Past Posts

All Creatures Great and Small #85 Sabah and Kalimatan Border Dispute between 1891-1912 The issue of marking the border involves not only the determination of physical lines but is also influenced by technical, legal, geographical, and colonial-political factors. This study argues that the failure to reconcile the interests of colonial administration with geographical realities and… Read more: All Creatures Great and Small #85

Religion and Smelting at Santubong Java traders from about 0-1350 AD experienced periods of trade booms followed by downturns of trade depression. The cycles of trade were based on Chinese interests in Southeast Asian products.   The 10th- 13th century was viewed as the height of Javanese-Chinese trade. Java people traded with Borneo, as Hindu… Read more: Religion, Smelting and Santubong

Immigration of people from Java  to Kampong Boyan, Gersik and Sourabaya along the Sarawak River 1800-1840 When one looks at a map of Sarawak one notices the names of Boyan, Gersik and Sourabaya along the Sarawak River across from Kuching. These three kampongs hold the remnants of the people who possibly migrated there from those… Read more: Immigrants to Boyan, Gersik and Sourabaya along the Sarawak River

Spanish Dollatr 1500’s The Hakka, Borneo and the Spanish Dollar. China had goods the Western world wanted, such as porcelain, cloth, iron tools, beads and other products. They accepted silver for the payment of these goods. The Spanish had established colonies in Bolivia and Peru. They opened silver mines, and the silver was minted into… Read more: Spanish Dollar, Hakka and Borneo

New Species A novel cyanobacterium, Ammassolinea thermalis sp. nov., was isolated from a hot spring pool in Sarawak, Malaysia. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.763.1.4 New Species A new genus has been erected to  accommodate two new species of Plant Hoppers discovered by canopy fogging in Sabah.  https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2026.1069.3294 One cell critter on a mite attached to a pitcher plant A one-celled… Read more: All Creatures Great and Small #84

The Early origins of the Chinese who migrated to Borneo When I first moved to Kuching,I wanted to try to understand the Chinese people. I soon learned they were divided into different peoples from different parts of China, each with their own dialect, history and customs. Below, please find an explanation of how this happened… Read more: Early History of the Chinese who came to Borneo