Labuan is the main island of
the Malaysian
Federal Territory of
Labuan. Labuan is best known as an offshore financial centre offering
international financial and business services via Labuan IBFC since 1990 as well as a tourist
destination for nearby Bruneians
and scuba
divers. The name Labuan derives from the Malay word
labuhan meaning anchorage.
Geography
The
Federal Territory
of Labuan comprises Labuan Island (75 km²) and six other
smaller islands (Pulau Burung, Pulau Daat,
Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Papan, Pulau Rusukan
Kecil, and Pulau Rusukan Besar), which have a combined total area
of 92 km².
The islands lie 8 km off the coast of
Borneo
, adjacent to the Malaysian state of Sabah
and the
independent state of Brunei
Darussalam, on the northern edge of Brunei Bay
facing the South China Sea
. Labuan Island is mainly flat and undulating
and the highest point is only 85 meters. Over 70% of the island is
still covered with vegetation.
Bandar Labuan
, formerly known as Victoria, is the major town and
port and faces Brunei Bay.
Subdivision
The territory of Labuan is subdivided into administrative
districts:
- Kampung Tanjung Aru
- Batu Arang
- Batu Manikar
- Bandar Labuan
- Layang-Layangan
- Lubok Temiang
- Rancha-Rancha
- Kampung Tanjong Kubong
- Kampung Bukit Kalam
- Kampung Patau-Patau I & II
- Kampung Pohon Batu
- Kiamsam
- kampung Sungai Bedaun
- Kampung Sungai Pagar
- Kampung Sungai Labu
History
Labuan Island and outlying
islands
Labuan was
a part of the Brunei
Sultanate.
In the 1840s the previously-uninhabited island was proposed as a
base for British operations against
piracy in
the South China Sea. The
Sultan of
Brunei ceded Labuan to Britain in 1846, and the island became a
Crown Colony in 1848.
The first White Rajah of Sarawak
, James Brooke was appointed first
commander-in-chief and Governor of the territory. In 1849
the
Eastern Archipelago
Company became the first of many companies trying to exploit
its coal deposits and establish it as a coaling station for the
China trade.
It later became a station for the submarine cable between Singapore
and Hong
Kong
.
It was
made a part of North Borneo on 1
January 1890, then on 30 October 1906 joined to the Straits
Settlements
.
During
World War II, Labuan was occupied by
Japan
from
December 1941 to June 1945 and governed as part of the Northern
Borneo military unit by the Japanese
37th Army. Labuan was renamed
Maida
Island (Pulau Maida, 前田島 [
Maeda-shima]) after
Marquis Toshinari Maeda, the first commander of
Japanese forces in northern Borneo. The island was retaken by
Australian forces in
Operation Oboe Six, in June 1945.
Labuan
assumed its former name and was under British military
administration (along with the rest of the Straits
Settlements), then joined to British
North Borneo, on 15 July 1946, which in turn became a part of
Malaysia as the state of Sabah in 1963.
In
1984, Labuan was ceded by Sabah to the
federal government and made a federal territory. In
1990, it was declared an international offshore
financial centre and
free trade
zone.The Labuan International Business and Financial Centre
(Labuan IBFC) was created as Malaysia’s only offshore financial hub
on October 1990 and was operating under the name of Labuan
International Offshore Financial Centre (IOFC). At the time it was
established to strengthen the contribution of financial services to
the Gross National Products (GNP) of Malaysia as well as to develop
the island and its surrounding vicinity. The jurisdiction,
supervised by the Labuan Offshore Financial Services Authority or
LOFSA, offers benefits such as 3% tax on net audited results or a
flat rate of Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) 20,000 to trading companies;
low operational costs; liberal exchange controls; and a host of
other advantages including readily available, experienced and
professional service providers.
Since its inception, the jurisdiction has expanded to become a base
for more than 6,500 offshore companies and more than 300 licensed
financial institutions including world leading banks. Labuan IBFC
is embarking on an aggressive growth strategy to become the premier
international business and financial centre in the Asia Pacific
region.
