Sandakan | |
|---|---|
| Sandakan Town Bandar Sandakan | |
    .jpg)    From top, left to right: Sandakan City, theSandakan Municipal Council, the State Secretariat Building, Sandakan Sports Complex, the Sandakan Regional Library, theSandakan District Mosque, theSt. Michael's and All Angels Church, theTam Kung Temple, and View ofSandakan Bay | |
 Seal | |
| Nicknames: The Nature City, Little Hong Kong | |
 Location of Sandakan in Sabah | |
| Coordinates:05°50′0″N118°07′0″E / 5.83333°N 118.11667°E /5.83333; 118.11667 | |
| Country |  Malaysia |
| State |  Sabah |
| Division | Sandakan |
| District | Sandakan |
| Bruneian Empire | 15th century–1704 |
| Sultanate of Sulu | 1704–1882 |
| Settled byBNBC | 21 June 1879 |
| Declared capital ofNorth Borneo | 1884 |
| Discontinuation as capital | 1946 |
| Municipality | 1 January 1982 |
| City | TBA |
| Government | |
| • Council President | Walter Kenson |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,266 km2 (875 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2020 Census) | |
• Total | 439,050 |
| • Density | 193.8/km2 (501.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed |
| Postal code | 90000 to 90999 |
| Area code(s) | 089 |
| Vehicle registration | ES (1967-1980), SS(1980-2018), SM (2018-Present) |
| Website | mps |
Sandakan (Malaysian:[ˈsandaˈkan]) formerly known at various times asElopura, is the capital of theSandakan District inSabah,Malaysia. It is the second largest city in Sabah afterKota Kinabalu. It is located on theSandakan Peninsula and east coast of the state in the administrative centre ofSandakan Division and was the former capital ofBritish North Borneo. In 2010, the city had an estimated population of 157,330[2] while the overall municipal area had a total population of 396,290.[2] The population of the municipal area had increased to 439,050 by the 2020 Census.[3]
Before the founding of Sandakan,Sulu Archipelago was the source of dispute between Spain and theSultanate of Sulu for economic dominance in the region. By 1864, Spain had blockaded the Sultanate possessions in the Sulu Archipelago. The Sultanate of Sulu awarded a German consular service ex-member a piece of land in the Sandakan Bay to seek protection from Germany. In 1878, the Sultanate sold north-eastern Borneo to an Austro-Hungarian consul who later left the territory to a British colonial merchant. The German presence over the area raised concern among the British. As a result, aprotocol was signed between the British, German and the Spanish to recognise Spanish sovereignty over the Sulu Archipelago, in return for the Spanish not intervening in British affairs in northern Borneo.
Sandakan began to prosper when theBritish North Borneo Company (BNBC) started to build a new settlement in 1879, developing it into an active commercial and trading centre as well as making it the main administrative centre for North Borneo. The British also encouraged the migration of theChinese fromBritish Hong Kong to develop the economy of Sandakan. However, the prosperity halted when theJapanese occupied the area. As the war continued and Allied bombing started in 1944, the town was totally destroyed. Unable to fund the costs of the reconstruction, the administrative powers of North Borneo were handed over to theCrown Colony government. Subsequently, the administrative capital of North Borneo was moved toJesselton. As part of the 1948–1955 Colonial Office Reconstruction and Development Plan, the crown colony government began to develop the fishing industry in Sandakan.
Sandakan is one of the main ports for oil, tobacco, coffee,sago, and timber exports. Other economic activities include fishing, ship building, eco-tourism, and manufacturing. Among the tourist attractions in Sandakan are Sandakan Heritage Museum, Sandakan Cultural Festival, Sandakan War Memorial,Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary,Turtle Islands National Park, andGomantong Caves.
