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18 impressive forts in Sarawak built during the Brooke Era

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The Kingdom of Sarawak was established from a series of land concessions by the Brooke family famously known as the White Rajahs.

In fact, it was even recognised as an independent state by the United States in 1850 and the United Kingdom in 1864.

The founder James Brooke and his successors Charles as well as Vyner built forts every time they acquired a territory from the Sultanate of Brunei.

As a result, forts mostly made of belian or ironwood can be found in almost every town in Sarawak.

Some of the forts in Sarawak were well-kept and turned into museums.

Another handful were abandoned, losing all trace of their former glory.

The rest were either destroyed, burnt down or bombed, leaving no physical evidence of their very existence.

Nonetheless, here is a brief guide on forts in Sarawak built during the reign of the White Rajahs:

1. Fort Emma in Kanowit (1859)

When it was first built in 1859, they only used timber and bamboo. It was named in honour of Emma Brooke, Charles’ sister.

2. Fort Brooke in Sibu (1862)

There was a fort built by the Brookes in 1862, believed to be located at present day Channel Road. However, the building was demolished in 1936.

3. Fort Alice in Sri Aman (1864)

Here is another fort named after the first Ranee whose full name was Margaret Alice Lili de Windt. The fort was built in 1864 with belian wood.

The oldest heritage building in Sri Aman, now it is also known as Heritage Sri Aman Museum.

4. Fort Keppel in Bintulu (1868)

The White Rajah started to build this wooden fort in Bintulu in 1862. They named it after Sir Henry Keppel who was a close friend of James and Charles.

Keppel was responsible for ending Dayak piracy in the Saribas between 1840 and 1850. The building was made of belian wood and had a cement floor.

Unfortunately, it was completely destroyed when it was hit by a bomb in 1942 during the Japanese occupation.

5. Fort Charles in Kabong (1878)

Fort Charles was first built by a Brooke officer named Maxwell in 1878.

Like most of the forts in Sarawak, it was used as an administration office and also to collect taxes.
In 1893, the fort collapsed due to soil erosion and was rebuilt further inland in 1895.

6. Fort Margherita in Kuching (1879)

Back in the olden days, a cannon shot was fired from this fort every evening to mark the end of the government work day.

Now, Fort Margherita plays home to the Brooke Gallery displaying historical documents and artifacts.  The fort was named in honour of Charles’s wife Ranee Margaret.

A night view of Fort Margherita, one of the forts in Sarawak
A night view of Fort Margherita, one of the forts in Sarawak.

7. Fort Sylvia in Kapit (1880)

This historical fort was built in 1880 and named after Ranee Sylvia, Vyner’s wife.

From May 1997 till now, the Sarawak state government authorised the Tun Jugah Foundation to set up a museum in this building.

Fort Sylvia Kapit (10)
The front door of Fort Sylvia.

8. Fort Vyner in Belaga (1884)

It was named after the third White Rajah Charles Vyner Brooke.

The fort was officially declared complete on Jan 13, 1884. Belaga’s oldest government building was burnt to ashes in May 2015.

9. Fort Lily in Betong (1885)

Fort Lily was built in 1885 right after the Saribas area was ceded to the Brookes.

It played a significant role as defence centre during the war against Iban warrior Rentap.

As of 2017, the fort has been locked up from public access and its grounds appear untended.

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A view of Fort Lily through its locked gates.
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Signage pointing to Fort Lily.

10.Fort Florence in Trusan (1887)

On Jan 3, 1885, Trusan river and its area were ceded to Kingdom of Sarawak.  A fort was quickly built in 1887.

According to reports, it was named Fort Florence after Mrs Maxwell, whose husband was one of Brooke’s officers then.

11. Fort Ranee in Saratok (1888)

Ten years after Fort Charles in Kabong was built, Fort Ranee was built in Saratok on top of Satagok hill.

Initially, it was built as an temporary building with attap roofing and timber. During its glory days, it was used as a district office.

12. Fort Limbang (1897)

This two-storey fort was built in 1897. The first storey was made of belian timber while the ground floor was concrete. Sadly in 1989, the original building was burnt to the ground.

But it was then rebuilt on the original site with the exact design. It was turned into Limbang Regional Museum on Aug 27, 1994.

13.Fort Hose in Marudi (1901)

The construction on this fort began in 1889 and were completed in 1901. It was named after Charles Hose, the then resident of the Fourth Division.

Currently, it is also  known as Baram Regional Museum.

Fort Hose

14. Fort Burdett in Mukah (1911)

Fort Burdett was named after 19th century philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts. She was a good friend of the first Rajah.

During WWII, the original building was burnt to the ground.

15. Fort Arundell in Lubok Antu (1912)

Fort Arundell was constructed in 1912. It was named after the then resident of Simanggang division, Gilbert Roger Harris Arundell.

Unfortunately, he was killed in 1942 when the Japanese attacked Sarawak during WWII.

16. Fort Leonora in Engkilili (1924)

This fort was built in 1924.

Unlike the rest of forts in Sarawak, this fort was not built to defend the kingdom from any attack.

It was built purposefully as an administration centre in Engkilili.  The fort was named after Vyner’s eldest daughter Dayang Leonara Margaret.

