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The Sale of Japanese vessels by the Custodian of Enemy Property

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The Sale of Japanese vessels by the Custodian of Enemy Property

Let say that a foreign country comes to attack us in war. After a while, they are chased back to where they came from leaving a lot of stuff behind. Some of these were originally taken from the civilian population and some belonged to the enemy. So, to whom does this property belongs to?

That is when the Custodian of Enemy Property comes in. It is an institution that handles property claims created by war.

In ancient times, these properties were considered as war loot and belonged to the ‘winner’ of the war.

However, in the Fourth Geneva Convention Article 147, this became categorised as a war crime.

All over the world, there are many records of Custodians of Enemy Property being established after wars ending.

For instance in India, The Custodian for Enemy Property for India was established to manage Pakistani property taken in the Second Kashmir War (1965).

Meanwhile in North Borneo (present-day Sabah), The Custodian of Enemy Property Jesselton was left in-charge of ships left behind by the Japanese after World War II (WWII).

A notice was given out to the public on Jan 31, 1952, about seven years after the war had ended, opening up the tender to purchase these ship wrecks.

This was the notice put out by the Custodian of Enemy Property:

Sale of Wrecked Vessels

The Custodian of Enemy Property, Jesselton, North Borneo, under the provision of the Japanese Property, (Vesting) Order 1951 invites tender for the purchase of certain wrecked vessels formerly of Japanese ownership lying around the coast of North Borneo. Each or all of the following vessles are offered as they lie and where they lie:-

1.The Custodian accepts no responsibility for the correctness of any part of the above description. In particular the tonnages given must be taken as merely estimated indications. Intending purchaser should arrange for their own inspection and survey of the vessels as they lie.

2.The successful tenderer will be required to obtain the approval of the Marine Superintendent Labuan, North Borneo, for the intended procedure of dealing with any wreck. Wrecks may be demolished at site. But if it is intended to attempt to float the wrecks, prior permission must be obtained from the Marine Superintendent who will require to be given full particulars of the method to be employed and of the equipment to be used in order to ensure that proper and safe methods to accordance with good salvage practice are employed. And that when floated or being removed any wreck is not likely to become a danger to navigation.

3.As regards wreck No. 1. it shall be a condition of sale that the vessel shall be totally removed, or that if partially removed or that if partially removed there shall be at least six fathoms of water over the vessel and clear obstruction at spring tides.

4.Tenderers must undertake to remove or demolish wrecks not later than 12 moths from the date of this notice. Scrap metal exported from the colony will be liable to export duty.

5.The full purchase amount must be paid to the Custodian of Property, Jesselton by the successful tenderer within fourteen days of notification of acceptance of the tender.

6.Tenders should be forwarded in sealed covers marked “Tender of the Japanese Wrecks” and addressed to the Custodian of the Property, Jesselton, North Borneo and must reach his office not later than June 14, 1952.

7.The Custodian does not bind himself to accept the highest or any tender.

Custodian of Enemy Property

KajoMag did not find any information on who bought these Japanese wrecks after this notice was published. Do you have more information on The Custodian of Enemy Property in Borneo after WWII? Let us know in the comment box.

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The history of water fluoridation in Sarawak uncovered

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Did you know that water fluoridation was first introduced in Sarawak in 1962? That was even before the state became part of the Malaysian federation.

Fluoridated water contains fluoride at a level that is effective for preventing cavities.

In the US, water fluoridation started in 1945 while the first state in Malaysia to install the system was Johor in 1957.

The number one reason for introducing fluoride to the public water supply was to prevent dental health problems.

So how does it work? The water works the surface of your teeth. It creates low levels of fluoride in saliva which reduces the rate that your tooth enamel de-mineralizes. At the same time, the water help to increase the rate of tooth enamel remineralizing in the early stages of cavities.

According to a Sarawak Gazette article published on Jan 31, 1962, the incidence of dental decay was very high.

“Decayed, missing and filled teeth are the accumulated ill effects of this decay and it constitutes a major dental health problem. Surveys carried out by a dental officer of the Medical Department among Simanggang school children have confirmed this high incidence. The suffering which decayed teeth can cause is only too well known. The extent to which the ability to chew and speak is affected and the disfigurement they cause, are common knowledge.”

Introducing water fluoridation to Sarawak

Sarawak used sodium silicofluoride in its water plants because “of safety in handling and relatively low solubility in water (0.8 per cent).”

The article further explained, “The chemical contains 60 per cent available fluoride and is therefore, added to the water supply in quantities of 1.2 parts per million part of water to give the required 0.7 parts of fluoride. Many types of dosing equipment are available but that selected for Sarawak is a simple displacement doser designed by the Hydraulics Branch of the Public Works Department and constructed in Brooke Dockyard.”

A simple metering device was installed to adjust the dosage of solution to the water passing through the plant.

For precautionary measure, the water plant operator back then regularly checked the fluoride level of the water at intervals of less than one hour.

On top of that, they also sent bulk samples of water bi-weekly to be analysed by the Chemical Bacteriological Laboratory.

To assure all Sarawakians, the article stated “One may ask of, despite all these precautions, it is possible to obtain an accidental toxic does. The answer is an emphatic ‘no’. It has been estimated that one person would have to drink about 500 gallons of water fluoridated to 0.7 parts per million a day in order to receive a toxic does.”

