First of all, you can easily grab your coffee-to-go at any kopitiam (if you prefer good old local kopi) or even the typical choice of Starbucks. Plus, you can go visit any of Kuching’s dozens of cafes, but most of them are not open until late morning or noon. So what do you do when […]
Nowadays, you can find boba shops in almost every corner of Kuching. Did you know that there are at least eight Taiwanese bubble tea brands available here? If bubble tea has its own capital country, there is no denying that Taiwan would be it. So far, there are two origin stories on how this chewy, […]
KUCHING: Hock Seng Lee (HSL), Next Phase and the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) are inviting registered architects to challenge their creativity in an architectural design competition called ‘Langit’. Targeted for a prime piece of land in Kuching’s central business district, the plot measures about an acre along Jalan Tabuan and is within 1 km […]
When you hear about another shopping mall like La Promenade Mall opening up in Kota Samarahan, those living closer to central Kuching may feel undecided about crossing the Kuching-Samarahan line. It sounds ‘far’ and you might have to deal with the legendary Samarahan traffic. Sited along the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway comfortably between the established city centre […]
When Batu Lintang camp was liberated on Sept 11, 1945 by the Australian 9th Division, the camp population was 2,024. Overall, there were 1,392 prisoners of wars (POWs), 395 were male civilian internees and 237 were civilian women and children. There were two death orders found among the official Japanese papers at the Japanese-run internment […]
When it comes to prisoner-of-war (POW) camps in Malaysian Borneo, most people immediately think of Batu Lintang in Kuching and Sandakan POW camps. What is less known is that Labuan had a POW camp for some time during World War II (WWII). The purpose of Labuan POW Camp By 1944, the Japanese military decided to […]
When a soldier serves in a war for his country, it is out of patriotism. But what happens when soldiers fight in a war for a country that colonised them? After World War II (WWII), many Korean and Taiwanese (Formosan) soldiers were convicted for war crimes alongside Japanese troops. How did they end up fighting […]
If you are not familiar with inoculation or variolation (deliberately introducing the pathogen into an uninfected person), it is the method first used to immunize an individual against smallpox with material taken from a patient or a recently variolated individual, in the hopes that a mild, but protective infection would result. The procedure was most […]
This is part of Sarawak that no longer exists, which is the first Sarawak Chamber of Commerce: After 30 years of Brooke rule in Sarawak, the end of 1871 saw how vastly the import and export trade of the country had increased. The previous 10 years showcased a steady rise of $100,000 a year until […]
In the olden days, Sarawak’s capital was also known as ‘Sarawak’. Why did the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke decide to change Sarawak’s capital name to Kuching on Aug 12, 1872? Abang Othman Datu Haji Moasili wrote in The Sarawak Gazette on Aug 31, 1964 that explained the reason behind it. “The story, according to […]