The original building was taken down to build the current district office.

17. Fort Long Akah (1929) and Fort Lio Mato in Baram

Fort Long Akah is located about 10-minute boat ride from Long San. The two-storey building was built as an administrative centre in 1929 using belian wood.

During WWII, it acted as a temporary headquarters for the British and Australian forces.

As of 2016, the building was reportedly still in a depleted state and overrun by jungle.

Apart from fort Long Akah, fort Lio Mato is another fort located along the Baram river.

Also neglected, this fort is located only 50km from the border with Kalimantan.

Historically, it was used during Sarawak-Indonesia confrontation in the 1960s.

18. Fort Brooke in Nanga Meluan, Julau (1935)

Asun Paing was a former penghulu born in the late 19th century in Julau.  He led a rebellion against the Brooke government over taxation.

To halt his revolt, the Brooke built a fort in Julau in 1935.

Over the years, it was used as a district council office and police station.

After years of neglect, it was repaired under a project funded by the Ministry of Tourism in 2012.

Do you know any forts in Sarawak which are not listed here?

Let us know in the comment box.

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Lubok Antu and the mystery behind its name

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Lubok Antu
A small whirlpool or lubok was reported to be located at Batang Ai river.

Lubok Antu is a small district located in Sri Aman division of Sarawak.

The history of its bazaar dates back to 1872. Back then the bazaar was made of double-storey wooden shophouses, a market and a Chinese temple.

The name of this small town is interesting to the locals as the words lubok means ‘whirlpool’ and antu means ‘ghost’ in Iban language.

Lubok Antu 4
A row of handicraft stalls found in Lubok Antu town.

Locals and historians have different accounts on how Lubok Antu got its name. So let us take a look of the various versions:

1. A fight between two brothers

The name Lubok Antu is believed to come from a local folklore based on two brothers named Chiri and Jampi.

One day, the two brothers went off to sharpen their parangs (machetes).

Upon their return, they came across Bunga Nuing (a mystical figure) who then challenged them both to a duel on the sharpness of their parangs.

It was during that duel when Bunga Nuing slashed a rock along a riverbank next to a lubok (whirlpool).

Ever since then, the locals believed the area was cursed and called it Lubok Antu.

2. The Cholera Expedition

Lubok Antu 3
Thousand of dead bodies were reported floating around this area during the administration of Charles Brooke.

In June 1902, the-then Rajah Muda Vyner Brooke led an expedition to attack the Dayaks upriver at Batang Ai.

These Dayaks allegedly had been terrorising the neighbouring tribes.

By the time the troop had assembled in Simanggang (Sri Aman), two of their men suddenly dropped dead.

Vyner reportedly informed his father Charles that the two men might have died due to cholera.

To which the second White Rajah said, “Nonsense, the expedition must go on.”

They continued their journey upriver and eventually 2,000 men died of cholera out of the 10,000 strong force.

Their bodies were thrown into the river,  eventually floating downstream.

Because of the lubok (whirlpool), the bodies continued to circle the area.

The locals saw all the dead bodies at the lubok and called it Lubok Antu.

3. Same dead bodies but different COD (Cause of death)

Another version of the story behind the floating dead bodies is that they did not die due to cholera.

Instead, they were the casualties of the uprising against the Brooke government by the Iban of upriver Batang Ai.

In another account, the bodies were the casualties of the tribal wars which happened back then among the different tribes living upstream.

4. A haunted pool?

In the book Legends and History of Sarawak by Chang Pat Foh, the name ‘Lubok Antu’ comes from a pool located outside of Fort Arundell.

Back in the olden days, people bathing or swimming in the pool had a feeling that someone at the bottom of the pool was trying to pull them down into its depths.

Then people started to call it a ghostly pool or what the locals called ‘Lubok Antu’ to this day.

5. A Demon’s Pool

According to the book River of the White Lily by Peter Goullart, Lubok Antu was known as a demon’s pool.

An old and monstrously large crocodile apparently lurked at the bottom of the river, only surfacing to attack animals which came for a drink or any man unfortunate enough to have his boat overturn in the area.

The locals believed the crocodile was an evil spirit which made the place come to be called Lubok Antu.

6. The simplest version

The last version of the story is quite simple yet amusing.

There was a guy named Antu who loved to fish at a particular lubok or whirlpool at Batang Ai.

Sooner or later, people started to call it Lubok Antu, which means a whirlpool belonging to Antu.

Lubok Antu 2
The town Lubok Antu was founded in the late 19th century.

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Marianne North and her fascinating journey as botanical artist in Sarawak

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While North America had the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800s, other people in the Victorian era were rushing to satisfy a scientific obsession – collecting natural specimens.

This obsession for new discoveries and adventure brought many collectors and explorers to Borneo’s door, including notable botanical artist Marianne North.

A life of travel

North was born in Hastings, England on Oct 24, 1830. Her father Frederick North was a member of parliament for Hastings and a deputy lieutenant as well as a Justice of the Peace.

After her mother Janet died in 1855, North travelled frequently with her father and sister. They visited Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Italy, Greece and the Bosporus in Turkey.

She received her first lessons in oil painting from renowned Australian colonial artist Robert Hawker Dowling in 1867.