Overall, the cost of fluoridation equipment and installation to water authorities in Sarawak was estimated between $500 to $1500.

Additionally, the recurring cost of treating the water with fluorides was 0.04 cents per 1000 gallons.

This was considered to be a small cost to improve the dental health of Sarawakians.

The history of water fluoridation in Sarawak uncovered

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The history of illegal gambling and chap ji kee in Sarawak

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More than a hundred years ago, chap ji kee or chap jee ki was a famous gambling game in Sarawak. Today, you can be thrown in jail for playing the illegal gambling game of chap ji kee.

What is chap ji kee

It is believed this game started in Johor in the early 1890s before spreading to Singapore, Malaya and eventually Sarawak.

Based on the 12 game pieces from Chinese chess, each piece was assigned a number.

The gamblers then lay bets on a combination of two numbers from 1 to 12. Hence, there were 144 possible combinations.

The numbers could also be replaced with other characters such as animals or Chinese characters.

There were few ways to bet; firstly one could bet on the combination of numbers in a particular order. Winners could earn winnings up to 100 times their bets.

Secondly, the gamblers could bet two numbers to appear in either order. Win this and you get paid up to 50 times the stake.

Or gamblers could bet on one single number from either draw and get paid 20 times their stakes.

Another popular form of playing chap ji kee involved gamblers placing their bets on gaming tables and using Chinese playing cards. This version was known as chap ji kee pangjang or long chap ji kee.

The history of illegal gambling and chap ji kee in Sarawak
The longer version of chap ji kee used Chinese playing cards in their bets. Photo by Pixabay.

At first, chap ji kee was played on a board or table with gamblers staking their bets in person.

Slowly, the game evolved into collecting bets from gamblers at their homes or on the street. This was to avoid detection of authorities who prohibited the game.

In Singapore, the game was called the “housewives’ opium”. Bored housewives turned to the game as a way of bringing more excitement into their lives and provide some distraction from their daily responsibilities.

Although the women in general did not play for high stakes, the little winnings they had was satisfactory enough to buy something nice for themselves or their children.

Chap ji kee in Sarawak

In Sarawak, gambling was legalised by the Brooke government since it provided a large revenue to the state.

Some historians believed that the Brooke government could hardly do without opium and gambling.

Apart from needing the money, it was also a way for the government to keep the activities under their radar.

Back then, the Brooke government would not have had enough resources to enforce any anti-gambling laws.

At first, these gambling dens, just like the opium farms, were run by the government.

On July 1, 1885 under the issue of the Farms Order, the government opened a tender to private contractors for periods of three years.

The first company to receive the tender was Ong Ewe Hai & Co. It had the exclusive rights to open and keep gambling houses. Furthermore, they were allowed to license the opening and keeping of gambling houses within the district from Tanjung Datu to the Sadong river.

Back then, the government even assigned two policemen to keep the peace at these gambling houses in Kuching.

At first, there was no restriction on the opening hours of these gambling houses or the age of gamblers.

So young and old were welcomed to throw in their money at any given time of the day.

Restrictions on gambling

By the late 1920s, Kuching Chinese community leaders started to petition the government to put tighter rules on gambling.

Finally, the government announced their tighter restrictions in a notice which was published in the Gazette on December 1928.

The notice stated that from 1st January, 1929, public gaming would only be permitted in the following streets in Kuching; Carpenter Street, India Street, Bishopsgate Street and China Street.

On top of that, chap ji kee and those under 16 years of age were not allowed to gamble in Kuching and throughout the first division.

1929 was also the year when public gambling in Kuching would only be allowed from 4pm to 6am.

By 1930, the prohibition of chap ji kee and of gambling by those under the age of 16 was extended to the whole of Sarawak.

If gambling was legal, why was chap ji kee illegal?

According to The Sarawak Gazette writer Loh Chee Yin, it was not surprising that chap ji kee was prohibited as it caused the greatest misery among the people.

“There is no skill in the game and the dividend is high – a $1 bet will give you a return of $10, and $10 will yield $100 and so on if you are lucky,” Loh wrote.

He continued, “I remember the scene of a Chap Jee Kee den operated at a shophouse along Wayang Street during Japanese occupation period. Twelve Chinese characters were painted on a table measuring about 5 feet by 8 feet.

“The banker sat on one side of the table with two assistants standing around. Twelve similar characters were carved on ‘chips’, which were kept in a sack made of thick cloth. The banker placed his hand inside the sack and selected the character he wanted by feeling with his finger, similar to the Braille used by the blind! The chip was then hidden inside a wooden box about the size of a match box, then placed on top of the table. Each better started to put his bet on the character that he thought was in the box. Finally the banker revealed his chips and paid accordingly. The result was written on a small blackboard hung up in front of the shop. One session took about fifteen minutes.”

Chap ji kee back then and today

Loh also shared stories of gamblers sleeping in the graves of their relatives in the hopes that the dead would reveal a favourable word or a result of a chap ji kee game.

