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How the Bajau came to live in Tempasuk, otherwise known as Kota Belud today

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Before it was named Kota Belud, this district was widely known as Tempasuk.

It is located at the midpoint of the highway connecting Sabah’s state capital Kota Kinabalu with Kudat town near the northern tip of Sabah.

Many regard the town of Kota Belud as the unofficial capital and gateway to the heartland of the West Coast Bajau people.

Besides the West Coast Bajau, the town is also home to the Dusun, Illanun and Chinese peoples.

The West Coast Bajau are often referred to as Bajau-Sama, Sama Kota Belud or sometimes Bajau Kota Belud.

This is to distinguish them from the East Coast Bajau or Sama Dilaut or Sama Laut who settled in the eastern coast of Sabah.

How did the Bajau-Sama people first come to Tempasuk in the olden days?

British anthropologist Ivor H.N. Evans in his book Among Primitive peoples in Borneo might have the answer where he collected a range of local stories told in the oral tradition.

How the Bajau came to live in Tempasuk, otherwise known as Kota Belud today
West Coast Bajau horsemen in their hometown of Kota Belud, with Mount Kinabalu behind them. Credits: Creative Commons
Tempasuk and the kendilong tree

There is a tree which the locals call kendilong. Although it had sap that was clear as water, it was also very irritating to the skin. The tree also proved to be a great home for bees.

A long time ago, there was a poor Dusun man who dreamed that if he could find a kendilong tree he would become rich.

So the man set out to look for one. He discovered one just as night was about to fall. Since it was late, he decided to spend the night.

The next morning, the man left and later returned with two companions.

After collecting the sap, the man noticed there was a bee’s nest on top of the tree. They collected the nest, although they did not know what to do with it.

On their way back, they came across a Bajau man who had come up the river in a boat.

At the time, Bajaus did not live in Tempasuk yet. The Bajau man offered to help the Dusun man sell his bee’s nest, and share the profit between them.

Being practical, he also asked the Dusun man to collect more nests, in case they really were profitable.

So the two men swore an oath of brotherhood, sacrificing a hen to mark the occasion.

While the Bajau sailed away, the Dusun man searched hard for bee’s nests.

Three months later, the Bajau man returned to Tempasuk, his tongkang filled with goods from the sale of the bees nest to share with him just as he promised.

Imagine how happy he was to see that the Dusun man’s house was full of bee’s nests.

Seeing the start of a mutually beneficial friendship, that was how the alliance formed between the Dusun and the Bajau. Eventually, the Bajau resettled in Tempasuk while the Dusun learned the use of beeswax.

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Aboard the HMAS Kapunda, where the Japanese surrendered in Kuching

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HMAS Kapunda played an important role in Sarawak history. This navy ship was where the Japanese officially signed their surrender in Kuching on Sept 11, 1945. The surrender officially ended Japanese occupation in Sarawak after three years and eight months.

Aboard the HMAS Kapunda, where the Japanese surrendered in Kuching
HMAS Kapunda. This image is Crown Copyright because it is owned by the Australian Government or that of the states or territories, and is in the public domain because it was created or published prior to 1969 and the copyright has therefore expired. 
HMAS Kapunda during World War II

According to the Royal Australian Navy’s official website, HMAS Kapunda was one of 60 Australian Minesweepers (commonly known as corvettes). It was built during World War II (WWII) in Australian shipyards as part of the Commonwealth government’s wartime shipbuilding programme.

The ship was named after the town of Kapunda, South Australia. She was one of the 36 corvettes commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy.

HMAS Kapunda was commissioned in Sydney on Oct 21, 1942. Then she began operational duty as a convoy escort vessel on the east coast of Australia between Sydney and Brisbane.

In March 1943, HMAS Kapunda began escorting convoys from Queensland ports to Port Moresby and Milne Bay in New Guinea.

This was when she first fired her shots when a flight of eight Japanese bombers, escorted by 12 fighters, attacked the Milne Bay bound convoy she was escorting.

Thankfully, the crew aboard HMAS Kapunda and her sister ship – the HMAS Bendigo – diverted the enemy’s targets and the bombs fell harmlessly into the water.

A month later, HMAS Kapunda was engaged in another battle when 37 Japanese aircraft attacked MV Gorgon, one of the ships she escorted.

After shooting down one of the aircrafts, HMAS Kapunda’s crew rescued MV Gorgon from fire, bringing the damaged ship safely to port.

In 1944, HMAS Kapunda was put to patrolling mostly New Guinea, Solomon Sea, Morotai and Biak islands areas in Indonesia.

On July 29, 1945, HMAS Kapunda left Moratai enroute to Balikpapan in Borneo, clocking her 100,000th mile since being commissioned.

During this time, life aboard the HMAS Kapunda was mostly uneventful until the end of WWII.

Japanese forces around the world (including Kuching) surrender

The first atomic bomb ever used in warfare codenamed ‘Little Boy’ was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug 6, 1945 followed by the ‘Fat Man’ on Nagasaki three days later.

Less than a week after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced to his people that Japan would accept the Potsdam Declaration in a historic radio broadcast called ‘Jewel Voice Radio’ where he also stated a new national mission which included striving for prosperity and well-being of all nations.

Before the surrender, the Australian 9th Division was tasked to secure the main prisoner-of-war and internment camp in Kuching.

According to Ooi Keat Gin in Post-War, 1945-1950: Nationalism, Empire and State-Building, this mission became more urgent from mid-August when the Japanese surrendered.

“Out of frustration or vengeful reprisal it was feared that the Japanese military authorities might begin a wholesale slaughter of Allied prisoners of war and internees. With haste the nucleus of a task force (Kuching Force) with a British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit (BBCAU) detachment landed at Kuching on 11 Sept,” Ooi wrote.