She had been painting throughout her life, starting with flower painting to cope with the grief after her mother’s death and again after her father’s death in 1869.

With a large inheritance North received, she started to travel from 1871 to 1885. She visited 17 countries, painting 800 illustrations of their native plants and flowers.

And she did all of this while travelling alone, reportedly in Victorian dress.

Thanks to her influential family, North was able to visit countries all over the world and was welcomed by their respective ambassadors, ministers and governors.

One of those government administrators who hosted her was Sarawak’s second White Rajah, Charles Brooke.

Marianne North’s visit to Sarawak

Margherita
A visitor looking at a portrait of Ranee Margaret on display at The Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita.

When she arrived in Sarawak in 1876, Charles was not in town to welcome her visit.  His wife, Ranee Margaret stepped in to host this Victorian painter instead.

The Ranee wrote about her guest in “My Life in Sarawak”.

“One morning, as I was watching the arrival of the mail-steamer from my verandah at Kuching, I noticed the figure of a tall European lady standing on deck.

“A few moments after, a messenger brought me a letter from Singapore from the Governor’s wife, Lady Jervois, introducing a traveller to Sarawak, whose name was Marianne North.”

“The first evening of her stay in Kuching we went for a row on the river, and the sunset behind Matang was, as she said, a revelation. That land of forests, mountains, and water, the wonderful effects of sunshine and cloud, the sudden storms, the soft mists at evening, the perfumed air brought through miles and miles of frost by the night breezes, were an endless source of delight to her.”

Her views on the Dayaks

Despite being extensively travelled, North had a strong opinion of the Dayaks who were still practicing head-hunting at the time.

Margaret wrote:

“(Marianne North) could not bear the thought of either Dyaks or Kayans. I could never eradicate from her mind the idea that they were savages. I used to try and interest her in these people, for I longed that she should accompany us in our journeys into the interior, but this she would never do.
“’Don’t talk to me of savages,’she would say; ‘I hate them.’ ‘But they are not savages,’ I would reply, ‘They are just like we are, only circumstances have made them different.’
‘They take heads; that is enough for me’, she would add severely.”

How Marianne North influenced the Ranee

North stayed with the Brookes for about six weeks.

During her short stay with the Ranee, North managed to open her eyes more to the beauty of Sarawak’s biodiversity.

Margaret stated, “… I felt that something new and delightful had come into my life, for she had not only introduced me to pitcher-plants, but to orchids, palms, ferns, and many other things of whose existence I had never dreamed. Miss North was the one person who made me realise the beauties of the world. She was noble, intelligent, and kind, and her friendship and the time we spent, together are amongst my happiest memories.”

The story of Nepenthes northiana

Marianne North
A copy of Marianne North’s Nepenthes northiana displayed at the Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita.

Nepenthes northiana is an endemic pitcher plant found in Borneo. The species was named after North who was the first one to illustrate the species.

During her stay, North made friends with Herbert Everett who was working for the Borneo Company then.

Everett went up to the mountainous area in Bau to get her this plant.

North wrote about the discovery for The Gardeners’ Chronicle:

“The specimens grew on the branches of a tree about 1000 feet above the sea on the limestone mountains of Sarawak. When I received them I tied them in festoons all around the verandah, and grumbled at having only one small half-sheet of paper left to paint them on.”

Regardless of the size of the painting, thanks to North’s illustration, Sarawak became known as a land of exotic plants in the late 19th century.

The painting of Nepenthes northiana is now on display at the Marianne North Gallery at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Read more:

Charles Hose and his love affair with Sarawak

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The Eastern Seas, the book which inspired James Brooke to explore

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For an idea of how Borneo looked like before the Brookes, have a read of The Eastern Seas written by George Windsor Earl.

An English navigator, Earl was the first one to provide a European account of north-west Borneo’s Chinese gold miners and the incredible wealth of Borneo which included gold, diamonds and other native resources like camphor and ebony.

His voyages took him around the world including India, Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Many were inspired by his expedition and followed suit including James Brooke himself, who eventually founded the Kingdom of Sarawak and ruled the country from 1841 until his death in 1868.

 

The Eastern Seas
The book, The Eastern Seas and a miniature of The Royalist on display at The Brooke Gallery at The Fort Margherita.

Getting to know the author of The Eastern Seas

Born on Feb 10, 1813 in Hampstead, London, Earl was very much influenced by the world of navigation from early on. His father, Percy was a sea captain working for the East India Company. He started his nautical career by travelling to India after becoming a midshipman at age 14.

Earl was already on his journey from Western Australia bound for Java by the year 1832. Over the next two years, until about Nov 1834, he journeyed through the area he knew as “the Eastern Seas.”

Subsequently in 1835, Earl returned to London to publish his account in a book he later named The Eastern Seas or Voyages and Adventures in the Indian Archipelago in 1832-1834.

It comprised a tour of Java, Borneo, Malay Peninsular, Thailand and Singapore and observations on the commercial resources of the archipelago.

The Eastern Seas is culturally important. Interested readers can read it online through various archives.

The Eastern Seas (2)
The Eastern Seas or Voyages and Adventures in the Indian Archipelago 1832-33-34

George Windsor Earl’s work inspired many

Apart from Brooke, Earl also inspired other established naturalists and explorers.