“All dreams during the night were closely examined to see whether they had any relations to the twelve characters. The bankers in their turn, made offerings to their gods, asking for protection against the spirits which might reveal the secret of his words. In short; hell of a mess,” he shared.

While chap ji kee is still a form of illegal gambling to this day, the variation of this game might be still played in private and isolated circles today.

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Iban pregnancy taboos as recorded by Rev William Howell

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Born on Sept 15, 1856, Reverend William Howell was a Eurasian born to a Welsh engineer named Frederick Howell and a Malay woman.

He was raised in Kuching before he left for England to study at St Augustine’s College in Canterbury.

When he returned to Sarawak in 1878, he spent most of his life preaching in the Batang Lupar area.

While doing his missionary work, Rev Howell contributed many articles on Iban folklore, culture and language.

On March 16, 1910, he published an article in The Sarawak Gazette highlighting the pregnancy taboos practiced by Iban women in the olden days.

Apart from what have listed below, there were plenty other pregnancy taboos according to Howell “of a minor character which are not worth mentioning”.

Iban pregnancy taboos as recorded by Rev William Howell

Here is a list of Iban pregnancy taboos as recorded by Rev William Howell:

1.It is forbidden for husband and wife to cut off creepers that hang over the water or the road, or else the mother would suffer from hemorrhage after delivery.

2.It is forbidden to dam a stream, to plait rattan, to make a bubu (fish trap) and to drive a nail into a board, or else the woman would have difficulty in the delivery.

3.It is forbidden to pour out oil, or else the child would suffer from inflammation of the ears.

4.The husband and wife are forbidden from fixing the hilt of the parang for fear the child will be born deaf.

5.The expecting parents are not allowed to break an egg or else the child would be blind.

6.They are not allowed to plant banana plants or else the child would be blind.

7.The husband and wife are forbidden to burn the wood of the ficus to warm themselves or else the child would be dumb.

8.They are are forbidden to kill any animals or else the child would be deformed or have a nose bleed.

9.To scrape smooth the shell of a coconut is forbidden, or else the child’s hair would not grow.

10. Not to bring a freshwater turtle into the room, if not the child would not be born.

11.Never dye anything black, or the child will be black.

12.If the woman were to go anywhere, she must return by the same way so that her child should not know how it is to be delivered.

13.The expectant mother is forbidden to eat anything in a mosquito net or else the child will be a stillborn.

14.The expectant mother is not allowed to carry any stones or the child will be paralysed.

15.Speaking of stones, the pregnant mother is not allowed to cast stones into the water, or else the child will not be delivered and the mother will die.

16.Do not bend any piece of wood into a circle or else the child will not prosper.

Animal sacrifices to ensure smooth pregnancies

Overall, the whole period of an Iban woman’s pregnancy was filled with anxiety and fear that the bad spirits (antu) might assault her and her innocent baby.

For instance, a bad dream or a small accident such as a fall was considered a sign of incoming danger during her delivery. Hence, a fowl had to be sacrificed to appease the spirit.

Back then, it was common to hear women talking about how many fowls had been killed during her pregnancy.

Do you know any other olden Iban pregnancy taboos? Let us know in the comment box.

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How Dayak peacemaking ceremonies were carried out during the 19th century?

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Modern day peacemaking usually has some hand-shaking gesture and official announcement in front of the media if it has gathered public interest.

In 19th century Sarawak, peacemaking ceremonies back then were somehow more interesting.

It usually involved some kind of tajau (jar) being exchanged and sometimes even human sacrifice.

Here, KajoMag looks back at how Dayak peacemaking ceremonies were carried out in the olden days of Sarawak:
1.They rip each others’ harvests to the core.

This Dayak peacemaking method was reportedly practiced by people living along the Sadong river.

The first White Rajah James Brooke stated in his personal journal, “When peace is made between them, one tribe visits the other, in order to feast together; and on these occasions, whatever the number or visitors may be, they are at liberty to use the fruits of their hosts without hindrance. At their pleasure they strip the coconuts off the trees, devour and carry away as much as they can, without offence. Of course the hosts in turn become visitors, and pay in the same coin.

“All the Dayaks are remarkably tenacious of their fruit trees; but on the occasion of the feast, beside taking the fruit, the visitors fell one tree, as a symbol of good understanding; of course it is only once that such liberties are taken or allowed. At other times it would be an affront sufficient to occasion a war.”

A Dayak peacemaking ceremony that could cause another war did not exactly served its purpose. Perhaps that is the reason why the second White Rajah Charles Brooke put an end to this tradition during his reign.

2.They sacrificed a slave as a sign of peacemaking

Well, this is a Dayak peacemaking ceremony that you definitely will never see again.

Resident O.F. Ricketts once described a Murut peacemaking ceremony where a human sacrifice involved.

He wrote, “Occasionally feuds have been settled between two tribes, the aggressors having made full compensation in payment of jars, brassware, and two slaves. It was custom to kill one of these slaves to make up for the relative lost.”

3.They sacrificed some pigs

Charles witnessed many peacemaking ceremonies during his reign. One of them took place between the Ibans from Undup and from Dutch Borneo (Kalimantan).

During the ceremony, both sides agreed that the first to draw their weapon on another in the future must be fined eight jars.