Labuan's business focus is on five core areas: offshore holding
companies, captive insurance, Shariah-compliant Islamic Finance
structures, public and private funds and wealth management. Labuan
IBFC’s position is further enhanced by the launch of the Malaysian
International Islamic Finance Centre initiative in August
2006.
Politics
Defence
Defence is the responsibility of the federal government, with naval
patrol vessels, a garrison and an air detachment based on the
island. The vigilance of the local Coast Guard and Customs and
Excise contribute to the maintenance of Labuan's reputation and
status as an international offshore financial centre and free trade
zone.
Population
The ethnic composition in 2000 in Labuan was:
Malay/
Bumiputra mainly
Brunei Malay and Kedayan(60,549 or 77.92%),
Ethnic Chinese (12,019 or 15.47%),
Ethnic Indian (989 or 1.28%), Other
(4,143 or 5.33%).
Attractions and places of interest
There are several attractions and places of interest on Labuan. The
military cemetery contains various war graves and memorials to the
fallen of
World War II. This includes
British, Australian, Indian, Sarawakian, Bruneian, North Borneo and
Empire troops. There is also a memorial celebrating the surrender
of the Japanese to the Australian Forces in 1945. There are also
remnants of Labuan's history as a
Royal
Navy Coaling station, including
'the chimney', a well known local landmark. There is also a
Labuan Maritime Museum.
Labuan is also the base for diving on four popular wreck dives: the
Cement wreck, the American wreck, the Australian wreck and the Blue
Water wreck.
Labuan has many schools. However, it has only one international
school, Labuan International School. Other places of interest
include the Labuan International Sea Sport Complex. Newly proposed
is the Marina centre and Labuan Square project which are expected
to be completed in next two years from 2008.
Labuan's
own institution of higher education is Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Labuan International Campus,, a branch of Universiti Malaysia Sabah
in Sepanggar Bay, Kota
Kinabalu
.
Postage stamps and postal history
A
post office was operating in Labuan by
1864, and used a circular date stamp as
postmark.
The postage
stamps of India
and Hong Kong were used on some mail, but they were probably
carried there by individuals, instead of being on sale in
Labuan. Mail was routed through Singapore. From
1867 Labuan officially used the
postage stamps of the Straits Settlements,
then issued its own beginning in May
1879.
The first stamps of Labuan depict the usual profile of
Queen Victoria, but are
unusual for being inscribed in Arabic and Chinese scripts in
addition to "LABUAN POSTAGE". Perennial shortages necessitated a
variety of
surcharges in between the
several reprints and colour changes of the 1880s. The original
stamps were engraved, but the last of the design, in April
1894, were done by
lithography.
Beginning in May 1894, the designs of North Borneo were printed in
different colours, with "LABUAN" either engraved into the vignette
or overprinted. On 24 September 1896, the 50th anniversary of the
cession was marked by overprinting "1846 / JUBILEE / 1896" on the
overprinted North Borneo designs. Additional overprints appeared
through the 1890s. In
1899 many types were
surcharged with a value of 4 cents.
A last Labuan-only design came out in
1902,
depicting a crown and inscribed "LABUAN COLONY". After
incorporation into the Straits Settlements in 1906, Labuan ceased
issuing its own stamps, although they remained valid for some time.
Many of the remainders were
cancelled
to order for sale to collectors, and are now worth only
pennies; genuine postal uses are worth much more.
Reading
- The history of Labuan Island (Victoria Island) (1996)
Stephen R. Evans, Abdul Rahman Zainal and Rod Wong
Khet Ngee. Singapore: Calendar Print
References
- http://www.labuan.net/labuan-history.html
- http://www.panagadivers.com/Wrecks/Labuan.htm
- http://www.labuantourism.com.my/aboutlabuan/school.htm
- http://wwwkal.ums.edu.my/
External links
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