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A first European settlement was built by aScottish arms smuggler fromGlasgow namedWilliam Clark Cowie who named the settlement "Sandakan", (which in theSuluk language means "The place that was pawned").[4] It was soon renamedKampong German (Kampung Jerman), due to the presence of several German bases there. When another new settlement was built shortly after the previous Cowie settlement had been destroyed by a fire, it was called asElopura, meaning "beautiful town".[5] The name was given by theBritish North Borneo Company but the locals persisted to use the old name and later it was changed back toSandakan.[5][6][7] Besides Elopura, it was also nicknamedLittle Hong Kong due to a strong presence of ethnic Chinese migration from Hong Kong (mainly Cantonese and Hakka).[8][9][10] It was Pryer who gave the settlement the nameElopura meaning "beautiful town". Several years later the settlement was again renamed Sandakan.[11] The name Elopura, however, is still used for some local government functions of theSabah State Legislative Assembly, including elections.[12] The town is usually referred as "Sandakan" nowadays instead of "Elopura" or "Little Hong Kong". However, efforts have been made to develop Sandakan so that the town is fitting to have the name of "Little Hong Kong" again.[13][14]
Like most of Borneo, this area was once under the control of theBruneian Empire[15] in the 15th century before being ceded to theSultanate of Sulu between the 17th[16] and 18th centuries[17] as a gift for helping the Bruneian forces during theBrunei Civil War. Since the 18th century, Sandakan start to be ruled by the Sultanate of Sulu.[18] In 1855, when Spanish power began to expand in the Philippine archipelago, they began to restrict the trade of foreign nations with Sulu by establishing a port inZamboanga and issuing a ruling which declared that ships wanting to engage in trade with theSulu Archipelago must first visit the Spanish port.[19] In 1860, the Sultanate of Sulu became important to the British as their archipelago could allow the British to dominate trade routes fromSingapore toMainland China. But in 1864, William Frederick Schuck, a German ex-member for the German consular service arrived inSulu and met SultanJamal ul-Azam, who encouraged him to remain inJolo.[19] Schuck associated himself with the Singapore-German trading firm of Schomburg and began working in the interest of the Sultan and Datu Majenji, who was an overlord in the island ofTawi-Tawi. While he continued his voyage toCelebes, he decided to open his first headquarters at Jolo. Large quantities of arms,opium, textiles andtobacco from Singapore were shipped to Tawi-Tawi in exchange forslaves from the Sultanate.[19]
In November 1871, Spanish gunboats bombardedSamal villages in Tawi-Tawi islands and blockaded Jolo. Aswar in the waters of Sulu began to escalate, the Sultanate came to rely on Singapore's market for assistance.[19] When the Sultanate increased their close trade relations with the British trading ports ofLabuan and Singapore, this forced the Spanish to take another major step to conquer the Sulu Archipelago. The arrival of German warshipSMS Nymphe at theSulu Sea in 1872 to investigate the Sulu-Spanish conflict made the Sultanate believe Schuck was connected with theGerman government,[20] thus the Sultanate granted Schuck an area of land in the Sandakan Bay to establish a trading port to monopolise therattan trade in the northeast coast where Schuck could operate freely without the Spanish blockade.[19] The intervention of Germans on the Sulu issue caught the British' attention and made them suspicious, especially when the Sultanate had asked for protection from them.[20] Schuck then established warehouses and residences in the Sandakan Bay, along with the arrival of two steamers under the German flag and it served as a base for the running of gunpowder and firearms. When another German warshipSMS Hertha visited Sandakan Bay, its commander described the activity inKampung Jerman:[19]
... during our stay, two small steamers under German flag, ostensibly coming from Labuan, ran in; also third, of about the same size, with a flag of all yellow, the property and flag, as I was told of the Datu Alum. Judging from the stores in the settlement, cotton goods, arms and especially firearms, appears to be the articles of trade with the natives of Sulu.[19]
In 1875, anAustro-Hungarian consul namedBaron von Overbeck purchased the rights to a defunct American trading company in Borneo.[21] After efforts by Overbeck to sell northern Borneo to theGerman Empire,Austria-Hungary and theKingdom of Italy were unsuccessful,[22] he went into business withAlfred Dent in 1877. In 1877 the Sultan of Brunei agreed to lease land to Overbeck,[21] and in 1878 the Sultanate of Sulu similarly ceded their rights to land in north-eastern Borneo.[19] Dent succeeded in obtaining British government backing for his North Borneo Company in 1881.[21] Sandakan became the capital ofNorth Borneo in 1884, replacingKudat.[23]
