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45-611: The Baram river basin, an area of some 10,000 square miles (30,000 km), has been part of Sarawak since it was ceded to the White Rajah of Sarawak by the then sultan of Brunei in 1882, for a perpetual annual payment of 6,000 dollars. The river is crossed not far from its mouth by the Miri-Baram Highway , Federal Route 22 , on the Batang Baram Bridge opened in 2003. Some 100 km upstream lies

90-671: A hereditary monarchy of the Brooke family , who founded and ruled the Raj of Sarawak as a sovereign state , located on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo in Maritime Southeast Asia , from 1841 to 1946. Of British origin , the first ruler, James Brooke was granted the province of Kuching – which was known as Sarawak Asal (Original Sarawak) – by the Sultanate of Brunei for helping fight piracy and insurgency among

135-501: A Japanese minesweeper and a collier. Meanwhile, on 31 December 1941, the force under Lieutenant Colonel Watanabe moved northward to occupy Brunei , Labuan Island , and Jesselton (now called Kota Kinabalu ). On 18 January 1942, using small fishing boats, the Japanese landed at Sandakan , the seat of government of British North Borneo . The North Borneo Armed Constabulary, with only 650 men, hardly provided any resistance to slow down

180-615: A century, first as Rajahs under the Sultanate of Brunei (a by then tiny but once powerful state entirely enclosed within the borders of Sarawak), and from 1888 as a protectorate of the British Empire . The northeast of the island comprised North Borneo , since 1882 another British protectorate under the British North Borneo Company . Offshore lay the small British crown colony of Labuan . The rest of

225-644: A complete destruction of oilfields and airfields in Miri. Shell company officials received orders to carry out the Denial Scheme on 8 December 1941. In the evening on the same day, the task was completed. All producing oil wells were sealed up with vital equipment and machinery dismantled and shipped off to Singapore. Skilled workers and important company papers also went along with the equipment and sent to Singapore. The Punjab Regiment and several officials were sent to guard Kuching. On 16 December 1941, 9 days after

270-761: Is used to name the places located at the confluence between the smaller tributaries and the major river, same way as the Malay usage of the name "Kuala" (meaning river delta). The name "Pa'" (meaning "village") is exclusively used in the Kelabit Highlands such as " Pa Umor " village in Bario . The Baram river flood happened in May 1962. 4°35′18″N 113°58′13″E  /  4.58833°N 113.97028°E  / 4.58833; 113.97028  ( South China Sea-Baram ) White Rajah The White Rajahs were

315-913: The Kuomintang , against whom Japan had been fighting since 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War . It also gave Imperial Japan a seaboard facing Sarawak and North Borneo across the China Sea. In December 1941, Japan attacked US possessions in Hawaii and the Philippines, declaring war on the US and finally precipitating Germany's official declaration of war on America, according to the Pact. With its rich petroleum exploitation capacity, for instance at Tarakan , Balikpapan and Banjarmasin , Borneo

360-703: The Raj of Sarawak , Brunei , North Borneo , and the western part of Kalimantan that was part of the Dutch East Indies . The Japanese main unit for this mission was the 35th Infantry Brigade led by Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi . The invasion of Borneo was part of a large Japanese invasion in the Pacific, which starting on December 7, 1941 attacked or invaded the United States, Great Britain, and Thailand, including territories in Burma, Malaya, and

405-546: The indigenous peoples in 1841 and received independent kingdom status. Based on descent through the male line in accordance with the will of James Brooke, the White Rajahs' dynasty continued through Brooke's nephew and grandnephew , the latter of whom ceded his rights over Sarawak to the United Kingdom in 1946, which was made a Crown colony . His nephew had been the legal heir to the throne and objected to

450-667: The British government knew that Brooke was not involved, but chose not to reveal the truth of the matter so as not to provoke Indonesia. It had recently won its war of independence from the Netherlands , and the UK was already dealing with the Malayan Emergency to the north-west. Since those events, there has been no serious movement for the restoration of the monarchy, although under the will of Sir James Brooke any member of

495-699: The Brooke White Rajah government also organised the Sarawak Rangers . This force consisted of 1,515 men who were primarily Iban and Dayak tribesmen. Altogether these forces were commanded by British Lieutenant Colonel C.M. Lane and was known as "SARFOR" (Sarawak Force). After having heard of the attack on Pearl Harbor , on 8 December 1941, the Brooke government ordered that the oilfields at Miri and Seria and refinery at Lutong be quickly demolished. The Dutch forces had an important airfield near

