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Category: Towns

Kanowit Punitive Expedition

The Expedition of 1934 The Kanowit Punitive Expedition  One fine morning in June 1934, we left Sibu by way of the Chamois. A few hours later, we stayed at Kanowit to make arrangements for our forces. We changed into a small launch, took the Kanowit River, and stopped at a location a

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June 19, 2022 No Comments

Brunei and Brooke

Brooke and Brunei On Brooke’s arrival in 1839, Brunei was a decayed empire stretching the whole northwest coast of Borneo. In some rivers, pirate communities had been established. Pangerans at the capital of Brunei played politics. In other rivers, such as the Saribas and the Skrang, Arab adventurers and Brunei

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May 18, 2022 No Comments

A Ladies Perspective of the 1859 Revolt

The Chinese Revolt by Rev. Brian Taylor SMJ 1969 The first woman, other than women with their husbands, ever sent abroad by the Society for the Propagation of the Bible was Sarah Coomes. Miss Coomes was left behind in the first evacuation of the town after the Bau Chinese had

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May 7, 2022 No Comments

A History of Brunei Oil 1906-1932

The Discovery of Brunei Oil A Borneohistory.net Production In 1906, Brunei was ruled by the British under the residency system. In dire need of some form of income, oil was considered an answer to the problem. Any company that wished to explore for oil had to obtain a prospecting license

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January 3, 2022 No Comments

Brooke Battle at Lawas

The Brooke Attack on Lawas If you look at a map of the very northern part of Sarawak, you will notice two fingers dividing Brunei. This essay discusses the second finger, which borders Brunei on the western side and Sabah to the east. The threat to the Brooke regime began

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November 22, 2021 No Comments

British Blunders lead to Punjabi Defeats in Kuching Retreats

The British Punjab Retreat from Kuching Toms Note: The Punjabis or Sikhi are from India and are known for their smart turbans. They were led by British commanders during the colonial period. The Germans entered Belgium, Holland and France in 1940. They were unable to take England because of the

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October 11, 2021 No Comments

Pegu and Sarawak

Pegu and Sarawak Pegu was a city-state located on the eastern side of Burma between Burma and Thailand. The country had easy access to ships from Malacca, India and Persia and their main exchange were rubies. There was a regular trade route from Yunnan to Pegu in the second century.

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August 2, 2021 No Comments

Oil in Miri

ilI know it’s hard to imagine, but imagine oil seeping out of the ground. Also imagine there are many places where this occurs in the Miri area. This was how Shell Oil Company found the oil to recover in Sarawak. Of course, Shell did not “find ” it. The people

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January 20, 2021 No Comments

God of Heaven Temple

The second oldest temple in Kuching is the one on Carpenter Street erected by the TeoChew community. It was built in 1896(?) in honour of Hian Tien Shian Tee, God of Heaven who was born on the third day of the third moon and died on the ninth day of

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January 20, 2021 No Comments
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