In 1845, Earl published a pamphlet On the Physical Geography of South-Eastern Asia and Australia.

He described how shallow seas connected islands on the west for example Sumatra and Java with the Asian continent.

Furthermore, Earl found the islands on the east such as New Guinea were related to the Australian continent and reportedly had the same type of marsupials.

British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace used Earl’s deductions to propose the faunal boundary line now known as the Wallace Line.

Charles Darwin also reportedly used Earl’s observation on deep sea channels to study the bio-geographic distribution of the region.

Another of Earl’s works ‘The Native Races of the Indian Archipelago: Papuans’, was an important work of early New Guinea anthropology.

However, he did not actually visit the island or maybe he never officially recorded his visit.

He compiled the first hand accounts of other visitors for his works on the Papuan people.

In 1850, Earl proposed the term Indunesians or Malayunesians for the people living in the Indian Archipelago or Malayan Archipelago.

Earl’s student, James Richardson Logan later popularised the name Indonesia as synonym for Indian Archipelago.

But it was only after 1900 that the term Indonesia became more commonly used.

George Windsor Earl’s death

The Eastern Seas
Portrait photo of George Samuel Windsor Earl (February 10, 1813 – August 9, 1865), colonial administrator, who coined the term “Indonesia”.

From 1855, he held various official administrative posts, his last one being Penang.

Earl died on his journey back to England in 1865. He was buried at the Old Protestant Cemetery, George Town in Penang.

Read more:

Toshinari Maeda, The Japanese Nobleman Who Died off the Coast of Bintulu During WWII

Charles Hose and His Love Affair With Sarawak

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Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapor: 5 interesting things to know about this historical figure

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If you paid attention to your history lessons in school, you might remember who Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapor is… but if you’re like the rest of us, you might only recognise his name on a school in Kuching.

As there is only a bit info on him in our history books, KajoMag decided to dig up more about this historical figure.

1. Who is Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapor?

Before James Brooke came to Sarawak, Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapor was a powerful and influential man.

He was once appointed as the Governor of Sarawak. He was also the first imam of the Masjid Besar (the State Mosque) in Kuching from 1851 to 1854.

Abdul Gapor was married to Dayang Inda. She was the daughter of Datu Patinggi Abang Ali, who fought for the independence of Sarawak from Brunei.

It was said that Abang Ali’s family was responsible for building the state mosque. The construction took place from 1848 to 1852.

2. Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapor had his title stripped by James Brooke

Abdul Gapor was awarded the title ‘Datu Patinggi’  after his father-in-law (Abang Ali) was murdered alongside George Stewart (a European officer) in 1844 when fighting a rebellion in Skrang.

In 1854, however, Abdul Gapor’s title was stripped by James Brooke because it was said that he imposed a very high tax upon the people under him.

Angered by this, he no longer had the privilege he used to before and demanded compensation.

3. He planned a revolt with another Sarawakian historical figure

Sharif Masahor
Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapor planned a revolt with Sharif Masahor (picture) against the British (Image source Sejarah Melayu Sarawak)

In 1860, Abdul Gapor planned a revolt with Sharif Masahor, a leader from Sarikei, against James Brooke.

This happened when Brooke took control over the Rajang River in 1857 and stripped Sharif Masahor and several powerful men of their titles.

This resulted in them losing power to collect tax and influence the locals.

The revolt that took place in Kuching, however, failed.

Sharif Masahor managed to escape to Mukah but was handed over to the British by the Sultan of Brunei in 1861. He was later banished to Singapore.

Abdul Gapor escaped to Betawi, Jawa in 1860 but was captured by the Dutch and handed over to James Brooke.

He was later imprisoned in Betawi until he passed away after a few years.

4. Guess who his descendants are

Did you know that Abdul Gapor is Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s direct ancestor?

descenent of Datu patinggi Abdul gapor
Tun Haji Openg bin Abang Sapi’ee (left) and Datuk Amar Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg  (Image source: Wikipedia)

According to a book compiled by Ho Ah Chon on his father Tun Haji Openg bin Abang Sapi’ee,  Abdul Gapor turns out to be his great-great-grandfather.

The brief genealogy reads like a who’s who of Sarawak Malay history, which also outlines how through Abdul Gapor, Abang Johari can also trace his ancestry back to Menteri Hussin, the grandson of Raja Minangkabau, who was also an ancestor of Their  Highnesses the Sultans Mohammad Tajuddin, Hashim, Mohamad Jumalul Alam and Omar Ali Saifuddin III of Brunei.

Interestingly, Openg was also Sarawak’s first governor upon the independence of Sarawak from Great Britain and the formation of Malaysia until his death on March 28, 1969 at the age of 63.

Meanwhile, Abang Johari became Sarawak’s sixth Sarawak premier in 2017 following the death of Pehin Sri Adenan Satem.

5. A school was named after Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapor

smk dphag
SMK Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Gapor (DPHAG), Stampin (Image source: Alumni SMK DPHA Gapor Website)

A public secondary school, SMK Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Gapor (DPHAG), Stampin in Kuching was named after him.

SMK Datuk DPHAG was established in 1974 by the Sarawak State Education Department.

At that time, there were only 182 students and four teachers teaching in the school.