On that same day, Brigadier Thomas C. Eastick, Commander of Kuching Force, received the surrender from Major-General Yamamura Hiyoe on board the HMAS Kapunda.

Aboard the HMAS Kapunda, where the Japanese surrendered in Kuching
Aboard the corvette HMAS Kapunda, Major-General Yamamura, commanding officer of Japanese forces in the Kuching area, hands his sword to Eastick, commanding officer of Kuching Relief Force.
 
In the right background is Lieutenant A. J, Ford Ranr, commanding officer of the Kapunda. Copyrighted expired-public domain.
HMAS Kapunda in Kuching

Meanwhile, Eastick wrote to his wife Ruby on Sept 14, 1945 describing his arrival in Kuching as “the busiest five days I have ever had or likely to have, a wonderful job and one that has given me wonderful satisfaction.

“Last Monday early, I went aboard a USA destroyer escort and spent just over 24 hours aboard, transferred to HMAS Kapunda and went up the Sarawak river to Pending and there took the surrender from Jap Maj General and several thousand Japs.

“The finale of the ceremony was of course receiving the general’s sword as a token of final surrender. It is a beauty, of course, has wonderful historic value. After the general was dismissed, I spent an hour or so with the Jap chief of staff and other officers and then went to the prison camp where there well over 2,000 soldiers and civilians men, women and children. I got a greater part of them together in an an open space and said a few words to them.”

The news about the Japanese surrender also made headlines around the world.

Graham Jenkins, a special correspondent of The Mercury reported that “Cheering crowds lined both banks of the Sarawak River as the convoy carrying the Australian occupational force made its way up the river to Kuching capital of Sarawak’.

The news also reported that before the force landed, there was some delay when Yamamura “pleading illness, demurred about going out to HMAS Kapunda to surrender to Brig T. C. Eastick”.

“Excuses were not accepted, and Yamamura came reluctantly and handed over his sword. Heartfelt relief and jubilation were evidenced among Australian prisoners who were able to meet their liberators,” the news stated.

HMAS Kapunda after the war

After the Japanese surrendered, Kapunda was used to assist the evacuation of Allied prisoners of war from Kuching.

A year later, HMAS Kapunda was paid off into reserve on Jan 14, 1946. She was marked for disposal on Dec 30, 1960, and was sold on Jan 6, 1961 to Kinoshita (Australia) Pty Ltd for scrap.

Aboard the HMAS Kapunda, where the Japanese surrendered in Kuching
Aboard HMAS Kapunda as the Japanese envoy’s interpreter reads the surrender terms to Major-General Yamamura, the Kuching Garrison Commander (right). Copyright expired-public domain.

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The strange death of British explorer Frank Hatton in North Borneo

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Nineteenth century Borneo was as exotic as one could imagine. For the outside world, especially Westerners, hardly anything was known about the island except maybe that it was home for headhunters.

It’s no surprise then that many adventurous and curious explorers found their ways to the island in order to be the first among themselves to discover something new, be it a new plant, new animal or a new source of valuable mineral.

One of those who arrived upon the shores of Borneo back then was Frank Hatton, an English geologist and explorer.

Born in 1861, Frank was the son of journalist Joseph Hatton (1839-1907) and a graduate of the Royal School of Mines in London.

Being the son of a journalist gave Frank an advantage as his father’s connections made it easier for him to publish his writings.

The strange death of British explorer Frank Hatton in North Borneo
Frank Hatton, engraving based on a photo by Vandeweyde (1885) . Credit: Public Domain.
Frank Hatton’s career in British North Borneo Company

Driven and motivated, Frank joined the British North Borneo Company as a mineral explorer, leaving London in August 1881.

According to W.H Treacher, the British Governor of Labuan at the time, “Frank Hatton joined the Company’s service with the object of investigating the mineral resources of the country and in the course of his work travelled over a great portion of the Territory, prosecuting his journeys from both the West and East coasts, and undergoing the hardship incidental to travel in a roadless, tropical country with such ability, pluck and success as surprised me in one so young and slight and previously untrained and inexperienced in rough pioneering work.”

Treacher added, “He more than once found himself in critical positions with inland tribes, who had never seen or heard of a white man, but his calmness and intrepidity carried him safely through such difficulties, and with several chiefs he became sworn brother, going through the peculiar ceremonies customary on such occasions.”

For Frank, however, Borneo was far from what he had originally hoped for. In his diary, Frank vented out a few of his irritations about life in Borneo.

He grew sick of eating Dusun food. He was tired of being stared at by the natives who had never seen a Caucasian man before.

Additionally, Frank thought the local methods of headhunting was cowardly, calling it “head-stealing” not “headhunting” as he said the natives would wait in the bushes before making an attack during headhunting.

Frank Hatton and his sudden death in North Borneo

In 1883, Frank went up to the Kinabatangan river from Elopura (now known as Sandakan) to verify a local report of gold in the area.

There he was killed during an elephant-shooting expedition when his gun reportedly got tangled in the vegetation and went off, shooting him in the lungs.

According to Anne Tagge in Hatton’s Folly: Assaulting “This Eden of the Eastern Wave”, Frank had been persuaded to give up his hunt.

“On the way back to the boat, his Winchester rifle twisted in jungle creepers, a twig pulling the trigger. His followers reported that Hatton’s last words were in his recently required Malay ‘Odeen, Odeen mati saya’ (Odeen, Odeen, I am dead) to his servant while resting his head on Odeen’s shoulder.”

Frank’s only non-native companion during the expedition was an Australian gold miner named Andrew Beveridge.