Then they sacrificed some pigs with the blood sprinkled around the ceremony. Some even took the blood home to sprinkle at their houses. This was to wash away any evil tendencies there might be hanging in the atmosphere and to appease the spirits.

4.They exchanged weapons between themselves

Just like the Iban, the Kanowit people also sacrificed a pig during their peacemaking ceremonies.

Spenser St. John recorded, “A pig was placed between the representatives of two tribes who after calling down the vengeance of the spirits on those who broke the treaty, plunged their spears into the animal and then exchanged weapons.”

The representatives then bit each other’s blades to complete the ceremony.

5.They poured the blood of fowl on themselves

St. John also witnessed a ceremony where two men who were feuding would never look at each other even when they were in the same house.

He wrote, “They refused to cast their eyes upon each other till a fowl has been kill and the blood sprinkled over them.”

The second White Rajah recorded in his book Ten Years in Sarawak that although fowl was involved in the Dayak peacemaking ceremony, no blood was sprinkled over those who were present.

They waved fowls over the heads of the guests for those who came to the ceremony “to conduce to good and friendly feeling and to prevent either party from quarreling and fighting.”

How Dayak peacemaking ceremonies were carried out during the 19th century?
Dayak Festival in a traditional Longhouse, 1846, Dutch Borneo. Illustration by C.A.L.M. Schwaner. Credits: Public Domain.

Regardless of how the signs of peacemaking were made, the ceremony usually ended with festivities.

Do you know any other ways how Sarawakians hold their peacemaking ceremony in the olden days? Let us know in the comment box.

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The local Kanowit version of the Fox and Steele murders

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After two of Brooke’s officers – Charles James Fox and Henry Steele – were murdered in 1859, the government named two suspects behind the crime.

They were Saweng (sometimes spelled Sawing) and Sakalai (sometimes spelled Sekalai).

So who were they and what drove them to kill the officers?

Here is what the local Kanowit people believed happened in the Fox and Steele murders:

This version of the story was told by Jaro Lamit who was a former chief of Kampung Bedil, Kanowit. He told the story to The Sarawak Gazette in September 1963 when he was already in his mid-eighties.

In the olden days, there were many tribes living in Kanowit, including the Kanowit tribe. The Kanowit people were more populous in this area than the other tribes.

Two of their chiefs were Saweng and Sakalai. Sakalai, however was a Melanau from Matu by birth.

According to Jaro, the site of the secondary school at Kanowit in the 1960s used to be where two longhouses stood.

“In those days the Kanowit people were divided into three ranks; Raja (aristocrats), Panyin (middle class) and Dipan (slave). The aristocrats lived in the middle apartments of the longhouse; the middle class (panyin) lived on either side and the slaves (dipan) lived with the families of the aristocrats. They worked for the aristocrats and everybody lived at peace,” Jaro stated.

Then a beautiful girl named Nyalade came into the picture. Saweng only had eyes on Nyalade and wished to have her hand in marriage.

However, Nyalade had her own mind, telling Saweng, “If you are really a brave man and invulnerable, you go and cut off the heads of the two white fowls on the other side of the river.”

Nyalade was actually refusing to marry Saweng because he already had a wife and two children.

Saweng, nonetheless, felt ashamed and threatened with Nyalade’s dare. He then told his people to pack all their belongings and make refuge at Kabah river (Nanga Kabah) where they built a stronghold.

Determined to prove his bravery, Saweng and a few of his men – including Sakalai – went to the fort where Fox and Steele stayed.

Jaro told the gazette, “Before they reached the Fort, Saweng said to Sakalai and his friends, ‘When I begin to chew betel nut, you will kill those Europeans.’ When they reached the Fort, Saweng began to chew betel nut, and Sakalai and his friends took their parangs and killed them.”

The local Kanowit version of the Fox and Steele murders
Kanowit bazaar in 2016.
The aftermath of the murders
The local Kanowit version of the Fox and Steele murders
The double homicide of the Brooke officers had led the Brooke government to send punitive expedition against the Kanowit people. Credit: Pixabay.

After the news of the murders reached the White Rajah, the Brooke government sent a punitive expedition to Kanowit.

They made the fort into a stronghold and attacked the surrounding villages with their guns and cannons.

Meanwhile, Saweng and his followers made their escape to Kabah river to their stronghold.

The Ibans that the Brooke recruited knew about this so they followed them to the stronghold. Some of these Ibans were once allies to Saweng.

After a ferocious fight between Saweng and his men against Brooke and his Iban warriors, Saweng’s troop started to break apart.

As many of his followers died during the battle, those who came from Matu, Igan and Mukah to fight went back to their own homes.

Even some of the Kayan and Bukitan people who helped him perished during the battle.

Saweng, however did not falter. He attempted to escape up the Rajang river to the Iran river. There, he fought another fierce battle with the Brooke troops.

Jaro said, “The water of the Iran river became red with blood. After a long fight at the Iran river, Saweng and his followers could not longer stand the heavy fire of the Rajah’s party, and escaped to the Pelagus river where they again made a stand.”

Saweng and his followers continued to fight through the Brookes as they made another escape to the Kejaman longhouse at Tuju Metahap, near the Belaga bazaar today.