As the capital of North Borneo, Sandakan become an active commercial and trading centre. The main trading partners wereHong Kong and Singapore. Many Hong Kong traders eventually settled in Sandakan and in time the town was called the 'Little Hong Kong of North Borneo'.[24] The Cowie settlement was accidentally burnt down on 15 June 1879 and was never thereafter rebuilt.[25] The first British Resident,William B. Pryer then moved the administration to a new settlement on 21 June 1879 to a residence in what is today known asBuli Sim Sim near Sandakan Bay.[23]
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During Pryer's tenure of being the first resident of Sandakan, one of his first tasks was to establish law and order. The situation in the nascent colony remained tense, with the Borneans being hostile towards the authority of the British North Borneo Company, and all-out warfare prevented only by the presence ofRoyal Navy ships offshore. To resolve the situation, Pryer imported policemen fromBritish India andSingapore. His first contingent of police was made up of IndianSikhs with a large body stature.[26] The Indian police were probably from theSepoyCompany in India and were generally called 'Sipai' by the locals.[24]
Meanwhile, the Spanish continued to strengthen their blockade of trade activities in the Sulu Archipelago, resulting in the blockade's opposition by Germans when many of their trading ships were seized by Spain. Both theGerman andBritish governments stated the archipelago should remain open to world trade route.[19] Soon, the British began to co-operate with the Germans when rumours about the seizure of their trading ship by the Spanish began arriving toGreat Britain which lead the British to oppose the Spanish action.[20] British and Germans then refused to recognise the Spanish sovereignty over Sulu. But with strong opposition from Germans over the illegal seizures of their ships and the British fear of the German presence (which was stronger than the Spanish during the time),[20] a protocol known asMadrid Protocol was then signed inMadrid to secure Spanish sovereignty over the archipelago, making the Spanish free to wage any war with the Sultanate of Sulu without the fear of other foreign western powers intervening and as a return the Spanish would not intervene in the affairs of British in northern Borneo.[19][20]
The prosperity of Sandakan as the capital of North Borneo was however ended when theJapanese occupied the town on 19 January 1942.[4][27] During their occupation, the Japanese restored the town's previous name,Elopura and established aprisoner of war camp to hold their captive enemies. Allied planes started to raid Sandakan in September 1944. As the Japanese feared further retaliation from the Allied forces, they began to move all prisoners and forced them tomarch to Ranau.[28] Thousands of British and Australian soldiers lost their lives during this forced march in addition toJavanese labourers from theDutch East Indies.[29][30][31] Only six Australian soldiers survived from this camp, all after escaping. Sandakan was completely destroyed both by bombing from Allied forces and by the Japanese occupation.[6][32][33]
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At the end of the war, the British North Borneo Company returned to administer the town but were unable to finance the costs of reconstruction. They gave control of North Borneo to theBritish Crown on 15 July 1946. The new colonial government chose to move the capital of North Borneo toJesselton instead of rebuilding it as the cost of reconstruction was higher due to the damage. Although Sandakan was no longer the administrative capital, it still remained as the "economic capital" with its port activities related to the export of timber and other agricultural products in the east coast.[34] To improve the facilities, the Crown Colony administration designed a plan, later known as the "Colonial Office Reconstruction and Development Plan for North Borneo: 1948–1955". This plan established the Sandakan Fisheries Department in April 1948. As a first step towards the development of Sandakan's fishing industry, the Crown Colony devised the "Young Working Plan" through the "Colonial Development and Welfare Scheme". Through this plan, the British administration were given the responsibility to import basic materials from Hong Kong for fishermen and distribute the materials at a price lower than the one offered by the capitalists. As a result, Hong Kongtowkays (bosses) were involved with the fishing industry in Sandakan.[34]
The town hastwin town arrangements withBurwood, Australia[35] andZamboanga, Philippines.[36]
The town is administered by theSandakan Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran Sandakan). The current President of Sandakan Municipal Council is Walter Kenson, who took over from Henry Idol in February 2025.[37] The area under the jurisdiction of the Sandakan District covers the town area (46 square miles), half-town area (56 square miles), rural areas and islands (773 square miles) with all the total area are 875 square miles.[38]
