, before 1 June 1873, Sibu was known as Maling, named after the winding portion, Tanjung Maling, on the other side of Rejang River. Maling was a village with a few small and simple shop houses consisted of atap roof and wooden walls. Main population was Malay and Chinese was minority, in 1841 Sarawak was ruled by White Rajah, James Brooke. On 1 June 1873, the division was created and the division was named after the native rambutan because the division had a lot of native rambutan known as Buah Sibau in Iban language. In 1901 Mr. Wong Nai Siong led the first batch of Foochows from China to Sibu to open up the lands of Sibu for cultivation. Therefore, it was a year or a milestone in the history of the development of Sibu. Mr. Wong Nai Siong came to Singapore in September 1899, from there, he proceeded to West Malaysia, Sumatra and the Dutch East Indies. For six months he explored the places but failed to find a place for the immigration. In April 1900, Mr. Wong Nai Siong came to Sarawak, Mr. Wong explored the lower valley and upper reaches of the Rejang River. He soon discovered that the Rejang Delta was very fertile and particularly suitable for cultivation, so he decided to choose the area for opening up for cultivation. With that decision, Mr. Wong went to see the second Rajah of Sarawak, Rajah Charles Brooke, in those days of the Rajahs, Sarawak was sparsely populated with vast land yet to be developed, Mr. Wongs plan was timely and very much appreciated. So, when Mr. Wong Nai Siong went to see Sir Charles Brooke and explained to him his plan to lead groups of Foochows to open up Sibu for cultivation
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Sri Aman Division
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Sri Aman Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Formerly part of the First Division, which included Kuching, Sri Aman Division has an area of 5,466.7 square kilometres. It was formerly known as Simanggang District, Sri Aman Division contains two administrative districts, Sri Aman and Lubok Antu. The population is mixed, with mostly Iban, Malay. The economy of the division is mostly agricultural, Sri Aman Division is in the largest farming area of Sarawak. C. H. Richards J. F. Drake-Brockman G. Lloyd Thomas - last foreigner to hold the position of Resident, peter Tinggom -First local to be appointed as Resident. Waslie Bin Ramlie - also reappointed for the 2nd time, salleh Bin Yusop Ganie Ugay Patrick Engkasan Ak Entabar @ Digat Dr Ngenang Ak Jangu Abg Shamshudin Bin Abg Seruji Abd Rahman Sebli Bin Senusi Sri Aman Residen Office Sri Aman Tourism
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Districts of Malaysia
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District is a type of administrative division below the state level in Malaysia. An administrative district is administered by lands and district office which is headed by district officer, in Peninsular Malaysia, a district is a subdivision of a state. A mukim is a subdivision of a district, the mukim is however of less importance with respect to the administration of land. In East Malaysia, a district is a subdivision of a division of a state, for example, Tuaran is a district within the West Coast Division of Sabah. A district is named after the main town or its administrative capital, for example. In Sarawak, some districts are divided into sub-districts before the mukim level. Administrative district boundaries are coextensive with local government area boundaries
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Asajaya District
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Asajaya is a small town located in Samarahan Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. Most of its inhabitants are made up of the Malay, Chinese, Asajaya has a small town, known as Pekan Asajaya. It is a point for the residents nearby. There is a district office - Pejabat Daerah Asajaya, which translates as Asajaya District Office, there used to be a clinic in Asajaya but it was destroyed in fire. There are a few primary schools - SJK Chung Hua Asajaya, SK Asajaya Ulu, SJK Chung Hua Semera, SJK Chung Hua Jemukan, there are also three secondary school - SMK Pesantren, SMK Asajaya and SMK Semera. Malay, Mandarin, Iban, Hakka, Hokkian, Teochew, http, //www. samarahanro. sarawak. gov. my/daerah%20asajaya_mei%202009. htm Secondary Schools in Asajaya, Sarawak Official Website of Asajaya District Office
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Belaga District
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Belaga is the capital of the Belaga District in Kapit Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located within the Hulu Rajang parliamentary constituency, the district population as of 2010 was 37,102. Belaga was established in the early 1900s when a few Chinese traders set up shops and started trading with the Orang Ulu, supplying essentials such as kerosene, salt, Belaga is considered a good place to start exploring the Sarawaks interior. There are many Kenyah and Kayan longhouses along the Balui and Belaga rivers, Belaga is set beside low forested hills that descend to the river. Walk along the river, past the Malay Kampung where most of Belagas Malay residents live, there are lots of interesting fruit trees. Try to spot the tribal burial sites on the side of the river that are decorated with carved wooden archways. On the outskirts of Belaga Town, there a few budget hotels available in this small town. To the north is a dam project, the Bakun Dam. The federal government decided to continue the project, as billions of ringgit had already spent on it. However, during the implementation stage of the construction the plan was scaled down in order to reduce cost. The submarine cable will span a distance of 670 kilometres and reach the shore of Peninsular Malaysia at Yong Peng, at the state of Johor and it is expected to be completed the earliest by 2012. Before flowing through the cable, the electricity will flow from Bakun to the western tip of Sarawak via over head electric transmission cables traversing a distance of 700 kilometres. The additional project is expected to cost between RM9 billion and RM10 billions, more information about belaga, please visit www. e-belaga. com www. e-belaga. com Belaga Website
