Tag: Borneo

What you should know about the Battle of Beaufort

by Patricia Hului -

The Borneo campaign of 1945 was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area during World War II (WWII) to liberate Japanese-held Borneo. One of the combats that took place during the campaign was Battle of Beaufort in 1945.   Located about 90 kilometers south of Kota Kinabalu, the

A curious case of sleep hollow in Bintangor in 1937

by Patricia Hului -

The Sarawak Gazette has published many eyebrow-raising stories since its first publication in 1870. Most of these incidents took place in Sarawak while others happened in other countries. One of the strange incidents that was reported in the gazette took place in May 1937. The headline of the report was “Asleep for a

The locust plague that hit North Borneo in 1919

by Patricia Hului -

Do you know a plague of locusts once hit North Borneo about a century ago in 1919? The Sarawak Gazette on Dec 16, 1919 reported that until that year North Borneo had never suffered from a locust plague on a big scale. “As far as is known the only occasion on which

3 theories on Kayan migration to Borneo island

by Patricia Hului -

When the Kayans are naming a child, or engaged in any special ceremony, such as going on the war-path, matches may not be used and fire must be made by drawing rattan backwards and forwards on a piece of soft, dry wood. Credit: Public Domain. When speaking about Kayan migration, many

5 stories about the Sihan people you should know about

by Patricia Hului -

With less than 300 Sihan people in Sarawak (as of 2012), any stories about their legends, customs and histories are very precious and important.As recorded by Benedict Sandin in "Notes on the Sian (Sihan) of Belaga" for the Sarawak Museum journal, the Sihan speak the same language with Punan Bushang

Mangkok Merah 1967, the Dayak-Chinese conflict in Kalimantan

by Patricia Hului -

Mangkok Merah 1967, the conflict between the Dayak and Chinese in West Kalimantan Slogan proclaiming that Chinese and Indonesians stand together. Circa 1946. Credit: Berita Film Indonesia / Public domain The New Order in Indonesia is the term coined by the second Indonesian President Suharto to describe his administrative era when he

How did the Ibans near Kalimantan border cope with Konfrontasi

by Patricia Hului -

People have been living along the border of Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia with Kalimantan, Indonesia for centuries. When there was a conflict such as the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation which broke out between the two countries, it was unfortunate that they found themselves caught in between. So how did the Sarawakians near Kalimantan border