Sandakan is one of the six districts that is involved in theEastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), a dusk to dawn sea curfew which had been enforced since 19 July 2014 by the Malaysian government to repelattacks from militant groups in the Southern Philippines.[39]
Sandakan is located on the eastern coast of Sabah facing theSulu Sea, with the town is known as one of theport towns in Malaysia.[40] The town is located approximately 1,900 kilometres from the Malaysia's capitalKuala Lumpur, 28 kilometres from theinternational border with the Philippines and 319 kilometres fromKota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah.[38][41] The district itself is surrounded byBeluran (known as Labuk-Sugut District before) andKinabatangan district.[42][43] Not far from the town, there are the three Malaysian Turtle Islands, Selingaan, Gulisaan and Bakkungan Kechil.[44] The nearest islands to the town areBerhala, Duyong, Nunuyan Darat, Nunuyan Laut, andBai island.[42]
Sandakan has atropical rainforest climate under theKöppen climate classification. The climate is relatively hot and wet with average shade temperature about 32 °C, with around 32 °C at noon falling to around 27 °C at night. The town sees precipitation throughout the year, with a tendency for October to February to be the wettest months, while April is the driest month. Its mean rainfall varies from 2184 mm to 3988 mm.[45][46]
| Climate data for Sandakan (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1879–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 34.8 (94.6) | 34.1 (93.4) | 33.6 (92.5) | 36.1 (97.0) | 36.5 (97.7) | 35.9 (96.6) | 35.9 (96.6) | 36.0 (96.8) | 35.6 (96.1) | 35.8 (96.4) | 34.6 (94.3) | 34.2 (93.6) | 36.5 (97.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.6 (85.3) | 29.9 (85.8) | 30.8 (87.4) | 31.8 (89.2) | 32.7 (90.9) | 32.6 (90.7) | 32.5 (90.5) | 32.7 (90.9) | 32.5 (90.5) | 31.7 (89.1) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.2 (86.4) | 31.5 (88.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.7 (80.1) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.5 (81.5) | 28.1 (82.6) | 28.4 (83.1) | 28.0 (82.4) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.9 (82.2) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.6 (81.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.9 (76.8) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.4 (75.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 18.3 (64.9) | 19.4 (66.9) | 20.0 (68.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.6 (69.1) | 20.2 (68.4) | 19.4 (66.9) | 20.6 (69.1) | 20.6 (69.1) | 20.0 (68.0) | 20.1 (68.2) | 18.3 (64.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 444.0 (17.48) | 312.6 (12.31) | 229.4 (9.03) | 144.3 (5.68) | 138.4 (5.45) | 180.0 (7.09) | 209.3 (8.24) | 237.8 (9.36) | 246.5 (9.70) | 305.5 (12.03) | 323.6 (12.74) | 449.0 (17.68) | 3,220.3 (126.78) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 17.0 | 11.6 | 10.9 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 10.0 | 11.6 | 11.8 | 12.4 | 15.5 | 17.5 | 19.6 | 155.3 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 84 | 83 | 82 | 81 | 82 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 84 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 155.6 | 160.9 | 217.5 | 247.0 | 248.9 | 206.9 | 220.9 | 221.5 | 194.9 | 190.7 | 174.5 | 159.9 | 2,399.2 |
| Source 1:World Meteorological Organization[47] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows),[48]Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity, 1966–1990)[49] | |||||||||||||
According to the Malaysian Census in 2010, the whole town municipality's area had a total population of 396,290.[2] Non-Malaysian citizens form the majority of the town population with 144,840 people followed by otherBumiputras (100,245),Chinese (63,201),Bajau/Suluk (38,897),Malay (Bruneian Malays as well asKedayans who are migrants from the West Coast and their descendants together with ethnicCocos Malay internal migrants from theTawau division, as well as ethnic Malays native to the town originating from these ethnic groups such as theBugis,Javanese andBanjarese peoples) (22,244),Kadazan-Dusun (16,616),Indian (974),Murut andLundayeh (519) and others (8,754).[2] The 2020 Census showed a growth in the municipal population to 439,050.[50]
Most of the non-Malaysian citizens are from the southern Philippines.[13][51] The Chinese population here are equal proportions of mostly Cantonese (descendants of seafaring traders who settled in the East Coast of North Borneo then) and also Hakka (mostly descended from voluntary migrants andTaiping Rebellion refugees), who arrived during the British period and had their original settlements before in the town which is now known as theChinese Farm River Village.[9] The Bajau, Suluk and Malays are majorityMuslims, Kadazan-Dusuns and Muruts mainly practice Christianity with some of them having become Muslims[52] while the Chinese are mainly Buddhists, Taoist and some Christians.[53][54] There is also a small number ofHindus,Sikhs,Animists, and secularists.