It was the first school in Sarawak to use Malay as the primary language for communication. These days however, students and teachers use Malay, English and Chinese for communication purposes.

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Tasik Biru: Legends and conspiracy theories behind this mesmerizing lake

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Tasik Biru (which means “blue lake” in Malay because of its colour); what stories have you heard about this lake in Bau?

All over the world, lakes have been the subject of folklore and legend. There is Loch Ness in Scotland and Danau Toba in Indonesia as well as Malaysia’s very own Tasik Dayang Bunting  in Langkawi and Tasik Chini in Kuantan.

Sarawak has her own fair share of mythical lakes and one of them can be found about one hour from its capital city of Kuching.

Located in Bau, Tasik Biru (which means “blue lake” in Malay because of its colour) is not a natural lake but an open pit gold mine.

Its original name was Tai Parit or “big drain” in the Hakka dialect.

According to history, the gold mine was operated by the Borneo Company from 1898 until it was flooded in 1921.

Since it was flooded in 1921, many rumours and legends have been floating around about the lake.

Tasik Biru 1
Tasik Biru is not a natural lake but a mining pit

The legends from underneath the lake

Chang Pat Foh wrote in The Land of Freedom Fighters that an old miner told a story about a human-shaped stone removed from the bottom of the lake.

Some believed that the stone was a deity named the King of Stone. The deity was angry that he was removed from the lake so he decided to flood the lake until it overflowed.

There were also rumours of three monsters appearing in Tasik Biru back in 1988. The large figures were reportedly about 3m long!

Tasik Biru 4
There were also rumours of three monsters appearing in Tasik Biru.

The tragedy long forgotten

Besides myths and legends, the lake was also witness to an awful tragedy.

On June 7, 1979, a bus carrying students and teachers from SMK Lake, Bau plunged into the lake in an accident.

The tragedy took the lives of one trainee teacher and 29 students.

A monument is planned to be erected near the lake in remembrance of the 30 victims.

Tasik Biru 2
The lake was the site of a tragedy in 1979.

Conspiracy theory about Tasik Biru

There is a signboard warning the public against swimming, fishing and bathing in Tasik Biru.

This is due to the fact that Tasik Biru has high levels of arsenic.

A local Chinese daily once reported a conspiracy theory about the arsenic warning. Apparently, there were people who believed that the lake was not actually polluted with arsenic and that the warning was made up to stop miners from excavating the large quantities of gold underneath.

Another piece of hearsay was that the state government was planning to dry up the lake to mine the gold.

Additionally, it was rumoured that people had discovered Japanese samurai swords and cannonballs from World War II, said to be thrown into the lake by the Japanese forces themselves during their occupation.

Tasik Biru 3
Some people believed that the lake buried ammunition from World War II.

A home to Jong Regatta

Putting aside the legends and conspiracy theories surrounding the lake, one thing for sure is that visitors still make their way to Tasik Biru for the Bau Jong Regatta.

Jong is a miniature sailing boat some believe was inspired by the Royalist, a schooner owned by the first White Rajah of Sarawak, James Brooke.

The regatta, however, was first started by a colonial officer named A.J.N. Richards in the 1950s.

It was held several times over the past few decades until it was revived as an annual event in 2009.

The event is usually organised in the last quarter of the year so watch out for the this year’s date to visit this scenic (yet) arsenic lake.

Tasik Biru
Head to Tasik Biru for Bau Jong Regatta.

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The dark forgotten history of the Cholera Expedition down the Batang Lupar in 1902

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Famous today for the Pesta Benak, or Tidal Bore Festival, the Batang Lupar river was the site of a devastating cholera epidemic in the 1900s.

Modern-day Sarawakians might not have heard of the ‘Cholera Expedition’ that happened during the reign of the Brooke family.

But back in 1902, what was originally a military expedition against Iban rebels down the Batang Lupar river became a disaster, so much so it made headlines across the globe.

Historians and news reports back then called it the “cholera expedition” because one fifth of the 10,000 men recruited to fight against Iban rebels died of the disease.

A river runs through it

Batang Lupar flows for 275 kilometers from the Klinkang Range to the South China Sea. It has a large rivermouth and  becomes shallow upstream.

The river runs through a number of towns including Lingga, Sri Aman and Engkilili. The Batang Lupar river is the only river in Malaysia which experiences the tidal bore phenomenon. Even though it happens everyday, it becomes more spectacular at king tide during dry season.

Cholera expedition
The narrower part of Batang Lupar river near Engkilili town.

What actually happened?

Vyner Brooke, the eldest son of Charles Brooke, the second rajah of Sarawak, started his career in the then-kingdom as a cadet government officer in 1897.

He first served in Simanggang (now known as Sri Aman), then at Mukah and Oya.

In May 1900, he participated in a punitive expedition against the Muruts in Trusan. Then in June 1902, he took part in another expedition against the Ibans in upper Batang Lupar.

It was an expedition Vyner would never forget.

The expedition was to pacify Iban factions who had started a few raids against their traditional enemies – and Brooke allies – the Ibans from the lower Batang Lupar.

Branded rebels under the Brooke regime, they also refused to pay taxes or follow directives by the Brooke government to move their longhouses to the riverbank.