There, he made the Kejaman longhouse as his stronghold. Legend has it that he hung a mat in front of the house in order to protect it. It was said that none of the bullets fired on the longhouse were able to penetrate the magical mat.

Nonetheless, many of the Sekapan and Kejaman people paid the price for harbouring Saweng and his men.

Saweng’s final escape to Anap

After staying with the Kejaman people Tuju Metahap, Saweng then went to Anap.

When Saweng and his followers fought against the Rajah’s expedition, his children Gadap and Metalai were actually still living in Kanowit.

Upon learning about this, the Rajah reportedly sent a letter to Saweng in Anap telling him that his children were under arrest.

In order to free his children, Saweng decided to surrender himself to the Rajah in Kuching. There, he was put in jail.

They tried to put him to death by different kinds of methods such as stabbing and shooting but all failed.

The Kanowit people believed he had some power that made him invulnerable.

According to Jaro: “In the end Saweng said to the Rajah, it is painful to have your men trying to kill me like this, and it will be better for me to die quickly. Saweng then asked the Rajah to kill him himself and the Rajah took his dagger and killed Saweng.”

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Four covert operations by Z Special Unit in Borneo during WWII

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For those who survived, they kept their silence for 30 years. Nobody knew what they did during World War II (WWII).

For those who died during their missions, nobody, not even their families knew about their sacrifices or the nature of their deaths for those 30 years.

They were part of Z Special Unit, a joint Allied Special forces unit formed to operate behind Japanese lines in Southeast Asia.

The operatives were mostly from Australia while others were British, Dutch, New Zealand, Timorese and Indonesian.

After the war ended, the special military unit operatives were sworn to secrecy and not allowed to tell anyone of their experiences until 1980.

While their best known missions were Operation Jaywick and Operation Rimau (both of which involved raids on Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour), these operatives also carried out covert operations in Borneo.

Here are at least four covert operations run by Z Special united in Borneo during WWII:
Four covert operations by Z Special Unit in Borneo during WWII
Members of Z Special Unit at their base at East Arm, near Darwin. Credits: Australian War Memorial.
1.Operation Python

As all Z Special Unit’s operations were covert and secretive, not much has been revealed to the public even almost 80 years since the war has ended.

This included Operation Python which took place from 1943 to 1944. The mission’s objective was to set up a wireless station near Labian Point in Sabah and undertake covert operations reporting on the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Sibutu Passage and the Balabac Strait of the Sulu Sea.

The overall operation was divided into Python I and Python II. During Operation Python I, the Z Special Unit operatives landed along Labian Point in early October 1943. Besides setting up a wireless station there, they also supported and provided equipment for Filipino guerrillas.

In January 1944, Operation Python II took place with the objective of organising the native population for guerrilla warfare.

Unfortunately, these early operations did not yield significant results.

2.Operation Agas

A total of 44 Z Special Unit operatives took part in Operation Agas in carrying out guerrilla warfare against Japanese in North Borneo (present day Sabah) with the support of locals.

Operation Agas was split into five operations, starting in March 1945, continuing up to September and October 1945.

While the operations were able to supply reliable information to Australian forces, they did little rescue mission-wise.

For example, Agas 1 operatives provided information about the Sandakan Death March but there were no rescue missions for the prisoners of war (POWs). The death march subsequently resulted in the deaths of 2,434 POWs.

Nonetheless, the intelligence gathered during Operation Agas helped the Allied forces during the Battle of North Borneo which was fought between June 10 to Aug 15, 1945.

3.Operation Semut

While Operation Agas was executed in North Borneo, a similar covert mission was undertaken in Sarawak called Operation Semut.

There was four operations undertaken under Operation Semut. Overall, the operation reportedly caused the deaths of 1,500 to 1,700 Japanese from March to October 1945.

Under this operation, the Z Special Unit members trained and supplied the locals with weapons to help conduct surveillance and sabotage behind enemy lines.

Unlike Operation Agas, the intelligence gathered during Operation Semut was not entirely helpful as the locals could not differentiate between facts and rumours.

4.Operation Platypus

Just like any other operations undertaken by Z Special Unit, Operation Platypus aimed to gather intelligence and train local peoples as resistance fighters against the Japanese.

The operatives were inserted in small groups into the Balikpapan area of Dutch Borneo (present day Kalimantan).

There were 11 operations altogether in Operations Platypus with the first part of the operations carried out on Mar 20, 1945.

The last operation took place on July 22, 1945 where the operatives used folboats to reconnoitre and pinpoint prospective target areas.

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5 things you should know about Sarawak’s flags throughout the years

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Did you know that the current Sarawak flag was inspired by the state’s old flag when it was under the reign of the White Rajahs?

Over the years, there have been several changes to the Sarawak flag with the current design becoming official in 1988.

And who could forget the Trisakti that was designed and first hoisted by the then Chief Minister of Sarawak Abdul Rahman Ya’kub in 1973?

5 things you should know about Sarawak's flags throughout the years
The Trisakti flag: The blue was supposed to symbolise Sarawakians being unified in pursuit of national aspirations; the red to symbolise their perseverance and determination; and the white to reflect honesty and purity.

The current design retains the same colour scheme as the flag of the former kingdom, except with two significant changes. The cross was replaced with two diagonal bars while the crown was substituted with a nine-pointed star.