The large group of non-citizens have been identified as a majority Muslim, and there are some ChristianFilipino women who converted to Islam to marry Muslim Filipinos here.[51] Like in Kota Kinabalu, the first wave of these immigrants arrived in the late 15th century during the Spanish colonisation, while the othersarrived in the early 1970s because ofthe troubles in southern Philippines.[51] They consist of migrant workers, with many of them beingnaturalised as Malaysian citizens. However, there are still many who live without proper documentation asillegal immigrants in the town with their own illegal settlement.[51]
Like thenational language, the people of Sandakan mainly speakMalay, with a distinctSabahancreole.[55] The Malay language in Sandakan are different from the Malay language in thewest coast which resemblesBrunei Malay.[56] In Sandakan, this language has been influenced by many words from theSuluk language.[57] As Sandakan had also been dominated by the Hakka and Cantonese Chinese, Hakka and Cantonese widely spoken, while today Mandarin, as well as a lesser extent Cantonese dominates as the lingua franca among both dialect subgroups (since both the local ethnicChinese populations native to this town share the same ancestral province in China,Guangdong, in the case of the usage of the Cantonese dialect as a lingua franca among both the local Cantonese and Hakka populations, while Mandarin is the standardised spoken form of the Chinese language used in the business and education sectors). While for the east coast Bajau, their language has similarities with theSama language in the Philippines and also borrowed many words from the Suluk language which is different from the west coast Bajau who had been influenced by theMalayic languages of Brunei Malay.[58][59]
During the British period, Sandakan grew quickly as one of the largest British settlements on the east coast of North Borneo including having been the former capital of the territory.[60] It grew rapidly due to the export activities as aport town. The port is important forpalm oil, tobacco,cocoa, coffee,manila hemp andsago exports.[5][61] In the mid-1930s, the export of tropical timber from Sandakan recorded a level of 180,000 cubic metres which made the town as the world's largest exporter ofhardwood.[5] Many Sandakan wood logs are now found inBeijing'sTemple of Heaven.[60] Sandakan also enjoyed modern developments such astelegraph service toLondon andpaved streets beforeHong Kong andSingapore.[60]
Theoverseas Chinese have contributed to the development of the town since their immigration in the late 19th century.[62] The immigrants to Sandakan were farmers and labourers while some of them worked as businessmen and entrepreneurs.[9][62] In the modern days, Sandakan have been poised to become one of Sabah business hubs.[63] The town itself is one of Sabah's major port, other than in Kota Kinabalu, Sepanggar Bay, Tawau,Lahad Datu,Kudat,Semporna andKunak.[40][64] Sandakan district is known for itseco-tourism centres, such as theorangutan rehabilitation station in Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre, the Turtle Islands Park, theKinabatangan River and the Gomantong Caves which are famous for theiredible bird's nest.[63] Due to Sandakan geographical proximity to Southern Philippines, there is also abarter trade connection and Sandakan is considered as a transit point for food entering the Southern Philippines. The state government has been assisting traders to improve their trading system and providing infrastructure facilities.[65]
Sandakan main industrial zones are basically based on three areas such as the Kamunting area known for itsoil depots, edible oil refinery and glue factories.[66] In Batu Sapi, ashipyard, fertiliser oxygen gas and wood-based factories are situated.[66] Since 2012, the State Public Works Department (PWD) has undertaking three projects to upgrade roads in Sandakan.[67] A grand specialised industrial park, Majulah Industrial Centre have also started operating in 2015.[68][69] The proposed Seguntor industrial area consists of 1,950 hectares (4,833 acres) is originally an agricultural area and the area is now in the process to be re-zoning into an industrial area. 2,531 acres will be for wood-based industries while another 2,302 will be used for general industries. At present, 55 wood-based factories have been approved, of which 35 has been into operation. While another total of 340 hectares area for general industries and 30 hectares for service industries are located in various parts of Sandakan.[66]
But in recent years, many businessmen have shifted their operations away from the town centre to other suburbs due to a large presence of illegal immigrants fromMindanao islands in the Philippines which has caused trouble, mostly crime such as theft and vandalism on public facility and alsosolid waste pollution in marine and coastal areas.[51][61][70] But later in January 2003, anurban renewal project, was launched to revive the town centre as a commercial hub in Sandakan and since 2013, theGovernment of Malaysia has launched a major crackdown on illegal immigrants.[61][71]