Charles and Vyner arrived at the fort in Lingga on June 8 where they found more than 10,000 of their Iban and Malay allies in about 800 longboats ready to fight for them.

The next morning, Vyner reported to his father that two men had died outside his bungalow.

Charles refused to listen, assuming his son was trying to escape his duty.

Then on June 9, the Rajah made his way back to Kuching leaving Vyner to carry on the expedition with two English officers, Demetrius Bailey and Harry Deshon.

Batang Lupar
A wooden bridge across Batang Lupar at Engkilili town.

Margaret Brooke’s account on the Cholera Expedition

Vyner’s mother, Margaret wrote briefly about the expedition in her book My Life in Sarawak.

“For some unexplained reason, cholera broke out amongst the force just before it had reached the enemy’s country,” she stated.

When they arrived near the rebels’ area, the force was separated into two groups. One group led by the Malay chiefs set out on foot to attack the rebels while the rest including Vyner and his two English officers were left behind.

The remaining force set up camp by the river. By this time, many had suffered from cholera.

“As the days wore on, the air was filled with the screams and groans of the stricken and dying.”

According to Margaret, it was impossible to turn back despite the fact that men were dropping dead everyday because of the “bad impression such a course would have made on the enemy.”

In the end about 2,000 men died of the disease.

She was told by the two British officers that Vyner’s presence helped to keep discipline and hope among the force.

Margaret wrote, “He was always cheerful, they said. It appears that Vyner and his two friends used to sit on the gravel bed and with a grim humour point out to one another where they would like to be buried.”

The floating bodies from the Cholera Expedition

However, the truth is some who died of cholera were not properly buried.

Although Brooke’s forces had returned successfully from battle against the rebels, they found many dead bodies and dying comrades at the camp.

Some were buried in shallow graves at the campsite while some were flung from the boats during their return journey to Simanggang.

The bodies that were brought to Simanggang were stacked into pyres and burnt.

The disease spread even more when – after hearing of the dead bodies – the upper Batang Lupar Ibans came to the campsites to cut off the heads and bring them home.

This caused more people at the upper river to get infected, with some dying from cholera.

Sri Aman
Sculptures of doves at the roundabout in modern-day Sri Aman are reminders of the MoU signed on 20 October 1973 between the Sarawak government and the communist organisation, PARAKU. The original name of the town, Simanggang, was also changed to Sri Aman (as “aman” means “peace” in Malay) to recognise the peace declaration.

The Cholera Expedition which made world headlines

When the Ranee first read the news about the expedition, she was in Italy.

The Italian paper had mistakenly reported that the Rajah’s son died of cholera in Sarawak, as he was leading an expedition into the interior.

“I hurried to England with my younger son, Harry, who was staying with me at the time, and when we arrived at Dover, placards at the station confirmed the report. Telegrams, however, soon put out of suspense, but I had spent a terrible day.”

Not all of the reports about the Cholera Expedition were inaccurate.

There was one which made it to the pages of The San Francisco Call on July 9, 1902 with the headline “Punitive Expedition is Attacked by Cholera”.

It stated, “While Harry de Windt has been undergoing tragic experiences in Siberia, his nephew Charles Vyner Brooke, son of Rajah Brooke of Sarawak, who married De Windt’s sister, has been having terrible time in the northern part of Sarawak.”

The news reported that more than 1,000 deaths occurred among the 10,000 members of expedition within 10 days due to cholera.

It pointed out that the intensely hot weather favoured the rapid progress of the disease.

The Singapore Free Press was more straightforward in its report on the expedition: They put the blame on the second rajah’s “arrogant stupidity” for insisting to carry on the expedition despite signs of cholera outbreak.

Plus, the paper observed that with more than 10,000 people travelling along a shallow river which they also used as drinking water, with even just one case of  cholera, the rapid spread of the disease was inevitable.

The aftermath of the Cholera Expedition

According to Cassandra Pybus in White Rajah: A Dynastic Intrigue, Vyner was determined to turn his people back from the expedition.

But Bailey’s fear of the Rajah was greater than his fear of cholera so he insisted the attack must proceed.

As for Vyner, he reportedly never forgave his father for not heeding his warning.

Perhaps he was right: if only Charles had listened to his son’s plea, more than 2,000 people would have not been infected by the disease.

Margaret, however, was not that critical of his husband’s decision.

According to Margaret, the spread of this waterborne disease in the whole Simanggang area was almost fateful.

In her final note on the event, she wrote “Nothing apparently could be done to stop the disease, which disappeared as suddenly as it had come, but this calamitous epidemic destroyed nearly one-quarter of the population.”

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Kuching-Serian Itinerary: What can you do in 1 spontaneous day?

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Kuching-Serian: What can you do in 1 day?

Serian is a modest town located 40km outside Kuching, Sarawak’s capital. Famous for its durian and its fresh produce, it is also gateway to a number of waterfalls and natural beauties in the area.

If you are looking for things to do in a day from Kuching to Serian, here is a Kajo-tested and approved itinerary.

All you need to have for this trip are a car, Waze or Google Navigation, change of clothes, snacks, drinking water, binoculars (optional) and spirit of adventure.

Kuching-Serian Itinerary: What can you do in one day?

1.Panchor Hot Spring (9am-10am)

Kuching-Serian Itinerary: What can you do in one day?
Dip your feet at Panchor Hot Spring.