Somehow knowing that Frank had always been careful with weapons, Beveridge first shouted “Who has done this?” to Frank’s party.

But after looking at how distraught his native servants were as they were exclaiming “Better we had died!”, Beveridge believed the incident was an accident caused by Frank himself.

Beveridge and the rest then went on a 60-mile journey down the river to Elopura, carrying Frank’s decaying body.

After arriving in Elopura, an inquest was held on the day of Frank’s burial on Mar 4, 1883.

The strange death of British explorer Frank Hatton in North Borneo
Elopura where Frank Hatton’s body was brought . This illustration was first published in  “Frank Hatton in North Borneo. Notes on his life and death, by his father“. Century Illustrated Magazine. Credit: Public Domain
Did the natives kill Frank and make it look like an accident?

Before Frank’s death, one of his colleagues in the British North Borneo Company named Franz Witti had been killed by headhunters.

Frank had written to his parents, reassuring them that he could take care of himself and that they shouldn’t be worried about Witti’s murder.

Tagge pointed out, “The company always ascribed such deaths (Witti’s) to accident or uncontrolled tribes or to tribes across the border in Dutch-ruled Borneo.”

As for Frank’s shooting, there was no proof that it was premeditated. The then resident at Elopura, W.B Pryer wrote to Treacher that there was no evidence that the gun was cocked.

The muzzle of the gun would have had to slip from Frank’s shoulder as he held the stock and moved a jungle creeper with his hand holding the stock.

Furthermore during the inquest, Beveridge revealed that he didn’t notice whether any of the guns carried by the natives had been discharged.

He stated that Frank fell in a very open place with a little undergrowth; the nearest vine was four feet from where Frank lay. When Beveridge arrived at the scene, running in four or five minutes from the boat, the gun had already been moved, and Frank was no longer able to speak.

Was there any tension between Frank Hatton and his servants?

According to Beveridge who had questioned Frank’s servants, he found that the natives would have defended Frank from an elephant even if it meant their own deaths.

However, there was still no definite proof that the bullet which killed Frank came from his own gun. Even if it had, how did it happen?

Before the incident, Frank had sighted an elephant on Feb 17, 1883.

He was reportedly extremely anxious to shoot one before leaving Borneo and this was his last inland trip. (Obviously, the trend of Western tourists desecrating or ravaging local spots goes back centuries…)

In his diary, Frank recorded that his group had been struggling through the swamp through this trip. One of his servants, Durahim, had also capsized a boat, costing them some of their food and valuable supplies.

He had even listed down all his losses in the diary and his willingness to cut his servants’ wages if he found out that it was their fault that the perahu (boat) had been overturned.

While they were pursuing the elephant, the day was getting darker and his servants were restless to return.

But Frank was believed to be obsessed with shooting the elephant. If he had managed to kill an elephant and acquired its tusks, he might have been the first white hunter to do so in North Borneo back then.

The inquest’s result

Maybe it was Frank’s obsession over elephants tusks that brought him to his death.

Nonetheless, the British North Borneo company interpreted Frank’s ambiguous death as an unfortunate accident and he was buried at Sandakan cemetery.

“The company seems to be anxious not only to exonerate but to praise the natives who were with Hatton. A young man dies because he is determined in the last weeks of his contract to find minerals, preferably gold, in Borneo, also to bring home the triumph of having killed an elephant. His family is determined to interpret him as a hero fallen in the cause of British scientific and geographical supremacy,” Tagge wrote.

The Hatton family also accepted the verdict of the inquiry. An article in the North Borneo Herald of 1 Sept, 1883 noted Hatton’s death and comments on contributions to the Company, including a Dusun vocabulary and mineral samples ‘which will in time doubtless be developed in the interests of the Company’s Government’.

The same issue contained a letter to the editor from Joseph Hatton in which he thanked the Company for their tributes to and care for Frank’s grave.

He also sent a floral wreath for the grave – from London to Borneo – as well as knives to be given as gifts to Frank’s servants.

After his son’s death, Joseph co-wrote and published Frank’s writing in a posthumous work entitled North Borneo, Explorations and Adventures on the Equator (1886).

Frank Hatton was 22 when he died.

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Friendships, betrayals and manhunts: What you need to know about the Gaat expedition 1919

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When Sarawak was an independent kingdom under the reign of three White Rajahs, the then government carried a number of punitive expeditions against its alleged rebels.

These include an expedition against the Ibans in Kedang and the infamous Cholera Expedition down Lupar river.

Reasons for these punitive expeditions varied; from punishing fleeing criminals to pacifying wars between different tribes.

Here is one of the last few punitive expeditions which took place before the peacekeeping ceremony between the Iban, Kayan, Kenyah and Kajang on Nov 16, 1924.

The expedition had Sarawak government forces together with locals went up Nanga Gaat, Baleh river to punish the Iban group living along Gaat river.

The cause of the Gaat Expedition

During the 19th century, headhunting practices and hostilities caused the Punans to leave Apau Kayan in search of new places to stay.

According to the book Beyond the Green Myth (edited by Peter Sercombe and Bernard Sellato), the Punan moved into uninhabited areas and divided themselves into three groups.

“One group moved to the Kihan, a tributary of the Kayan river in Kalimantan. A second group went to the lower reaches of the Kajang and the middle part of the Linau, tributaries of the Balui in Sarawak. A third group, comprising primarily Punan Vuhang, whose forefather had had no quarrel with the Kayan or the Kenyah, decided to return to the Balui headwaters.”

After the Punan Vuhang returned to the Balui headwaters, the Iban killed 14 of them.