All the internal roads linking different parts of the town are generallystate roads constructed and maintained by the state'sPublic Works Department, while the local council (Sandakan Municipal Council) oversees the housing estates roads.[72] Currently, most roads in Sandakan are undergoing major upgrades due to issues like the lack of road networks and overloading.[72][73] There is only one federalarterial road which links Sandakan to the west coast of Sabah, theFederal Route 22, while other roads including the internal roads are called state roads.[72] Most major internal roads aredual-carriageways. The only highway route from Tawau connects: Sandakan –Telupid –Ranau –Kundasang –Tamparuli –Tuaran –Kota Kinabalu, as wellLahad Datu –Kunak –Semporna –Tawau (part of thePan Borneo Highway)[74]
Regular bus services with minivans andtaxis also can be found.[75][76] There are three bus terminals operating in the town such as the Buses to Sepilok, Local Bus Terminal and the Long Distance Bus Terminal.[77] The long-distance bus terminal is located about 4 km north of the town while the local bus connects with the centre of the town.[75]
Sandakan Airport (SA) (ICAO Code: WBKS) provides flights linking the town to otherdomestic destinations. To boost the twin town relationship withZamboanga City and for the ASEAN spirit in theBIMP-EAGA region, there is aninternational route from Sandakan toZamboanga International Airport.[78][79] Local destinations for the airport including Kota Kinabalu,Kuching,Kuala Lumpur and many others. It is also one of the destinations forMASWings, which serves flights to other smaller towns or rural areas in East Malaysia. As of 2014, the airport is being upgraded and expanded to accommodate additional travellers.[80]
There is a ferry terminal which connects the town with some parts in the Southern Philippines such as Zamboanga City, theSulu Archipelago andTawi-Tawi.[81]The state government have tried to proposed a new ferry terminal in the town to attract more tourist particularly from the Philippines and also fromIndonesia.[82] But the proposal was turned down due to the trouble in the southern Philippines which could spread to the state and there is a call from the formerChief Minister of Sabah and the Current President ofSabah Progressive PartyYong Teck Lee to suspend the ferry service to counter the high level of people migration from the Philippines which now has become the major problem to Sabah as they are overstaying in the state and becoming illegal immigrants.[83][84][85]
The first court in the city was built in 1957. Due to increasing demand following an expanding population, the Sessions' court and Magistrates' court were shifted to the Sandakan Municipal Council building (Wisma Warisan) opposite in 1990, while the High Court remained in the old building.[86] TheSandakan War Monument is located near these buildings.[87]
In 2001, a new court complex was built in mile 7. The new court complex was completed and started operating in 2003. It was then being launch in 2005.[88] After the new court complex started operating, the old court was then being left completely abandoned. Anothercourt for theSharia law was also located in the town.[89]
The district police headquarters is located at Lebuh Empat,[90] along with the town police station located not far from the court beside the Wisma Sandakan.[91] Other police station can be found throughout the district such as in KM52, Ulu Dusun and in Seguntor.[92] Police substations (Pondok Polis) are found in Sg. Manila, Suan Lamba, Sibuga and Kim Fong BT4 areas,[92] and the Sandakan Prison is located in the town centre.[93]
There are onepublic hospital, eight publichealth clinics, one child and mother health clinic, eight village clinics, three mobile clinics, and two community clinics in Sandakan.[94][95] TheDuchess of Kent Hospital, which is located along North Street (Jalan Utara), is the main and second largest public hospital in Sabah after theQueen Elizabeth Hospital with 400 beds.[96] Built in 1951, it is also become the first modern and one of the important hospital in Sabah.[96]
In 2008, aprivate hospital was proposed to be built at the North Street. The Fook Kuin Medical Centre would be the largest private hospital in Sabah with 276 beds surpassing the Sabah Medical Centre with 134 beds in Kota Kinabalu once it finished in 2011.[97][98] The Sandakan Regional Library is located in the town and is one of three regional libraries in Sabah, the other inKeningau andTawau. All these libraries are operated by the Sabah State Library department.[99]
There are many government or stateschools in and around the town. The first primary school in the town was St. Mary Town Primary School which was opened by Rev. Fr. A. Prenger who became the first headmaster along with Rev. Fr. Pundleider, who is a Mill Hill's priests.[4] It is an all boys Catholic Mission School and have been opened since 24 July 1883, making it as the oldest school in Borneo.[100] Notablesecondary schools includeSekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Elopura IISt Cecilia's Convent Secondary School,St. Michael's Secondary School, andSung Siew Secondary School.[101] One independent private school is also present in the town called the Yu Yuan Secondary School.[102]
