Weston | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Pekan Weston | |
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Jawi | ويستن |
 The main gate to Weston town. | |
  Weston  Weston | |
| Coordinates:5°12′59″N115°35′39″E / 5.21639°N 115.59417°E /5.21639; 115.59417 | |
| Country |  Malaysia |
| State |  Sabah |
| Division | Interior |
| District | Beaufort |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 334 |
Weston is a small town located on the west coast of theMalaysianstate ofSabah, about 100 kilometers south ofKota Kinabalu, the state capital.[1] Weston is part of theBeaufort District in theInterior Division and was named after Arthur J. West, a railway engineer for theNorth Borneo Chartered Company. Weston is one of the towns along thePan Borneo Highway.
The original name of the settlement wasSugin Lawas. When the North Borneo Chartered Company commissioned the town as the terminus of theNorth Borneo Railway toBeaufort, it was renamed West Town in honor of the railway engineer Arthur J. West, which later changed the current name, Weston.
When the first railway section was built in the 1890s,William Clarke Cowie had chosen the location at the mouth of thePadas River as a seemingly suitable port for the shipping of natural rubber and tobacco. However, it soon became clear that the harbour was too shallow for larger ships. Weston's importance faded when the railway line was extended to Jesselton in 1906.[2]
Weston was one of the ports used by theJapanese Army in the invasion of North Borneo. From Weston, the Japanese troops first moved towards Beaufort and from there, transported part of their troops by railway to Jesselton, which was occupied by the Japanese from 6 January 1941.[3] Weston was also one of the starting points for the liberation ofNorth Borneo for theAustralian 9th Division. On 19 June 1945, Weston was captured by Allied troops.[4]
When theBrunei Revolt broke out in Brunei on 8 December 1962, the rebellion quickly spread across the border toLimbang,Lawas andMiri inSarawak and Weston andSipitang in North Borneo, as these places were traditionally associated with the Sultanate.[5] Thanks to the quick and decisive intervention of the British governor,Sir William Goode, the rebels in Sipitang and Weston were isolated and disarmed just two days later. On 10 December, a total of 60 rebels were arrested in Weston and a large amount of weapons were confiscated.[6]
Train service between Beaufort and Weston was finally closed in 1963.
Weston is one of the cities along the west coast whose historic buildings have disappeared, with a few exceptions. The following buildings have been preserved from the time before theSecond World War:
According to population statistics from 2010, the city has 334 inhabitants, mostly Malays (72%).[7] The remaining residents of Weston, which is around 1,700 people, are spread across the surrounding villages and settlements.
Parts of the Padas River estuary are protected as Weston Wetland Park (WWP). Thewetland is one of the largest estuarine habitats in the northern part ofBorneo. The wetlandbiotope is a retreat area forproboscis monkeys.[8]
Capital:Kota Kinabalu | |||||||||||
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