For the Punans, the Iban had seemed to be the genuine forest exploiters and tapped gutta percha for a long period.

They came to the Punan area to collect forest products, appearing harmless and friendly towards the Punan Vuhang.

Hence the Punan Vuhang let their guard down and welcomed the Ibans to their homes.

Friends who turned into enemies

To prove their friendship, the Ibans even held a swearing ceremony whereby they became bound to the Punan Vuhang as blood brothers.

Unfortunately, the Punans had no idea that the Iban were actually planning to kill them.

One the eve of the attack, the Iban asked their hosts to hold a singing ritual in praise of the spirits. After feasting and dancing all night long, they fell into a deep sleep. It was then that the Ibans killed the Punans.

Seeking revenge against the Iban, the survivors and fellow Punans from Linau area sought help from the Kayan. However, the Kayan reported the massacre to the Brooke government. The government later set out a punitive expedition against the Ibans from Gaat who was responsible for the killings.

The Gaat Expedition according to Bertram Brooke

The expedition was joined by Bertram Brooke, the son of second Rajah Charles and the brother of third Rajah Vyner.

According to his report published in the Sarawak Gazette on May 16, 1919, the government force left Kapit heading to Nanga Gaat on Apr 5 that year with G.M. Gifford in charge.

On Brooke’s side, there were 200 government forces and unaccounted number of local people.

They received information that the rebels had prepared a final place of refuge on Bukit Tunggal.

Gifford’s main plan was to drive any of the rebels who might be lurking on the river banks towards Bukit Tunggal instead of allowing them to escape to the flanks.

With this, he hoped the rebels would be cornered into a fight or escape into the Dutch East Indies territory (Kalimantan).

Brooke’s force encountered their first fight with the rebels on the 10th. They fired at two boats, capsizing one of the them.

Friendships, betrayals and manhunts: What you need to know about the Gaat expedition 1919
A view of Batang Rajang from the first floor of Fort Sylvia.
Setting up base camp at Nanga Marang

Two days later, the force arrived and camped at Nanga Marang which was en route to Bukit Tunggal.

This was where the force divided themselves into two groups; one group pursued them to Bukit Tunggal via river in small boats and another to proceed through land.

Eventually, the two groups reassembled at Nanga Bulat where they found a large number of boats belonging to the rebels abandoned along with household stuff and paddy.

After a few hour of trekking, the force spotted a temporary house which the Iban Gaats built near Bukit Tunggal from a distance.

By the time they reached the house, it was already burning and there were no signs of the rebels.

So, the government force sent out a scout team to check out where the rebels had headed.

After awhile, the scout team came across a large river which they believed was a tributary river of Kapuas river. There, they found a large number of boats where they killed a small party of rebels.

The Gaat Expedition at Bukit Tunggal

The scout team returned to the new camp at Bukit Tunggal reporting what they found. Since speed was crucial, the government selected forty Sarawak Rangers which led by Penghulu Merdan and Gaui in pursuit of the rebels.

Together with them they carried two day’s provisions. The plan was if the river they encountered turned out to be Kaniou (a tributary of Kapuas river, meaning they were in Dutch East Indies territory), they should return.

If not, they were to proceed as far as as their supplies would allow, in hopes of overtaking some of the rebels.

Meanwhile, the rest of the forces would be at the burned house until the 19th when it would proceed slowly downriver collecting as much as food and property as possible on the way.

By Apr 22, the force reached Nanga Marang base where they were met with Merdan and Gaui who arrived previous evening via land.

The end of the Gaat Expedition

Bertram reported, “The rebels had evidently taken their women for safekeeping to the house on the ridge (the house that they burned), for these had abandoned their skirts upon the road. Mosquito curtains, Kayan mats, cooking utensils, baskets of provisions, valuable parangs, and even several guns were among the articles strewn along the route until all traces ceased, there being apparently nothing remaining to discard.”

After the expedition ended, Bertram considered the mission a successful one.

He wrote, “It is, however, satisfactory that such a severe lesson has been given with so small a loss of life. It would seem given with so small a loss of life. It would seem that the rebels having no property to return to in the Gaat, must choose between unconditional surrender and moving into Dutch East Indies territory. It is locally considered unlikely that they will take the latter course.”

The Gaat Expedition was not enough for the Punan

Te Punan Vuhang who had joined the government forces during the Gaat Expedition, however, were not satisfied despite the reported success.

They felt the victory belonged to Brooke’s forces, not to them, and so decided they would carry out further revenge.

They went to Iban territory in the Baleh river basin and killed four Ibans.

In return, the Ibans again used a friendship-betrayal scheme to take revenge. But they mistakenly killed a group of Penan Bunut.

Unsatisfied, they decided to seek revenge against the Punan Vuhang. At the meantime, the Punan Vuhang sought refuge among the Kenyah in Kalimantan who were also enemies of the Ibans.

A few years later in 1924, the Kapit Peace making ceremony finally forged peace between the Iban, Kayan, Kenyah and other tribes.

For the first time in a long time, peace finally came to the area and the Punan Vuhang returned to Balui headwater from Kalimantan.

Friendships, betrayals and manhunts: What you need to know about the Gaat expedition 1919
A memorial stone in Front of Fort Sylvia to commemorate the 1924 peace-making ceremony.

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The aftermath of the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation at Long Bawan

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Located at North Kalimantan, Indonesia, Long Bawan is a small town with a small airport which has become the only gateway via air to Krayan Highlands.

Looking back on its history, it was one of the combat operations sites between British Commonwealth forces and Indonesian armies during the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation.

The confrontation which started in early 1963 was caused by Indonesia’s opposition to the creation of Malaysia.