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Dalat District
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The Dalat District is located in Mukah Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is situated by the Oya river, the district covers areas from Kg. Penat to Oya, and from Muara Sg, the district has an area of 905.29 km2, while the Oya sub-district has an area of 147.47 km2. 2 April 1974 - Dalat was announced as a district, with Dalat town as the administrative centre, the district was under the Sibu Division and covers Oya, Dalat Proper, Nanga Baoh, Nanga Tamin, Stapang, Skim Sekuau and Nanga Pakoh. The district has 4 small towns,23 villages and 115 longhouses,1 March 2002 - Mukah was elevated to Mukah Division and Dalat district area was revised to area that covers Kg. Penat to Oya, and from Muara Sg, there are 3 small towns,23 villages and 22 longhouses in the district. According to the 2010 National Census, Dalat has a population of 18,800, main agricultural produce of the district is sago flour. 28,765 ha of land is used for sago plantation. 4 sago flour factories in the district are capable of producing 75 tonnes of flour per day. Most of the use the Melanau language to communicate here. There is a difference of the language between each villages, yet they can understand each other very well. Other languages such as Malay, Sarawak Malay, Iban, Mandarin, Hokkien, Dalat is represented at the State Legislative Assembly by Datuk Hajah Fatimah Abdullah @ Ting Sai Ming, from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu. She won the seat in the 18th State Election 2016 for the fourth time, for Parliament, Dalat is under Parliament 213, Mukah. The current district officer is Kueh Lei Poh, there are two secondary schools in the district namely SMK Dalat and SMK Oya. There are 25 primary schools which falls under the district jurisdiction
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Daro District
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The Daro District is a district and small town in Mukah Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The nearest town to Daro is Matu, Daro is under the Majlis Daerah Matu-Daro which share the same council together with Matu. The population in Daro is estimated around 25,000, with Melanau making up the majority, there were ferries from Sibu to here, taking around two hours by using the channel of Rejang River. SMK Toh Puan Haji Normah SMK Matu SMK Belawai SMK SEMOP1, SK Pangtray Majlis Daerah Matu-Daro website
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Julau District
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Julau is a town, and the capital of the Julau District in Sarikei Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The population is dominated by Iban as well as Chinese especially the Fuzhou, during the rule of Sultanate of Brunei until the White Rajahs dynasty, Julau was one of the places situated inside Kanowit. After Sarawak joined Malaysia on 16 September 1963, Julau was still governed under Kanowit in 3rd Division, in the 1970s, the divisions in Sarawak were rearranged and Julau was moved into Sarikei Division, the 6th Division. On 1 April 1973, Julau received a status as Julau District with Pakan as a sub-district of Julau,29 years later, on 1 March 2002, Pakan was upgraded into Pakan District and no longer administered by Julau District. After the World War II, a Mission School called Roman Catholic Mission opened publicly in the 1930s and this school is the original of todays Julau St. Alphonsus Primary School or SK St. Alphonsus Julau. In 1951, Julaus Chinese also want to start their own school which then called Julau Yuk Kung Chinese National-type School or SJK Yuk Kung Julau, in 1970, SMK Julau moved to a new site which is the current site, Lembah Hilir Sungai Julau. The site was once belonged to Datuk Temenggong Banyang Anak Janting before he sold it to The State Government in 1968, on 22 March 1973, SMK Julau was officially launched by Yang Berhormat Tun Hussien Onn who was the Education Minister at the time. SMK Julau did not provides any sixth form of secondary education, sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Julau No.2 SMK Julau No.2 was built to support the need of Julau people in education especially for those who come from rural area. Clinic Julau Health Clinic Before a clinic was built, Julau people need to go to the nearest clinic available, currently, there is only one clinic established in Julau. Christian Julau St. Bhd Personal Vehicles Today, most of Julau people have their own transportation, such as car, motorcycle. Water There are many places in Julau that have not reachable yet with land transportation
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Lawas