Here are 5 things you should know about the history of previous Sarawak flags before all these changes:
1.Before there was an official flag, there was the flag of St George.
5 things you should know about Sarawak's flags throughout the years
Brooke’s personal standard was the flag of St George’s Cross. Photo credit: The Sarawak Gazette.

When the first White Rajah James Brooke came into power, he originally used St. George’s Cross as the state’s flag.

It was a red cross on a white background in the form of swallow-tailed pennant. James flew this flag over his first fort at Berlidah, not far from Siniawan.

2.The first official Sarawak flag was designed by James Brooke.

Finally in 1845, James decided to give Sarawak a flag of its own. However, he only hoisted it three years later on Sept 21, 1848.

The flag was made up of a half blue and half red cross of his Armorial Bearings on a yellow background.

So what did the first White Rajah do after there was an official Sarawak flag? In 1845, he applied to the British Ministries for Foreign and Colonial Affairs in order for them to recognise Sarawak by allowing a Protectorate flag to be displayed.

However, it took the British government 15 years (January, 1864) to recognise Sarawak as an independent state and another 35 years (June, 1888) before Britain expressed its protection.

James was reported to have regretted that the flag did not contain a quartered Union Jack (like you see in today’s New Zealand and Australian flags).

3.Was it blue or purple?
5 things you should know about Sarawak's flags throughout the years
The first official Sarawak flag caused some debate over whether it was a blue and red cross or a purple and red cross. Photo credit: The Sarawak Gazette.

The only recorded account of the first hoisting of the Sarawak flag can be found in “Letters from Sarawak” in 1851 by Harriette McDougall, the wife of Bishop McDougall.

She wrote a letter to her son Charley who was at school in England, which was later published to help raise missionary funds in Sarawak.

Unfortunately, Charley passed away a year after this letter was written due to a blow from a cricket ball.

Going back to the Sarawak flag, this was what Harriette wrote to her son:

“The Sarawak flag is a purple and red cross, out of Sir James Brooke’s armorial shield, on a yellow background, yellow being the royal colour of Borneo. It was given by the Rajah to his people on his return from England in 1848 and I remember well what a grand occasion it was. HMS Meander was at Sarawak (the old name for Kuching) at the time, and their band played ‘God save the Queen’, as the flag was the first time hoisted on the flag-staff before the Rajah’s house.

All the English (probably only men) were assembled there, and a great crowd of natives, Malays and Dayaks, whom the Rajah addressed in the Malay language telling them the flag which he had that day given them would he hoped, be their glory and protection, as the flag of England had been hers. The Malays listened with love and reverence to his words and from house across the river, I could hear their acclamation.”

Although Mrs McDougall here pointed out that the flag was a purple and red cross, the second White Rajah Charles had clarified in a letter that the cross was in fact blue and red.

But that did not stop many of the early writers from the late 19th century stating that the colours were purple and red.

4.The first recorded official notification regarding the Sarawak flag was issued on May 7, 1870.

According to archivist W.J Chater, the first official notification regarding the Sarawak flag was concerning the dimensions of the flag.

It also stated, “Black bunting to be used in place of blue” denoting the change from the cross’ blue colour to black and quash the rumours that it was purple instead of blue.

  • 5 things you should know about Sarawak's flags throughout the years
    Sarawak flag from 1870 till 1946 and 1963 to 1973.
5.The three bodies that first used Sarawak flags officially

While it is common to see the Sarawak flag hoisted up in front of government buildings these days, back in the olden days the Rajah first gave the Sarawak flags to three bodies, namely the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (S.P.G) in 1871, the Borneo Company in 1874 and the Roman Catholic Mission in 1906.

The Roman Catholic Mission hoisted the Sarawak flag for the first time on Vyner Brooke’s birthday (Sept 26, 1906).

Meanwhile, the Kuching branch of the Borneo Company Limited hoisted the flag only for a short time. Then they refused to do so reportedly because they found ‘it was too ugly’ and the blue border being a Chinese sign of mourning might have been considered unlucky for business.

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12 Indonesia-Malaysia combats during Konfrontasi you should know

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Also known as Konfrontasi, the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation was an undeclared war with most of the battles happening between Kalimantan (Indonesia) and East Malaysia.

The confrontation was a result from Indonesia’s opposition to the creation of Malaysia.

Initially, Indonesian attacks on East Malaysia comprised of local volunteers trained by the Indonesian Army.

Over a period of time, the intrusions became more organised with involvement of Indonesian forces.

On the Malaysian side, the British provided help to Malaysian forces with periodic contributions from Australian and New Zealand forces.

The intensity of the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation eventually subsided after the 30 September Movement when six Indonesian Army generals were assassinated.

Indonesia formally recognised Malaysia when a final peace agreement was signed on Aug 11, 1966.

Still, many lives were lost on both sides with combats happening in small-sized operations.

Here are at least 12 Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation combats you should know about:
12 Indonesia-Malaysia combats during Konfrontasi you should know
While operating in Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation, a soldier is winched up to a Westland Wessex HAS3 of 845 Naval Air Squadron, during operations in the jungle. Another soldier is kneeling on the edge of the extraction zone. Credit: Public Domain.
1.Attack on Tebedu police station

The first infiltration and attack as part of Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation was recorded in April 1963.