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540-637: The Brooke family graveyard in Kuching, as per his last wish. Vyner Brooke instituted significant political reforms during his tenure. He ended the absolute rule of the rajah in 1941, before the Japanese invasion during World War II , by granting new powers to the Council Negri (the parliament). Bertram co-ruled with his elder brother, taking turns of 6–8 months in charge of the country each year. By 1939 Vyner Brooke's nephew Anthony Brooke had taken

585-541: The Brooke family is eligible to be appointed heir. The Brooke family still maintains strong ties to the state and its people and are represented by the Brooke Trust, and by Anthony Brooke's grandson Jason Brooke , at many state functions and supporting heritage projects. The coaling station of Brooketon in Brunei was named after the Brooke family. The architectural legacy of the dynasty can be seen in many of

630-406: The Japanese destroyer Sagiri 30 miles (48 km) north of Kuching, becoming the first Allied submarine in the Pacific to sink a warship. K XVI was lost with all hands during the day by a torpedo from Japanese submarine I66 . On 24 and 28 December, B-10 bombers from a different unit flew missions against Kuching from Singapore, Sembawang. On 26 December, B-10s operating out of Samarinda sank

675-501: The Japanese invasion. On the morning of 19 January, Governor Charles Robert Smith surrendered British North Borneo and was interned with other staff. At about 16:40 on 25 December, Japanese troops successfully captured Kuching airfield. The Punjab regiment retreated through the jungle to the Singkawang area. After Singkawang was secured as well on 29 December, the rest of the British and Dutch troops retreated southward further into

720-406: The Pacific. Previously, they had only been at war with China, even though they had signed the tripartite act with Nazi Germany and Italy. In 1941, Borneo was divided between the Dutch East Indies and British protectorates (North Borneo, Sarawak and Brunei) and crown colonies (Labuan). The so-called " White Rajahs ", the Brooke family, had ruled Sarawak, on the northwest of Borneo, for almost

765-741: The Pearl Harbor bombing, Japanese troops consisting of 10,000 men landed on Tanjung Lobang Beach, Miri without much resistance. However, on 17 December 1941, a Dutch flying boat from Tarakan Island attacked the Japanese destroyer Shinonome (under the command of Hiroshi Sasagawa) off Miri. The ship was sunk along with the entire crew of 228. Another flying boat X-33 also damaged a Japanese transport ship. Dutch Martin B-10 bombers attacked Japanese shipping from their base, 'Singkawang II' at Miri, on 17 December, but their attempt failed. The three Dornier Do 24Ks followed up with their own attack, but one

810-595: The Sarawak Sovereignty Trust. When James Brooke first arrived in Sarawak, it was governed as a vassal state of the Sultanate of Brunei ; the system of government was based on the Bruneian model. Brooke reorganised the government according to the British model, eventually creating a civil service . It recruited European (chiefly British) officers to run district outstations. The Sarawak Service

855-565: The White Rajahs during crises such as the Chinese uprising. One of the company steamships, the Sir James Brooke , helped recapture Kuching. Rajah Charles formed a small paramilitary force, the Sarawak Rangers , to police and defend the expanding state. This small army also manned a series of forts around the country, acted as the rajahs' personal guard, and performed ceremonial duties. After World War II , during which Sarawak and

900-406: The White Rajahs. The heraldic arms of the Brooke dynasty were based on the emblem used by James Brooke prior to 9 November 1848. It consisted of a red and black cross per pale on a yellow shield, crested by a badger , known in heraldic parlance as a "brock" and hence alluding to the dynastic surname. The shield design was used as the basis of the Sarawak flag hoisted 21 September 1848. A crown

945-643: The border of British Malaysia (Sarawak) called "Singkawang II", which was defended by about 750 Dutch troops. On 25 November, five Brewster 339 Buffalo fighter planes arrived for local defence, followed in the beginning of December by Martin B-10 bombers. The Dutch Naval Aviation Group GVT-1, with three Dornier Do 24 K flying boats , was located in Pontianak along with a KNIL garrison, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Dominicus Mars, numbering approximately 500 men. Dutch forces in West Borneo consisted of

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990-413: The cession, Anthony Brooke was considered a suspect when Duncan Stewart , the second British governor to Sarawak, was assassinated by two people that were believed to be members of a group dedicated to restoring him as rajah. In reality, they were from a political group agitating for union with newly independent Indonesia . He was never prosecuted. Documents released in the late 20th century indicate that

1035-517: The cession, as did most of the Sarawak members of the Council Negri . Sarawak was part of the realm of Brunei until 1841 when James Brooke was granted a sizeable area of land in the southwest area of Brunei – around the town of Sarawak (now Kuching) and the nearby mining region of Bau – from Bruneian Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II . He was later confirmed with the title of Rajah of