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Lawas is a small town and the capital of Lawas District, Limbang Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. This district area is 3,811.9 square kilometres and it is 1200 km from the state capital, Kuching and 200 km from the capital city of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu. From the 1970s up until the early 1990s, Lawas and nearby Limbang were notorious for being the sin capitals of Sarawak, prostitution, massage parlours, sleazy pubs and rundown motels were common in both towns. Both towns have since undergone a transformation following major urban redevelopment in the last decade. New residential areas, shops, shopping centres, agriculture projects, rundown motels have been refurbished into tourist level hotels with adequate facilities. Timber and agriculture are the mainstays of the economy, the highland area known as BaKelalan has been experimenting with the cultivation of apples. In addition, the industry is being developed in BaKelalan. However, these plans have met with controversy due to the probable effects on several traditional tribal villages. Plans to develop small and middle scale industries in Lawas have been proposed by the state government, at this time much of the land in Lawas, Sundar and Trusan has been transformed from padi fields into oil palm plantations. Lawas is also known as the producer of smoked fish called Tahai in local dialect, one of the villages that produces Tahai commercially is Kampung Awat-Awat in the Sundar sub-district. A government hospital was proposed to be built for the town under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, as of May 2016, the hospital is scheduled to be completed in 36 months. Sarawak’s first and only Hotel Seri Malaysia Lawas is located on Jalan Gaya, the Lawas hotel is currently the only Hotel Seri Malaysia branch in East Malaysia. A planned RM210 million state government office complex cum three-storey shopping mall will be next to Hotel Seri Malaysia. The mall will houses a supermarket, departmental store and 132 commercial lots, pesta Lawas Lawas Regatta Irau Aco Lun Bawang Festival Lawas, by virtue of its geographical location, is cut off from the rest of Sarawaks road network. It is however linked by road to Sabah and Bruneis Temburong district. There is a local road network around Lawas district which is relatively free of traffic jams. Travelling to or from Lawas by road requires undergoing immigration checks, travelling to the rest of Sarawak requires a passport. Two road border crossings are located in Lawas district, Mengkalap, Located to the west of Lawas town is the Mengkalap border checkpoint for traffic headed to or from Brunei
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Limbang District
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The Limbang District is one of the two districts of Limbang Division, Malaysia. It has an area of 3,976.00 square kilometres. It has one sub-district, which is Nanga Medamit and it borders Brunei Darussalam to the west and east, Lawas District to the southeast and Miri District at the south and southwest. Due to being squeezed in between Brunei Darussalam at its north and coastal areas, Limbang is accessible by only by going through immigration posts. According to history, this area was annexed by Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke, the annexation was strongly disputed by Brunei. The de facto boundary ran along the watershed between the Brunei River and Limbang River basins on the side of the district. Boundary agreements have delineated a stretch of the border and the Pandaruan River while the other stretches have yet to be delineated. Limbang area is claimed since 1967 by Brunei as part of its integral territory, the issue was said to have been settled in 2009 as been stated from Bruneian media. However, Bruneian Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Lim Jock Seng said the issue was never discussed during the meeting of both countries leaders. The population of Limbang district was 40,959, Limbang is traditionally a home to Bruneian Malay, Kedayan, Chinese, Iban and Orang Ulu people. Limbang is the most culturally diverse and distinct part of Sarawak and it is a melting pot of many cultures, including Malay, Kedayan, Chinese, Iban and various Orang Ulu ethnic groups such as Lun Bawang, Bisaya, Murut, Kelabit and Penan. It has one of the highest concentration of Orang Ulu people in Sarawak, note,1 Excluding Kedayan.2 Including Kedayan and other Orang Ulu such as Lun Bawang, Kelabit, Penan, Murut etc. The economy is based on the timber and agricultural industries. Timber industry remains a strong component of the districts economy, agriculture is relatively minor although growing steadily, with oil palm, rattan and pepper the main products. Owing to its 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
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Lubok Antu District
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The Lubok Antu District is a district in Sri Aman Division in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. The people here are predominantly Ibans, most of the economical activities here are farming. Lubok Antu is governed by the Lubok Antu District Council which is a government organisation formed under the State Governments Local Authorities Ordinance,1956. The council has the right to implement council by-laws from enactments and ordinanace as approved by the State Government which, includes taxation, rentals, dato Benedict Bujang Tembak List of District Officers of Lubok Antu
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Matu District
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The Matu District is a district in Mukah Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. Before Mukah Division was established, Matu was within Sibu Division, there are more than 20 villages in the district, with Melanau making up the majority of the population. Chinese are the second biggest population after the Melanau, the population is estimated to be around 13,500 in 2006. The Majlis Daerah Matu-Daro is located in Matu town, the building itself is a landmark and the biggest building in Matu