On Apr 12, 1963, an Indonesian force attacked and seized Tebedu police station. Although Malaysia was not formed yet, the Malaysian government considered this as the first military attack on the-then future East Malaysia.

The raid, which happened on Good Friday that year, caused the death of a corporal and two wounded soldiers.

12 Indonesia-Malaysia combats during Konfrontasi you should know
Tebedu
2.Battle of Long Jawai

On Sept 28, 1963, a large number of Indonesian troops crossed the Sarawak-Kalimantan border and attacked the outpost at Long Jawai.

After exchanging fires for several hours, one Gurkha was killed and ten Malaysian border scouts were captured and later executed.

3.The Kalabakan Incident

The locals of Kalabakan, Tawau unfortunately witnessed one attack by the Indonesian forces on Dec 29, 1963.

Nonetheless, the attack successfully brought different groups of Malaysians to fight together for one sole cause.

A battalion from the 3rd Royal Malay Regiment (RMR) from Peninsular Malaysia, the Police Field Force, Sabah Home Guard and even Kalabakan villagers united to fight off the Indonesian forces.

The Kalabakan Incident resulted in the deaths of eight men from RMR and 18 others injured.

4.Landing at Pontian

On Aug 17, 1964, Indonesian troops made an amphibious landing at the Pontian district of Johor.

The troops landed in three different locations along Pontian coast according to plan. However, Malaysians security forces were quick to respond with half of the raiders captured immediately upon landing.

5.Landing at Kesang river

Located on the border between the Malaysian states of Malacca and Johor, Kesang river witnessed an amphibious raid conducted by a small force of Indonesian volunteers on Oct 29, 1964.

52 of these volunteers sailed across the Straits of Malacca in fishing vessels on each side of the mouth of the Kesang river.

Their action plan was to blend in with the locals and to launch guerrilla raids against Malaysian infrastructure.

However, Malaysian fishermen spotted the raiders and quickly informed the authorities.

The British troops, assisted by the Australians immediately arrived to the scene where they killed and captured all but two of the invaders.

6.Landing at Labis

About a month later after the landing at Kesang river, the Indonesians made another landing on Sept 2, 1964 near Labis, Johor and this time via air.

Three Indonesian Air Force aircraft set off from Jakarta but only two landed as the third aircraft crashed into the Straits of Malacca.

Under the command of 4th Malaysian Infantry Brigade, the operation took about a month to round up all the 98 paratroopers.

32 of the intruders were killed while the rest were captured.

7.Action of Dec 13, 1964

The Action of Dec 13, 1964 was a naval action between the Australian minesweeper HMAS Teal and two Indonesian vessels.

It took place in the Singapore Strait where HMAS Teal was conduction patrols at night. The two Indonesian vessels fired automatic weapons upon HMAS Teal. The Australian ship killed three and captured four other during the combat.

8.Battle of Plaman Mapu

The Battle of Plaman Mapu was one of the largest battles of the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation.

In the early hours of Apr 27, 1965, a battalion of Indonesian soldiers launched a surprise attack on B Company, 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment in their base at Plaman Mapu.

The British was outnumbered by at least five to one but they still managed to cause significant damage on the Indonesians.

In the end, the battle took the lives of 30 Indonesians and two British troops.

9.Battle of Sungei Koemba

The Battle of Sungei Koemba was part of the wider Operation Claret that took place along the Sungai Koemba in Kalimantan.

The battle consisted of two ambushes conducted by two platoons from the Australian forces.

B Company ambushed Indonesian troops on May 27, 1965 resulting in significant Indonesian casualties and no loss for the Australians.

Meanwhile, the second ambush happened a little further downstream from the last one by a platoon from C Company. Occurred on June 12, 1965, the second ambush again resulted in heavy Indonesian casualties for no loss to the Australians.

12 Indonesia-Malaysia combats during Konfrontasi you should know
British Royal Marines Commando unit armed with machine gun and Sten gun patrolling using a boat in the river on Serudong, Sabah between 1963 until 1966. Credit: Malaysian Archive [Public domain]
10.Battle of Kindau

Three days after the last ambush at Sungei Koemba, a platoon from A Company successfully ambushed another large Indonesian force at Kindau, Kalimantan.

The ambush resulted in about 25 to 50 Indonesian casualties and two Australians wounded.

Unlike other engagements under Operation Claret which remained under wraps, Battle of Kindau was caught by the media after a journalist interviewed one of the wounded Australians.

However, the news was reported under the pretence the battle took place within Malaysian authority.

11.Battle of Babang

This was the last in a series of successful ambushes conducted between May and July 1965 by Australian troops from 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR).

The battle took place on July 12, 1965 at Babang, Kalimantan as part of the wider British-Commonwealth Operation Claret.

On that day, 7 Platoon C was in an ambush position along a track near the Indonesian base at Babang. Around noon time, a force of about 30 Indonesians approached along the track. The Australians ambushed the Indonesian troops subsequently killing at least 13 of them and wounded five.

The cross-border attack was to provide warning to the Indonesian troops not to incur into Sarawak territory.