1080-649: The country's 19th-century and colonial heritage buildings. In Kuching these include the Astana , or governor's residence; the Sarawak Museum ; the Old Courthouse ; Fort Margherita ; the Square Fort; and Brooke Memorial. The Brooke Dockyard, which was founded in the period of Rajah Charles, is still in operation, as is the original Sarawak Museum . Several key buildings from the Brooke period, such as

1125-408: The cruisers Kumano and Suzuya and the destroyers Fubuki and Sagiri . Part of the Japanese force was allocated to capture Miri and Seria , while the rest would capture Kuching and nearby airfields. The convoy escaped detection and, at dawn on 16 December 1941, two landing units secured Miri and Seria, encountering very little resistance from British forces. A few hours later, Lutong

1170-405: The descendants of his late father Thomas Brooke. Children of Ruler and Heir apparent: Battle of Borneo (1941%E2%80%9342) [REDACTED]   United Kingdom [REDACTED]   Netherlands 1941 1942 1942 The Battle of Borneo was a successful campaign by Japanese Imperial forces for control of Borneo island and concentrated mainly on the subjugation of

1215-518: The economy. The core of the early Sarawak economy was antimony , later followed by gold, which was mined in Bau by a Chinese company which imported numerous workers from China and Singapore. After the local Chinese uprising in 1857, the mining operations were gradually taken over by the Borneo Company; it bought out the last Chinese company in 1884. The Borneo Company provided military support to

1260-471: The following units: The main Japanese force—led by Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi —consisted of units from Canton, southern China: On 13 December 1941, a Japanese invasion convoy left Cam Ranh Bay in French Indochina , escorted by the cruiser Yura (Rear-Admiral Shintaro Hashimoto), the destroyers of the 12th Destroyer Division ( Murakumo , Shinonome , Shirakumo and Usugumo ),

1305-575: The island—collectively known as Kalimantan —was under Dutch control. The Netherlands were invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940. However, Free Dutch forces—mainly the Royal Netherlands Navy and the 85,000-strong Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL, including a small air service)—fought on, spread throughout the Dutch East Indies, and by December 1941 under an embryonic and somewhat chaotic joint Allied command which became

1350-412: The loss of hundreds of troops. Hokkai Maru was beached to prevent her from sinking, and another transport was less seriously damaged. The rest of the troops were able to land. Although 2nd Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment , resisted the attack, they were soon outnumbered and retreated up the river. By the afternoon, Kuching was in Japanese hands. On the night of 23–24 December, HNLMS K XVI torpedoed

1395-899: The offices and warehouses of Borneo Company, have been demolished for more recent developments. Modern Kuching has many businesses and attractions that refer to the era of the White Rajahs: Sarawak has a diverse population with a large proportion of indigenous tribal peoples, such as the Dayaks (Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah, Melanau (Kayan Lalo), Kenowit, Sebop Bukitan, Kedayan, Tanjong, Sipeng, Kajang, Sekapan, Kejaman, Lahanan, Punan, Lugat, Lisum, Penan, Sian, Tagal (Murut), Tring, Adang, Livong, Miriek, Tabun, Ukit, Bakong, Kiput, Berawan, Narum, Dali, Penan & other Dayaks), Malay, Bidayuh (Land Dayaks) and Iban (Sea Dayaks). In addition, it received numerous Chinese and Indian immigrants, whose businesses and labour were encouraged at various times by

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1440-469: The reins of government, and it was with a considerable controversy that Vyner attempted to secretly cede Sarawak to Britain in 1946 in what gave rise to the anti-cession movement of Sarawak . Sarawak today is a state of Malaysia after the Malaysia Agreement of 1963. In accordance with the will of the first rajah, James Brooke, the line of succession to the "sovereignty of Sarawak and all

1485-544: The rest of Borneo had been occupied by Japanese forces , the third rajah, Vyner Brooke, ceded Sarawak to the Colonial Office . Unclear as to the legality of cession, the British government simultaneously passed a Bill of Annexation. Rajah Vyner's nephew and legal heir, Anthony Brooke , initially opposed annexation by the Crown, as did a majority of the native members of the Council Negri . Because of his opposition to

1530-504: The rights and privileges whatsoever thereto belonging" was to the heirs male lawfully begotten of the Rajah's nephew Charles Anthony Johnson Brooke. Charles inherited under the will in 1868, and confirmed the succession in his own will of 1913. On his accession in 1918, his son Vyner (later Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak) swore to uphold the will "as forming the constitution of the state". This unique testamentary trust became known as

