Limbang
| Limbang | |
|---|---|
  Limbang | |
| Coordinates: 4°45′33″N 115°00′24″E / 4.75917°N 115.00667°ECoordinates: 4°45′33″N 115°00′24″E / 4.75917°N 115.00667°E | |
| Country |
 Malaysia |
| State |
 Sarawak |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 42,600 |
Limbang is a border town and the capital of Limbang District in the Limbang Division of northern Sarawak, East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. The division has an area of 3,978.1 square kilometers, and a population (year 2000 census) of 42,600. Limbang was annexed by Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke, the second Rajah of Sarawak in 1890 from Brunei to become the fifth division of Sarawak. The annexation was strongly disputed by Brunei.[1]
Limbang is located on the banks of the Limbang River (Sungai Limbang in Malay), between the two halves of Brunei. It is a 30-minute speedboat ride or at least a two-hour drive (depending on how busy the Customs/Immigration Checkpoint is) to Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei.
Demographics
Economy developments
Transport
Air
Limbang is served by the Limbang Airport.
Road
Owing to its geographical location, Limbang is completely cut off from the rest of Sarawak's road network. It however has good road links to both parts of Brunei located to the east and west of the district. There is also a good local network of roads in the district.
There are two road border crossing checkpoints in Limbang district, both into Brunei.
- Tedungan: Located 43 km west of Limbang, it is the road crossing into the main part of Brunei from Limbang. The Brunei checkpoint is called Kuala Lurah.
- Pandaruan: This checkpoint is located 15 km east of Limbang on the Pandaruan River which forms the border between Sarawak and Brunei's Temburong district. The crossing has to be done by ferry. The checkpoint on the Brunei side is called Puni and operates out of a wooden building located 500 m from the ferry landing point. Pandaruan Bridge open on 8th Dec 2013 eliminating the need to cross the river by ferry.
As the only road connection to outside the district is through Brunei, one must have a passport in order to travel into or out of Limbang.
Disputed territory
The dispute over Limbang district arose from the annexation of the district by Sarawak's Rajah Charles Brooke in 1890. The "involuntary cession" resulted in Brunei being split into two - the main part with three districts (Brunei-Muara, Tutong and Kuala Belait) to the west of Limbang, and the Temburong district to the east of Limbang.
The de facto boundary ran along the watershed between the Brunei River and Limbang River basins on the western side of the district, and along the length of the Pandaruan River on the eastern side. Boundary agreements have delineated a stretch of the western border[2] and the Pandaruan River[3] while the other stretches have yet to be delineated.
The two countries agreed, via the signing of Exchange of Letters on 16 March 2009, to settle their boundary issues and demarcate their common border according to the five historical agreements, of which two directly concern Limbang, and to use the watershed principle to fill in the gaps.[4] Also in March 2009, a solution was achieved between the two governments when Brunei dropped all claims to Limbang, thus recognizing it as a Malaysian territory.[5]
Notable places
Limbang Regional Museum
The Limbang Regional Museum is located in a fort built by Rajah Charles Brooke in 1897. It is located in the area annexed to Sarawak by the White Rajah in 1890.
Taman Tasik Bukit Mas
Taman Tasik Bukit Mas (literal translation: Gold Hill Lake Park) is a recreational park set in Limbang's iconic feature Bukit Mas. The park is a favourable place for Limbang residents to spend their evening, doing recreational activities. Various facilities had been set up in the park, such as children's playground, lake, barbecue site, suspension bridge and toilet.
Limbang Plaza
Located in the town center, and often dubbed as the definite centre of Limbang, is Limbang Plaza. This building mainly consists of three components: Purnama Hotel, a shopping mall and various government offices (located right on the top of the mall). It's also good for other business and pleasures.
Currently the mall have about 50 shopping outlets, with a local supermarket chain, Ngiu Kee as the main tenant. Apart from these, the Limbang Plaza shopping mall is also a place to the famous food outlet, KFC and former tenant Pizza Hut (closed in 2007)
Pasar Tamu
"Pasar Tamu" is a local gathering where village folks came to the town of Limbang to sell their goods. Usually it is held on Friday every week, but preparations can be seen on Thursday. People dress in traditional clothes to worship their Gods. The celebration starts with a ritual which involves sacrificing animals and worshiping the God of Greed as they did in ancient times. At the and of the day the rituals involve violence and intimate relationships between local people and tourists. The money raised from selling various goods, i.e. rice, rare vegetables, fishes, fruits and handmade jewelry are donated to their religious sites.
The market has attracted not only local residents, but also Bruneians.
References
- ↑ the CIA World Factbook
- ↑ "Agreement between Government of Brunei and the Government of Sarawak relating to the Pandaruan River and District signed by G.E. Cator (British Resident Burneit) and H.S.B. Johnson (Resident Fifth Division, Sarawak) dated the 4th of February, 1920 covering a distance of 78.0km," quoted inAhmad Fauzi, Nordin (2006). Land and River Boundary Demarcation and Maintenance - Malaysia's Experience (PDF). Working paper at International Symposium on Land and River Demarcation and Maintenance in Support of Borderland Development. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ↑ "Agreement between the Government of Brunei and the Government of Sarawak regarding the boundary between the States of Brunei and Sarawak between Limbang and Brunei from the coast to a point west of Bukit Gadong signed by the British Resident, Brunei and the Resident, Fifth Division, Sarawak dated the 24th of February 1933, covering a distance of 37.0km" quoted by Ahmad Fauzi Nordin.
- ↑ Samuel Blankson (February 2007). The Practical Guide to Total Financial Freedom. Lulu Press Incorporated. pp. 274–. ISBN 978-1-4116-2054-4. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
- ↑ "Brunei drops all claims to Limbang". The Brunei Times. 17 March 2009. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
External links
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