12.Battle of Bau or Battle of Gunung Tepoi

On Nov 21, 1965, 16 members of the British Army Gurkhas launched an attack on about 100 Indonesian troops.

The Gurkhas were then supported by the 104 men resulting the Indonesians to withdraw.

After the battle, the Indonesians reported at least 24 men killed in action and the British lost three men.

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Looking back at Adenan Satem’s form six essay “Democracy”

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Affectionately known as ‘Tok Nan’, Tan Sri Pehin Sri Adenan Satem (1944-2017) was the fifth Chief Minister of Sarawak.

When he was young, Adenan went to St. Joseph’s Primary School before continuing his studies at St. Joseph’s Secondary School.

As a sixth form student, he was part of the committee for Ad Astra, the school’s magazine catered to the senior students.

The school periodically sent some of the students’ articles to publish in The Sarawak Gazette including one of Adenan’s on Oct 31, 1964.

In his short bio, this was what the gazette published about Adenan.

“Adenan Satem is at present studying in Upper Six Arts. He is Sales Manager for the Magazine and also Secretary of the School’s Literary and Debating Society. He was one of the the founder members of the Magazine and has always taken a very keen interest in its progress not only in Committee work but also in contributions in writing. He hopes to do an Arts Degree in University.”

Eventually, he did pursue his studies in law at the University of Adelaide, Australia.

Read the whole article written by the late chief minister Adenan Satem entitled “Democracy”:

Different people define Democracy differently but to my mind a democracy is a country which can vote its rulers into power and, even more important, vote them out of power should they prove to be inefficient, corrupt or power-hungry. In short the central characteristic of Democracy is that venerable institution called ‘representative government’.

Now I must admit that this is a very crude definition of a democracy but at the same time I believe it is a practical one. I am no sophisticated political theorist. I am only one who seeks to understand Democracy as it works and it applies to our everyday lives. If you want to know from the first whether I am for or against Democracy I would like to quote, if I may Sir Winston Churchill. When he as asked for his opinion on Democracy he said: “Democracy is the worst system of government in the world-except the others.”

I maintain therefore that Democracy is not the most perfect system of government but it is thre bes system so far. We have not yet devised a system of government which may prove to be better than Democracy.

Democracy has numerous faults. It is cumbersome, sluggish, often mistaken and prejudiced in its decisions and polices and at its worst it can develop into disconcerting force but political experiences down the ages when Democracy was first conceived have that all other ways of governing complex modern societies are far, far worse.

Of course the sole right of choosing a government and then chucking it out if it dissatisfies us is not the whole concept of Democracy. On the other hand, there are many rights and institutions which revolve round the central nucleus of representative government. For a democracy to work the people must be free to express themselves, they must be allowed to air their views in public, they must be allowed to say what kind of government they want and who their leaders should be, and they must be allowed to criticize the powers that be. Secondly, the people must have the right of assembly. This is to say that people must be allowed to group themselves into various associations so that their views may be appreciated all the more and to allow no one group to dominate all the other groups and also to protect the individual from being victimized by stronger and concerted forces. It goes without saying that these associations, like political parties, trade unions and employer’s associations, must be allowed a relatively and reasonably free hand in its organization, polices and procedures. If the internal affairs of these associations are interfered with unnecessarily by, say the government, then the whole democratic concept of free associations is simply meaningless. And thirdly there must be independent law courts. The “rule of law” must be the watchword because this is the one principle which protects the individual in society from the whims and fancies of would-be tyrants and demagogues. It establishes the superiority of law, which must have its origin in the sovereign people, over mere arbitrariness or caprice, and goes on to state that “no person may be deprived of life, liberty or property except in consequence of an infraction of the law proved in open court, and that no man stands above the law, and that therefore everyone is liable, in case of such infraction, to punishment or exaction of reparation on lines laid down by law, regardless of his station or connections.” Again it goes without saying that judges and juries must be completely independent and not give verdicts according to what has not been proved in open court. The position and appointment of judges must never be based on political loyalties, and judges must never be involved in politics during the tenure of their office.

All this of course is part of the worn-out, classical definition of Democracy. But developing in our own time is another very important element which has more or less identified itself with the Democratic concept. I am speaking of political parties. Democracy essentially means choice and we can choose only if there is an alternative or are alternatives. A country which has only political party is not democracy because the people have no choice. However much people who are assured of the above ‘inalienable rights’ they will not be able to practice them effectively unless there are in existence at one and the same time at least two rival political parties between which the electorate has a choice and which stand on entirely different platforms. One may for example stand for socialism and planning, and the other ‘laissez-faire’ capitalism but their polices must be different or else there will be no real choice. This then is the importance of political party system. It offers a choice.

If all these then are the dominant features of Democracy what is it worth? There is no need for me here to relate the sad tale of the decline of Democracy and the rise of nations which seek to undermine all that it stands for. Suffice it to say that much of the fault can be traced to ourselves, of our losing faith in Democracy amidst poverty and backwardness, ignorance and fear.

Looking back at Adenan Satem’s form six essay "Democracy"
“Democracy essentially means choice and we can choose only if there is an alternative or are alternatives,” Adenan Satem. Credit: Pixabay

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