By December 1964, there was a build-up of Indonesian forces on the Kalimantan border. This caused the British government to commit significant forces from the UK-based Army Strategic Command and Australia and New Zealand to Borneo in 1965-66.

On the Indonesian side, the fight was led by Indonesian Army special forces (Resimen Para Komando Angkatan Darat or RPKAD).

Additionally, they recruited the North Kalimantan National Army or Tentera Nasional Kalimantan Utara (TNKU).

During the confrontation, hundreds of Indonesian civilians had been loosely trained as part of TNKU.

Most of them were unemployed urban youth scrounged from cities in Kalimantan and Sulawesi.

Since the battles mostly happened at the Indonesian-Malaysian border in Kalimantan, some of them were posted in Long Bawan (Indonesia).

The aftermath of the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation at Long Bawan
A view of Long Bawan paddy field. Perhaps this was where parachuters landed in 1968.
TNKU members who were left at Long Bawan

Although the confrontation had been officially declared over in August 1966, the mission was technically not over for Indonesian forces.

There were TNKU members abandoned and left behind at their border camps including in Long Bawan.

To make matter worse, the Indonesian government reportedly did not bother to disarm the army-volunteers, leaving them with weapons such as heavy machine guns and mortars.

Kenneth J. Conboy wrote in Kopasses: Inside Indonesia’s Special Forces that the ready supply of weapons and unemployed volunteers became a volatile combination.

Conboy wrote, “By late 1967, Jakarta had received reports that the former TNKU partisans were stealing food and raping women in the Long Bawan vicinity. Colonel Mung, the former RPKAD commander now serving as head of the military region, reported that the outgunned local government was screaming for help.”

Jakarta was reportedly in a fix when the government heard this news. In response, they sent out two groups from RPKAD which was led by Captain Alex Setiabudi and Captain Kentot Harseno.

Both captains had previously served at Long Bawan.

The aftermath of the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation at Long Bawan
The small township of Long Bawan.

The two groups assembled at Cijantung during the first week of January 1968. Since there were no suitable runways, the units would be making a combat jump into paddies a half-hour trek east of Long Bawan.

“Although they would be parachuting with their weapons- including two rocket launchers – they were correctly concerned about opposition they might face. The ex-volunteers, after all, were better armed and knew the lay of the land after living there for almost four years,” Conboy wrote.

RPKAD came bearing gifts

Then Captain Kentot had an idea. Instead of going in with full force, they decided to go with gifts like food, writing pads and clothes.

His idea was adopted in and operation code-named Operation Linud X (“Airborne X”). On Jan 10, 1968, the groups made their jumps after light into Long Bawan.

The military units had expected to face difficulties from the former TNKU volunteers. However, it was the terrains of Krayan Highlands that gave them a hard time. Several of the commandos landed, drifting far from their marks, mostly in paddy fields and swamp.

Meanwhile, Captain Kentot landed in mud up to his armpits and nearly drowned. One of the pallets carrying a rocket launcher was even lost during the jump.

Nonetheless, the commandos managed to regroup at Long Bawan village where its chief greeted them like old friends.

After finding out their mission, the chief tasked some of his villagers to collect all weapons from nearby cache sites.

Surprisingly, the abandoned TNKU members were extremely tame. They took the gifts kindly and offered up their weapons without any resistance.

Four months later, all of the commandos were packing to leave. Due to some difficulties with their transport, they were forced to hike to the nearest river landing. According to Conboy, they were back on Java by June after a speedboat shuttle toward the coast.

“For once, what had the potential for being another festering security challenge had been resolved without firing a shot,” Conboy recorded.

The aftermath of the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation at Long Bawan
The new building at Yuvai Semaring airport in construction.
The physical remnants of the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation at Long Bawan

While confrontation now only remained in memories for the Krayan Highlands elders (which they refer to as ‘konfrontasi’), there are some physical remnants left behind at Long Bawan.

This small town was also the crash site of an Indonesian plane during Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation.

On Sept 26, 1965 during the confrontation, a C-130 plane was shot down near Long Bawan.

Ironically, the plane was shot down by Indonesian anti-craft fire, as it was mistaken for a Commonwealth aircraft.

It was carrying an RPKAD platoon from Java on orders to “neutralise” a gun position on the border ridge.

After the aircraft was hit, the RPKAD members parachuted out before it caught fire and crashed.

The wreckage of the plane is still at Long Bawan to this day.

Meanwhile, the locals also found the rocket launcher that was lost when Captain Kentot and his units parachuted in 1968.

It is now on display at Krayan’s Kepolisian Sektor or Polsek (Police District office).

The aftermath of the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation at Long Bawan
Photocopying services at Long Bawan.

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3 things you might not know about Osborne crackers

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Some Malaysians might not know the name Osborne cracker, but most would definitely recognise the shape and flavour of it.

This oval-shaped cracker is generally made from wheat flour, vegetable oil, sugar, corn starch, salt and glucose syrup.

Here are three facts you might not know about Osborne cracker:
3 things you might not know about Osborne crackers
Cap Ayam is one of the famous brands producing this cracker.
1.It has a royal origin, of sorts.

This humble piece of cracker has a history dating back to 1860.

According to The Huntley and Palmers Collection, the crackers were intended to be named after Queen Victoria.

Her Majesty declined to be associated with a commercial product but gracefully suggested that they could name the biscuit after her favourite home, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

The cracker was one of the first semi-sweet varieties of biscuit to find mass favour in the 19th century.

Malaysians have many names for this cracker, including roti tawar, roti kapal and biskut kering.

In Sarawak specifically, the locals call it roti sebayan, biskut mayat, biskut pending and many more.

