from Dublin to........Mirissa, Sri Lanka: The wild man of Borneo.....Sandakan, Malaysia

A history lesson on Northern Borneo so as to understand the recent activity in the area….

The Sultanate of Brunei ruled much of the north of Borneo between the 15th – 17th centuries. North Borneo (Sabah) was gifted to the Sultanate of Sulu (Philippines, South West Province) some time between 1658-1703 after the Sulu sent aid againt a rebellion in Brunei. The Sultanate of Sulu was founded by an Arab born in Johor (Malaysia) whom arrived in Sulu from Malacca in the 1450’s.

In 1842, British and Dutch governments, whom occupied the region, signed the Anglo-Dutch Treaty to exchange ports under their control which indirectly set apart the two parts of Borneo in British and Dutch control. The British North Borneo Company controlled present day Sabah between 1882-1941 when it was formed and assigned the role of administering the internal affairs of the region for the British Empire.

During WWII, Japanese forces gained control of Borneo (1941-45) killing many local populations and Malay intellectuals. In 1945 the island was liberated from Japanese occupation.

More recently, Borneo was the main site of the confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia between 1962 and 1969 in which the British Army was deployed against the Indonesians (Soharto lead) and against communist revolts to gain control of the whole area. It was essentially Indonesia’s political and undeclared armed opposition to the formation of Malaysia.

The very recent flare of violence in East Sabah only a few months ago, swiftly quashed by the Malaysian army/navy, resulted from the belief that before the formation of the Malaysian Federation, the Philippines (Sulu province) had a claim on the state of Sabah based on the Sultanate of Sulu’s leasing agreement with the British North Borneo Company.
Sepilok – Yes, it is a rehabilitation sanctuary but it’s in open jungle and nobody is stopping the orang-utans from moving postcode. They are doing some good work and I thought it was worthwhile regardless. You get the 7am shuttle direct to the sanctuary for about 4 ringgit or split a 40 ringgit cab. Plan to go to both the 10am and 3pm feeding sessions as there is no guarantee they will show up. It is semi-wild jungle after all. Between sessions see if you can make your way to the Wilderness Sanctuary and walk along the canopy boardwalk. It was too friggin hot the day I was there. Waiting for monkeys in 125% humidity in the sun nearly killed me.

At the conclusion of the afternoon session, the two orang-utans that made their way to the feeding platform decided to lead us back to the entry along the boardwalk – the first time this pair had ever done this. They were only a metre away at times. Trying to keep track of them on either side of the path and get close enough to take a photo of their left nostril resulted in the odd situation where one would sneak up on you from behind. Way too close for comfort. I like my scalp attached to my head.

Don’t rely on the shuttle bus back to Sandakan showing up in the afternoon during the quieter days of the week. It didn’t for me.
Sandakan War Memorial – Heard of the death march? The Borneo death march??? I hadn’t. Many people haven’t but it is definitely a story worth telling. The memorial park is situated on the actually grounds of the P.O.W. camp where over 2,500 Aussie and Brit prisoners were held captive for months, even years, during WWII before being marched west 180 miles across the Sabah jungle to seek safer ground after the airfield that the prisoners were building (now the site of the current airport) was bombed by the allies.

Having already been subjected to food deprivation as punishment for allied attacks and being worked to the bone, the prisoners were forced to march through dense jungle and swamps with barely any food rations or clothing. Those that were too weak to continue, stopped walking, fell behind, and were promptly shot by the last Japanese soldier bringing up the rear. Hundreds died along the way. A surprisingly high percentage made it to the west coast but were in such bad shape that they either died after arrival and were eventually mass-murdered when the enemy got too close. There were a couple brave escape attempts. Some didn’t make it, were recaptured and killed or died of starvation. Of the more than 2,500 prisoners, only six survived….all escapees who were fortunate enough to stumble upon local villagers who smuggled them to safety.

Catch the mini-bus out there rather than a taxi and get a glimpse of where the hard-working lower-to-middle class live. I received plenty of bewildered looks from locals wondering why I was on that bus. 2 ringgit each way.

Kinabatangan River lodges – A very popular thing to do is to spend a couple nights in the jungle by the river searching for monkeys, elephants, hornbills and other wildlife. The lodges are around 2 hours from Sandakan. Most lodges have packages that include all food, transport and excursions. Opt for two nights, not one. Accommodation is either in Bilit or Sukau, head to Sukau as there is more wildlife there and an infinitely better chance of seeing the not so pygmy elephants. I learnt this afterwards. I recall those lodges further south being slightly more expensive but it sounds worthwhile. Expect to see plenty of proboscis monkeys and maybe some wild orang-utans, crocodiles, snakes and plenty of different bird species.

If you are heading to Semporna afterwards, ask to be dropped off in the town where the Tawau bus passes through as this will save you four hours of needless redundant travel and one night in Sandakan. Wish I was more organised sometimes.

Sepilok