Start your day with breakfast at home or at any of these Kuching’s favourite foods in town.

Make sure to start driving from Kuching by 8am. The first place to visit in this Kuching-Serian itinerary is the Panchor Hot Spring located at Kampung Panchor Dayak.

This hot spring is famous among locals who are looking for natural healing.

If you find the temperature too hot for you to have a whole-body soak, just dip your legs into the pool.

The minerals in the water are believed to soothe joint pains and rheumatism.

Read more about Panchor Hot Spring here.

2.Ranchan Recreational Park (11am-12.30pm)

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Explore the pools and waterfalls of Ranchan Recreational Park.

It is a natural haven celebrated for its picturesque waterfalls, clear natural pools, and unique stone riverbeds.

After experiencing the high temperatures at a hot spring, perhaps you want to cool down.

So head to Ranchan Recreational Park located right outside Serian town.

Ranchan offers visitors a chance to unwind in pools surrounded by rainforest.

Take your time to explore the park or just sit down by the waterfall and listen to the water crashing against the rocks.

Read more about Ranchan Recreational Park here.

3.Lunch at Serian and a visit to Serian Market (1pm-2.30pm)

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How about giving a plate of fried noodle with seafood a try at Yee Siang Bak Kut Teh, Serian?

If you packed your lunch, then enjoy it at Ranchan. If not, head to Serian town to nourish your body.

One of the best places to have your lunch is at Yee Siang Bak Kut Teh.

The place is famous for its crab satay, prawn satay and tom yam coconut prawns.

Once you’ve had your meal, try to explore Serian town. The best place to start is at Serian Market.

There, visitors can find plenty of local vegetables and fruits.

Right next to Serian market is a row of local craft stores. Besides the local Bidayuh accessories and costumes, you can also find some traditional handicraft from our local ethnic communities such as the Penan woven baskets.

4.Semenggoh Nature Reserve (3pm)

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Try to take a wefie with an orangutan at Semenggoh Nature Reserve.

To end your Kuching-Serian road trip, navigate your way to the Semenggoh Nature Reserve.

It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to reach Semenggoh from Serian.

Say hi to the orangutans there and observe their behaviour.

Their feeding time in the afternoon is at 3pm so make sure to arrive there on time.

If you are into birding and brought along your binoculasr, Sarawak Tourism Board website highlighted that there are at least 23 species you can spot at this reserve.

These species include Sunda Frogmouth, Red-crowned Barbet, Red-naped Trogan, Blue-winged Leafbird and Hooded Pita.

By 4pm or so you can end your Kuching-Serian trip by saying goodbye to the orangutans.

Read more about Semenggoh nature here.

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Toshinari Maeda and his ‘mysterious’ death in 1942 Bintulu

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Bintulu, once a sleepy fishing village on the island of Borneo is largely known today for its booming oil and gas industry.

What lies deep down in the seabed off its coast is not just large reserves of natural gas, however, but a silent witness to one of the most mysterious air crashes during World War II.

A tragedy, mostly forgotten by many.

Maeda Toshinari
A photo of Toshinari Maeda By Kamakura Museum of Literature, Public Domain

Toshinari Maeda – a samurai lord in Borneo

Toshinari Maeda was a Japanese marquis and a military general. Born to the former daimyo of Nanokaichi Domain* in Kozuke province (modern Tomioka city) in 1885, he was later adopted as the heir to the main branch of the Maeda clan in 1900.

The Maeda clan ruled the Kaga Domain from 1583 until 1868 and was one of the most powerful samurai families in Japan. The clan became daimyo (feudal lords)  during the Edo period.

He became the 16th head of the Maeda clan on June 13, 1900.

*Domain or han is the Japanese historical term for the estate of a warrior after the 12th century of a daimyo in the Edo period (1603-1868) and early Meiji period (1868-1912).

Toshinari Maeda’s military career and death

Maeda had served as a battalion commander in the 4th Regiment of the Imperial Guard of Japan. He had also served as military attache to Great Britain from 1927 till 1930 and had actually retired from active military duty in 1939.

He was later called out of retirement to command operations in Borneo on April 1942 after the Pacific War broke out. By then, Sarawak had already been under Japanese occupation since Christmas Eve of 1941.

During World War II, the lieutenant-general became the first commander of the Borneo Defence Army which encompassed Japanese forces in northern Borneo (Sarawak, Brunei, Labuan and North Borneo).

His office of the Borneo Head of Military Defence Army,  at first headquartered in Miri, was then moved to Kuching according to his orders.

On Sept 5, 1942, after witnessing the execution of five men at Padungan, Kuching for allegedly stealing petrol,  he boarded a plane with two other officers to Labuan to officiate an airport named after him.

They never arrived.

A month later, the plane he was on was found to have crashed off the coast of Tanjung Batu in Bintulu.

Maeda was 57 years old.

The island of Labuan itself had been renamed Maeda Island or Pulau Maeda during the Japanese occupation in remembrance of the marquis. Maeda had also been promoted to ‘General’ posthumously.

A sunset view of Tanjung Batu where Toshinari Maeda was believed to have crashed.
A sunset view of Tanjung Batu where Toshinari Maeda was believed to have crashed.