2.In the Krayan Highlands of North Kalimantan, they call it roti tasu and there is a historical reason behind it.

In the Krayan Highlands of North Kalimantan, Indonesia, the Lundayeh community call it roti tasu or dog crackers.

The reason behind this interesting name can be traced back during Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation in early 1960s.

Located near the border of Sarawak-Indonesia, the highlands was one of the hot spots for military operations such as Operation Claret.

British and Australian troops were carrying out secret missions while hiding out in the jungle.

Nonetheless, some local Indonesians knew about this and secretly helped the Commonwealth forces during the confrontation.

According to tour guide Alex Ballang, some of the locals even helped in sending rations to the forces.

“The troops had a pet dog and the locals noticed the soldiers were feeding the dog with Osborne crackers.”

Since then, the local Krayan residents started to called it roti tasu or dog crackers.

3.There are recipes using Osborne crackers for you to try at home.

Most would agree that the best way to enjoy Osborne crackers is to dip it in a hot drink. Some even eat it just like cereal or porridge, mixing it in their beverage before eating it with a spoon.

But did you know that there are a few recipes out there using Osborne crackers as its main ingredient?

The most common recipe is bubur roti Osborne or Osborne cracker porridge.

It is made from Osborne crackers, coconut milk, sago, pandan leaves, water and sugar.

But when it comes to the weirdest recipe found online, it is none other than Osborne goreng.

The crackers are stir-fried together with garlic, onion, egg and vegetables such as bean sprouts.

3 things you might not know about Osborne crackers
Osborne crackers

Do you have interesting names, recipes or stories behind the Osborne cracker? Let us know in the comment box.

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5 things about tarap fruit of Borneo you wouldn’t learn in the classroom

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Tarap is always on the list when comes to types of fruits you should try in Borneo.

Sometimes known as the cempedak of Borneo, this fruit usually shares the same fate with durian. It is commonly being banned from entering most hotels for its strong smell.

If you are not familiar with this fruit, here are five things you should know about tarap:
5 things about tarap fruit of Borneo you wouldn't learn in the classroom
It is also known as marang in the Philippines.
1.It is also known by many names.

Does the tarap fruit seem familiar but you’re not sure if you’ve tried it before? You may have heard it called by any of these other names: terap, marang, johey oak, green pedalai, madang or timadang.

The scientific name of tarap is Actocarpus odoratissimus, and it is actually a tree in the mulberry and fig family Moraceae.

2.It is found in Borneo, Palawan and Mindanao islands.

While it is famously found on the island of Borneo, this fruit is also native to the Palawan and Mindanao islands.

In the Philippines, the locals call it marang.

3.There are two other species of fruit similar to tarap.

The first fruit species that is similar to Actocarpus odoratissimus is Artocarpus sericarpus. It is also known as pedalai, gumihan or terap bulu.

Terap bulu does not have strong odour like tarap. As for its outer appearance, terap bulu is hairy and looks like a giant rambutan.

The second one is Artocarpus sarawakensis (pingan or mountain tarap). It is the same shape as the Artocarpus odoratissimus but it is orange in colour and has smaller kernel sections.

4.Once you open it, you need to eat the fruit really fast

Unlike durian, it does not fall to the ground when it is overripe. So farmers can harvest tarap when they are deemed a mature size and leave it to ripen.

The flesh is sweet and has a creamy texture.

Once opened, you need to eat the fruit immediately because it oxidizes fast and loses its flavour quickly.

This is also the reason why the commercialisation of this tropical fruit is limited. It has a very low shelf life.

5.The many uses of tarap fruit.

If you have the chance to visit Tarakan in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, give the city’s signature tarap juice and tarap layered cake a try.

The tarap layered cake is one of the city’s own original products. As for tarap juice, it is one of the must-try drinks in Tarakan.

You can actually make it at home using tarap, sugar, ice, water and condensed milk.

Besides the fruit, the peels were reported to be useful material for the removal of colouring agents.

Even the seeds are edible; just like jackfruit seeds they can be boiled or roasted and then eaten as snacks. Just like Actocarpus odoratissimus, terap bulu’s seeds are edible after boiling or roasting.

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How salt was obtained in the olden days of Borneo

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Salt plays an important role in not just Sarawakian cuisine, but in Borneo overall.

Besides seasoning, every community, whether they were Iban, Bidayuh or Kadazandusun, used salt as a means to preserve their food.

How salt was obtained in the olden days of Borneo
Here are just five ways how salt was obtained in Borneo back when there were no supermarkets:

Salt is such an available commodity for us today; we can simply buy it from any grocery store or supermarket. Have you ever wondered how the olden communities of Borneo used to get it back in those days?

1.Nipah palm

Nipah salt or garam attap is salt processed from the mature leaves of the nipah palm, Nypa fruticans.

Here in Borneo, nipah palm grows wild and abundantly along coastal areas, especially in Borneo.

The palms are constantly washed by saltwater daily and this salt can be processed from the leaves.

Unlike conventional salt, it has a smoky flavour as well as the aroma of dried nipah leaves.  

Here is how Reverend Andrew Horsburgh in Sketches in Borneo described nipah salt processing:

”The chief condiment of the Dyaks is salt, which they procure from the nipah palm, and which they much prefer to that obtained by evaporation from seawater. The boughs of the nipa are cut, dried, and burnt, and their ashes washed in water, so as to dissolve the salt contained in them. This water being then allowed to run off clear is evaporated in pans, the salt remaining at the bottom of the vessel. It is a dirty grey and often black-looking substance, processing a slightly bitter taste, which is grateful to the palate of the Dyaks; and it is generally produced in a masses of considerable size and as hard as a stone, it has much the appearance of a mineral that has been dug out of the earth.”