Several cultural venues are located in Sandakan. TheSandakan Heritage Museum, situated at the Lebuh Empat Road, is the main museum of Sandakan. The museum is located on the right-hand side of the ground and on the first floor of the Wisma Warisan Building which is next to the municipal building.[103] Besides that, a cultural festival known as Sandakan Festival is celebrated once a year in the town, after having been introduced in 2000 by the Sandakan Municipal Council.[104][105]
Another museum in Sandakan is theAgnes Keith House which is located on top of the hill along Istana Street. The house is known as the former home toHarry Keith and his wifeAgnes Newton Keith.[106] Other historical attractions include theChartered Company Memorial, Chong Tain Vun Memorial, Japanese Bunker, Malaysia Fountain, Marian Hill, Mill Hill Dam,[107] North Borneo Scout Movement Memorial,Sandakan Japanese Cemetery, Sandakan Liberation Monument,Sandakan Massacre Memorial,Sandakan Memorial Park,Sandakan War Memorial and theWilliam Pryer Memorial. The oldestreligious buildings are theSt. Mary's Cathedral,Parish of St. Michael's and All Angels, theSam Sing Kung Temple and theJamek Mosque, which was opened by a Muslimcloth merchant from India, known as Damsah, in 1890.[108][109]
A number of leisure spots and conservation areas are available around Sandakan. TheSepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary is a place where orphaned or injuredorangutans are brought to be rehabilitated to return to forest life. Established in 1964, it is one of only four orangutan sanctuaries in the world.[110][111] Other conservation areas are theMalaysian Turtle Islands where many turtles lay their eggs on the islands. They cover an area of 1,740 hectares which includes the surrounding reefs and seas. The islands are also ideal for swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving.[112]Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is also another wildlife conservation and research centre here and it aims to improve the animal welfare and rehabilitation of theMalayan sun bear.
Another attraction is theGomantong Caves, which is home to hundreds of thousands ofswifts who build their nests high on cave walls and roofs. Other than swifts, the caves are also inhabited by millions ofbats.[110] Furthermore, the Sandakan Orchid House has a collection of rare orchids. Along the Labuk Road from Sandakan, there is a crocodile farm which houses about 1,000 crocodiles of various sizes.[113]
The main shopping area in Sandakan is the Harbour Mall. Launched in 2003, it is located in Sandakan's new central business district and built on a bay ofreclaimed land.[111] It is part of the Sandakan Harbour Square and considered as the first modern shopping mall in the town.[114][115] In 2014, a new mall project with 341 units of store has been launched and will become the second main shopping destination for Sandakan once it gets finished.[116][117]
Rugby is very popular in Sandakan.Eddie Butler, a former Welshrugby union captain described it as the "Limerick of the tropics".[118] In 2008, the Borneo Eagles-Sabahans (a team which included a few professional Fijians) at the newly built Sandakan Rugby Club hosted a 10-a-side tournament for the eighth and last time. In 2009, the tournament was changed toseven-a-side.[118]
Sultan of Brunei cedes the lands east of Marudu Bay to the Sultanate of Sulu in 1704.
His first contingent of police was, therefore, made up of Indian Sikhs whose stature alone must have been quite frightening to some of the natives.
The Crown Colony administration chose Jesselton, now known as Kota Kinabalu, as its new centre of administration and the new capital. This decision was made owing to the devastating damage suffered by Sandakan as mentioned previously and the ever growing development of the rubber industry along the Western residential coast of North Borneo. Although Sandakan is no longer the capital city, it remained as the "economic capital of the state" for North Borneo, specifically as a port which handles activities pertaining to the export of timber and other agricultural products from the eastern coast of North Borneo. While, the fishing industry at the final stages of the British administration era saw a great involvement by the Hong Kong "towkays" to the prawn commodity around the coasts of Kudat, Sandakan and up Tambisan. For example, in 1951 the British administration granted an Hong Kong based Chun-Li Company to operate prawn industry in the North Borneo waters.
Orang Asli of the Peninsula or the Dayak, Kadazan, Murut, and Orang Ulu of Borneo were converted to Islam
TABLE III indicates the number of Muslim converts all over districts of Sabah within eight years beginning from the year 2000-2007. The city of Kota Kinabalu states the highest number of conversion (3526), then followed by Keningau (1307), Sandakan (1051), Tawau (829), Ranau (741) and Lahad Datu (714).
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)At present, the hospital possesses 400 beds, including 18 beds for intensive care.
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