Was it a curse that killed Toshinari Maeda?

The Japanese suspected the cause of the crash to be sabotage or suicide; but the Sarawak people attributed it to a curse brought on by Maeda himself.

In his post as commander of the Borneo Defence Force (which later became the 37th army), Maeda took up residence at the Astana.

John Beville Archer, a Batu Lintang camp internee and the last chief secretary to Rajah Vyner Brooke, in a June 1, 1948 issue of the Sarawak Gazette details how Maeda may have brought this curse down upon himself:

The main entrance of the Astana is the imposing and rather ancient tower overlooking the chief door to the palace.

Now there is a Brooke tradition that the exterior of this tower must not be whitewashed or renovated.

If this should occur, so runs the legend, some disaster will take place.

The tower had therefore became covered by an ivy-like creeper, and parts of the original building were crumbling in venerable decay.

The Japanese, vainglorious and victorious, saw fit to put this ruin into apple-pie order.

The creeper was torn down, masons, plasterers and white washers got busy.

Shortly afterwards Field Marshal Prince Maeda, cousin of the Emperor Sun god and Generalissimo, fell miserably to earth in a crashed plane somewhere round about Miri.

To this day, no one knows the cause of the crash and Maeda’s body was never found.

Toshinari Maeda’s legacy

After Borneo was liberated from Japanese occupation, Labuan assumed its former name. It became part of the North Borneo Crown Colony on 15 July 1946.

The Japanese had set up a Belian post at the beach of Tanjung Batu not far from the crash site in honor of Maeda, which was later taken back to Japan by the Maeda family after the Japanese occupation ended.

So now, there is no trace or anything in Sarawak to remember that the air crash ever happened.

But back in Japan, his former home built in Meguro, Tokyo in 1929 still survives to this day and part of the estate is now host to the Japan Museum on Modern Literature.

His former summer home in Kamakura is now used as the Kamakura Museum of Literature.

Photo courtesy of AJ Creations Photography.

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Top 3 exciting things to do at Gunung Gading National Park, Lundu?

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Gunung Gading National Park 3
Welcome to Gunung Gading National Park!

Gunung Gading National Park is one of the most accessible places in Sarawak to view Rafflesia blooms.

Gazetted in 1983, the national park is a conservation area for this majestic plant.

The park is located about 80km from Sarawak’s state capital Kuching, near the small town of Lundu.

It is known for its stunning biodiversity and is a popular destination for nature lovers, hikers, and those interested in exploring tropical rainforests.

The park is around 4,300 hectares in size and offers a variety of ecosystems, from tropical lowland forests to montane regions.

The name Gunung Gading was believed to come from a tree called engkabang gading (Shorea hemsleyana).

However, according to the book National Parks of Sarawak by Hans Hazebroek and Abang Kashim Abang Morshidi, it’s name comes from a legend behind this mountain.

There were three celestial princesses from Gunung Roban in Java, Indonesia.

The princesses were guardians of Gunung Gading Puteri Gading, Gunung Perigi Puteri Sri Giar and Gunung Sebuluh Puteri Sri Geneng.

They loved to bathe and play in the seventh waterfall. They also planted flowers called Sri Gading on the mountain.

It is said that if you manage to find these flowers, you will be showered with good luck.

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What should you do on Gunung Gading?

Here are the three things you can do at Gunung Gading National Park (on top of looking for a good luck charm):

1.See Rafflesia

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Come and visit Rafflesia in Gunung Gading.

Regardless if you are a celestial princess or not, the only flower that matters in this national park is the Rafflesia.

Gunung Gading National Park is home to the endemic Rafflesia tuan-mudae, named after Charles Brooke, the second White Rajah of Sarawak.

This rare and huge flower is a highlight of the park. Known for its strong odor (often described as rotting flesh), it blooms for only a few days a year, making it a unique and sought-after sight. The park is one of the few places where you can find this remarkable flower.

Since the Rafflesia is a rare flower with a short flowering period, plan your visit carefully.

You can check in with the park headquarters at 082-7355714 on whether the flower is in bloom.

2.Climb to the top of Gunung Gading National Park

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The sound of a splashing waterfall can be heard along the trail to the summit.

Visitors can opt to climb to the top of Gunung Gading although there is no picturesque view awaiting you.

It has a a sign telling you something to the effect of “this is it, you’ve reached the top”.

The climb will take up to eight hours for a round trip so plan to start hiking early in the morning.

Do not forget to pack a lot of water, some food for an energy boost and a bag to carry your trash back with.

3.Visit the waterfalls

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The two-tiered Waterfall no 7 awaits you.

Follow the path of the celestial princesses and take a dip in any of the waterfalls.

The waterfall trails pass seven waterfalls but not all of the waterfalls are accessible.

The easiest trail is to Waterfall 1 while the two-tiered Waterfall 7 is the furthest to reach (about 1 hour depending on your stamina).

Every waterfall is a perfect bathing pool offered by Mother Nature for us to relax in so don’t leave any trash behind.

Last but not least, do wear long pants or leech socks as, based on my personal experience, those creepy-crawlies can pop up unexpectedly. So better be safe than sorry!

Gunung Gading National Park
Doesn’t this look so relaxing?

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