2.Seaweed

According to Captain Thomas Forrest in A Voyage to New Guinea and the Moluccas from Balambangan (1780), the Bajau would gather seaweed, burn them, make a lye of the ashes, filter it and finally form a bitter kind of salt.

How salt was obtained in the olden days of Borneo
Salted fish, a common delicacy found in Sabah and Sarawak.
3.Mangrove roots and nipah palm

Meanwhile, Spenser St John recorded how salt was processed at the foot of Mount Kinabalu.

“They burnt the roots of the mangrove with those of the nipah palms as well as wood collected on the sea-beach and therefore impregnated with salt.

In one place, I noticed a heal, perhaps fifteen feet in height, sheltered by a rough covering of palm leaves, and several men were about checking all attempts of the flames to burst though by throwing saltwater over the pile. This doubtless, renders the process much more productive. In one very large shed, they had a kind of rough furnace, where they burnt the wood; and suspended around were many baskets in which the rough remains of the fire are placed, and the whole then soaked in water and stirred about till the salt is supposed to have been extracted from the charcoal and ashes. The liquid is the boiled, in large iron pans purchased from the Chinese.”

4.Seawater and ashes of driftwood

In The Gardens of the Sun, British explorer and tropical plant collector Frederick William Burbidge detailed how the Kedayans used a combination of seawater and ash to obtain their salts.

“The ashes of driftwood are placed in a tub and seawater poured over them. To evaporate the water, receptacles are neatly made from the sheaths of the Nibong palm, fastened into shape by slender wooden skewers. Two logs are then laid parallel to each other, and a foot or fifteen inches apart, and over these the pans are placed close together, so as to form a rude kind of flue, in the which a fire of light brushwood is lighted, and very soon afterwards the salt maybe observed falling to the bottom of the evaporators.”

5.Salt springs
How salt was obtained in the olden days of Borneo
Salt spring in the Krayan Highlands.

Even to this day, the people of Bario and Ba Kelalan Highlands (Malaysia) as well as Krayan Highlands in (Indonesia) still use salt springs to make salt.

The water from these natural springs is boiled and evaporated for an extended period of time before it is dried to form salt.

How salt was obtained in the olden days of Borneo
An example of how saltwater is processed traditionally these days.

Read how salt springs are processed in Long Midang, Krayan in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

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10 Sarawak funeral customs of the 19th century you need to know

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Just like any other cultures in the world, Sarawak has its own sets of funeral customs varying with the different races found here.

While some funeral customs are still being practiced to this day, others are completely forgotten.

So here are 10 Sarawak funeral customs of the 19th century you probably never heard:
1.If more than two or three people die in the same house, they will most likely abandon it and move to another area.

Charles Grant in his book A Tour Amongst the Dyaks of Sarawak, Borneo in 1858 shared that it was a taboo to continue to stay in the same area if there were too many people in their village.

He wrote, “It appeared that many of the people of their village of Kuap had died, and Dyaks do not much like to live on at a place where they think themselves likely to be haunted by the ghosts of the dead.”

Similarly, Reverend William Crossland also wrote in his diary in 1867, “The Land Dyaks are spoken of as being very fickle as to their abode, one year here, another there, for if two or three die the house is forsaken and another built.”

2.The house in which a death occurred must be closed for certain amount of times.

If someone died back in those days, the house must be closed to strangers and in some communities even to its own occupants.

Bishop William Chalmers wrote in Some Account of the Land Dyaks of Upper Sarawak that this taboo must be practiced or else ghost of deceased will haunt it.

Meanwhile, another bishop Francis McDougall recorded almost the same thing.

In a paper entitled On the Wild Tribes of the N.W. Coast of Borneo, he stated, “The hill tribes have the custom of pamoli, or taboo, which on certain occasions they enforce with great strictness; they close their houses to all strangers, and no one can go inside under the penalty of death.”

3.When a Land Dayak died, his/her family must give a feast on that exact same day.

This funeral taboo was recorded by Spenser St. John. “On the day of a Land Dyak’s death, a feast is given by the family to their relations; if the deceased be rich, a pig and a fowl are killed, but if poor, a fowl is considered sufficient,” he wrote.

Another example St. John gave was of the Sea Dayak in which he stated, “If a Dayak lose his wife, he gives a feast, which is really an offering to the departed spirit.”

4.The family and those who carried the dead must trace back their steps when returning from the funeral.

Speaking of the Sea Dayak, here is another funeral tradition that is no longer practiced after returning from burying the dead.

St. John stated, “Amongst the Sea Dyaks, the relatives and bearers of the corpse must return direct to the house from which they started before entering another, as it is unlawful or unlucky to stop, whatever may be the distance to be traversed.”

5.Some communities would go for a headhunting trip as a sign of mourning.

This is one of those funeral customs that is definitely never practiced now. According to St John, the Sea Dayaks sometimes would go for headhunting trip after the death of their loved ones.

“After the death of relatives, they seek for the heads of enemies, and until one is brought in they consider themselves to be in mourning, wearing no fine clothes, striking no gongs, nor is laughing or merry-making in the house allowed; but they have a steady desire to grieve for the one lost to them, and to seek a head of an enemy, as a means of consoling themselves for the death of the departed. At the launching of a new boat, preparatory to the headhunting, the spirits presiding over it are appeased and fed, and the women collect in and about it, and chant monotonous tunes; invoking the heavenly spirits to grant their lovers and husbands success in finding heads, by which they may remove their mourning and obtain a plentiful supply of the luxuries and necessaries of life.”