1575-466: The short-lived American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM). The Tripartite Pact —between the three Axis powers of Germany, Japan and Italy—guaranteed mutual support, and this paid off for Japan in July 1941 when French weakness in the wake of the fall of France to Germany allowed Japan to occupy French Indo-China (now modern Vietnam , Laos and Cambodia ). This blocked a supply route for

1620-516: The submarine chaser CH-7 , and the seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru . Ten transport ships ( Imperial Japanese Army transports Katori Maru , Hiyoshi Maru , Myoho Maru , Kenkon Maru , Nichiran Maru ; and Imperial Japanese Navy transports Hokkai Maru , Tonan Maru No 3 , Unyo Maru No. 2 , Kamikawa Maru , Mitakesan Maru ) carried the Japanese 35th Infantry Brigade HQ under the command of Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi . The Support Force—commanded by Rear Admiral Takeo Kurita —consisted of

1665-584: The territory. The Raj of Sarawak developed and expanded during the rule of the first two White Rajahs, growing to occupy much of the north region of the island of Borneo. The Brooke administrations leased or annexed more land from Brunei. James and Charles had short grammar school educations, Vyner went to public schools and Cambridge University (but without taking degrees). All of them died in England and are buried at Sheepstor parish church , Devon. Anthony Brooke had his ashes interred at Sheepstor as well as at

1710-572: The town of Marudi . Batang (meaning "trunk" in Malay) is the name used for the main river in the river system such as "Batang Baram" (Baram river). For upriver areas, such as the areas surrounding the headwaters, the place is named as "Ulu" (which means "upriver"). For example, "Ulu Baram" is the upriver part of the Baram river. "Long" meaning "confluence" is used by the Orang Ulu (upriver people). It

1755-517: Was a prime target for Japan, and a very poorly guarded one. Chronically short of natural resources, Japan needed an assured supply of fuel to achieve its long-term goal of becoming the major power in the Pacific. Borneo also stood on the main sea routes between Java, Sumatra, Malaya and Celebes. Control of these routes were vital to securing the territory. The main objectives were the oilfields at Miri in Sarawak region and Seria in Brunei . The oil

1800-433: Was added to the flag around 1870 when Charles Brooke wanted to differentiate the government flag from the merchant flag (without crown). On 9 November 1848 Sir James Brooke, KCB was granted a coat of arms (Or a Cross engrailed per cross indented, Azure and Sable in the first quarter an Estoile of the second. Crest: On an Eastern Crown Or a Brock Proper ducally gorged also Or). The arms were for him and his descendants and

1845-760: Was captured as well. During World War II , Seria was one of the first places in Borneo invasion by the Imperial Japanese Army . The Japanese Kawaguchi Detachment came ashore on 16 December 1941, nine days after the Attack on Pearl Harbor . Upon the invasion, the oil field was destroyed by the British forces to prevent being captured by the Japanese. Soon after the news of Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , Japanese planes were seen making reconnaissance flights over Miri. The Brooke government decided on

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1890-544: Was continually reformed by Rajah James and his successors. Rajah James retained many of the customs and symbols of Malay monarchy, and combined them with his own style of absolute rule. The Rajah had the power to introduce laws and acted as chief judge in Kuching. The White Rajahs were determined to prevent the indigenous peoples of Sarawak from being exploited by Western business interests. They allowed Borneo Company Limited (the Borneo Company) to assist in managing

1935-515: Was discovered by the Japanese, who began attacking it the same day. On 22 December, a Japanese convoy left Miri for Kuching , but was spotted by the Dutch flying boat X-35 , which radioed a warning to the Dutch submarine HNLMS  K XIV , under the command of Lieutenant Commander Carel A. J. van Groeneveld. At 20:40 on 23 December, K XIV infiltrated the convoy and began its attack. The army transports Hiyoshi Maru and Katori Maru were sunk with

1980-548: Was refined at Lutong near Miri. Despite rich oil supplies, the Sarawak region had no air or sea forces to defend it. Only in late 1940 did Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham order the 2nd Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment , a heavy 152 mm (6 in) gun battery from the Hong Kong-Singapore Royal Artillery, and a detachment of the 35th Fortress Company (Royal Engineers) to be positioned at Kuching . They numbered about 1,050 men. In addition,

2025-545: Was shot down, possibly by a floatplane from Kamikawa Maru . The remaining two, benefiting from cloud cover, were never seen by the Japanese. One flying boat scored two 200 kg bomb hits on Shinonome , causing a massive explosion, while a near miss ruptured its hull plating. The destroyer's stern broke off and the ship sank within minutes. The last flying boat dropped its bombs on a freighter, but missed. The B-10 bombers made attacks at Miri 18 and 19 December, but retired to Sumatra on 23 December since Singkawang II airfield

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