10 Sarawak funeral customs of the 19th century you need to know
Punan’s heads taken by Sea Dayaks Pagan Tribes of British North Borneo Hose & MacDougall Published: – Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
6.As for the olden Melanau communities, the friends of the dead would gather for a cock-fighting session.

Meanwhile, chief resident of Sarawak William Crocker shared an interesting funeral custom practiced among the Melanaus.

“A few months after the death of a Milanow the friends assemble for a monster cock-fighting and feasting which lasts three or four days; sometimes as many as three or four hundred cocks are killed, the sacrifice being for the benefit of the departed spirit.”

7.If someone died in a room, the whole flooring is changed.

Will you renovate your house after your loved ones die in your home?

This is one of funeral customs that most probably too expensive to practise in this modern time.

According to Brooke Low, when a Sea Dayak dies back in those days, the floor of the room in which he died is changed.

8.Some objects or names which related to a dead person are taboo to touch or say.

Low also recorded another funeral custom which was practiced by the Kenyah communities in Lepo Anan and Long Sebatu.

“The camphor tree abounds in the forests of Balui Pe, but the Lepu Anans (Lepo Anan) and other may not touch it for a couple of years, out of reverence for the memory of Ana Lian Avit, the powerful Kinah (Kenyah) chief, who died a few months ago. Similarly Dian’s name may not be uttered in Long Sbatu (Long Sebatu), a Kinah village, it having been the name borne by a former chief here.”

9.A river can be taboo to fish or enter into during the mourning period.

During a journey to Lingga, the second White Rajah of Sarawak Charles Brooke witnessed another funeral custom.

He wrote in Ten Years in Sarawak (1882), “On the Lingga we passed one small rivulet tabooed in consequence of a rich chief having lately died, there were some spears stuck into the bank, and poles fixed across. No one could break through these impediments without incurring a severe fine; but when the time of mourning (ulit) is expired, the relatives of the deceased poison the fish in the stream, and of the population can be present to spear them after which the taboo is opened.”

10.A widow must not leave her room for seven days and she cannot marry again until Gawai Antu.

This funeral custom was practiced by those who lived in Undup back in those days. Crossland recorded, “If the deceased be a married man the widow many not leave her room for seven days; so everything here requires is brought to her; she wails for her dead husband mourning and evening; she may not marry again until after the Gawai Antu.”

If she did get married, she is fined for adultery as if her husband were alive. According to custom, she still belongs to the husband until the performance of the last rites of the Gawai Antu.

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Air Bunga, the Fountain of Youth in the Krayan Highlands

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Air Bunga, the Fountain of Youth in the Krayan Highlands
The Fountain of Youth for Krayan Highlands is rather accessible.

Tales of the fountain of youth have been recounted across the world for centuries. Supposedly, it is a spring that restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its water.

Up on the valley of Krayan Highlands in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, there is a small stream which might be the local equivalent of the fountain of youth.

Located at an altitude between 760m and 1200m, the Krayan Highlands in the Heart of Borneo is an important site to maintain the sustainability of Borneo’s last remaining of rainforests.

The Dayak Lundayeh people there call it Air Bunga (or flower water in Indonesian language).

It is water that flows from a small stream named Ba’ Sarang near the village of Tang Paye.

Air Bunga, the Fountain of Youth in the Krayan Highlands
Wash your face with Air Bunga and you might wash away some wrinkles.
Air Bunga, the healing water used for generations
Air Bunga, the Fountain of Youth in the Krayan Highlands
Besides washing your face, you can also drink the water straight from the bamboo pipes.

Located about 5-minutes walk from the village hall, the water has been used for generations by Lundayeh people living in the Krayan Highlands.

Just like the Fountain of Youth, the locals believe the water has anti-aging properties as well as healing powers.

According to local guide Alex Ballang, the locals would collect the water and keep some for storage at home.

Those who live in the surrounding villages besides Tang Payeh, would also come and take some Air Bunga for various reasons.

“If you have itchiness on your body or even your eyes, you can take a bath using this water or go to the stream to take a dip,” Alex said.

The locals also use it to clean their wounds, believing it would prevent infections.

Besides using Air Bunga externally, the locals also consume it believing it would cure minor sicknesses such as stomachache.

Some even use the water for daily activities such as cooking.

Another reason why the locals believe that Air Bunga is a miraculous source of water, is that it never run dries even during drought season.

Air Bunga, the Fountain of Youth in the Krayan Highlands
The water never run dries even during dry season.
Conserving Air Bunga
Air Bunga, the Fountain of Youth in the Krayan Highlands
The walk to Ba’ Sarang requires visitors to stroll through paddy fields.

Nobody really knows how Air Bunga was discovered. Regardless, this traditional knowledge has been passed down for so long that the current generation decided to conserve the miraculous stream.

They built a small concrete dam to collect the water and use two simple bamboo pipes for the water to flow.

To maintain the place, the villagers do not allow any clearing of the forest near the stream.

Additionally, they are looking forward to the area to becoming a tourist attraction site. The villagers strongly suggest those who visit the place for the first time to bathe or wash their faces there. With that, the visitors can experience first-hand the healing properties of Air Bunga.

It does not matter if the water of Ba’ Sarang is truly miraculous or not, Air Bunga is another reason why the Heart of Borneo initiative is an area like no places in the world.

This initiative of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia aims to improve management and governance of protected areas while documenting important biodiversity areas that are conserved by local communities.

While it is important to protect an forest area for its environmental value, it is equally important to conserve it for its cultural value just like this Krayan Highlands’ Fountain of Youth.

Air Bunga, the Fountain of Youth in the Krayan Highlands
Whether it is truly the Fountain of Youth, it is still nice and chilling to wash your face with Air Bunga.

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