Bintulu

Bintulu is a coastal town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located about 610 kilometres northeast of Kuching, 216 kilometres northeast of Sibu, and 200 kilometres southwest of Miri. As of 2010, Bintulu had a population of 114,058 and serves as the capital of the Bintulu District and Bintulu Division.

The name Bintulu comes from the local phrase "Mentu Ulau," meaning picking heads. Originally a small fishing village within the Bruneian Empire, it was annexed by Rajah James Brooke in 1861, who built a fort there the following year. In 1867, Bintulu hosted the first meeting of the General Council, now known as the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, marking the earliest state legislature system in Malaysia.

Bintulu remained a quiet fishing village until 1969 when oil and gas reserves were discovered nearby. Since then, it has grown into a hub for energy industries, including a Malaysia LNG plant, a Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis plant, and a Bintulu combined cycle power plant. The town's economy also includes oil palm and forest plantations, palm oil processing, wood-waste processing, and cement manufacturing. The port of Bintulu is the busiest in Sarawak and the town is a gateway to the Samalaju Industrial Park.

Tourists can visit places like Similajau National Park, Tumbina Park, Tanjung Batu beach, and several cultural sites. The town also hosts the annual Borneo International Kite Festival.

Etymology

In the 1500s, people from Portugal called the place "River de Burulu." There are many stories about how Bintulu got its name. One story tells of people who used to collect special items thrown into a river. They called this act "Metuk Ulow" in their language. Another story speaks of two warriors who built houses near the river and did similar activities nearby. Over time, the name changed from "Mentulau" to "Bentulu," and finally to "Bintulu."

History

Brooke dynasty

James Brooke was named the White Rajah of Sarawak by the Bruneian Empire in 1841. In 1861, Brunei gave the Bintulu area to Brooke. At that time, Bintulu was a small village. A wooden fort called Fort Keppel was built there, named after Sir Henry Keppel, a friend of James Brooke. An Italian botanist named Odoardo Beccari visited Bintulu in 1867. He described the village as having wooden houses built along the river by the Melanau people, who had moved closer to the sea after the fort was built.

Japanese occupation

Main article: Japanese occupation of British Borneo

During World War II, Japan took control of Sarawak. They used an airstrip near Bintulu for their military, but it was heavily damaged by bombing from Allied forces. After the war, the British rebuilt the airstrip and found many unexploded bombs during the work.

Post-war period

In the 1950s, Bintulu's main jobs were timber, fishing, and processing Sago. It remained a small village of about 5,000 people until the 1960s. The first road to Miri was built in 1969. Before that, people traveled by boat, which could take two days or more. In the early years, there were only three primary schools and no secondary schools. Bintulu Government Secondary School opened in 1964. Bintulu became its own district in 1987, after previously being part of Miri Division.

Discovery of oil and gas reserves

Large amounts of natural gas were found near Bintulu's coast in 1969. This led to the building of a deep-water port at Tanjung Kidurong. In 1978, a company called Malaysia LNG Sdn Bhd was created to process the gas. The Bintulu Development Authority was also set up to help build the area and attract industry. New industrial areas and shopping centers grew, and many people moved to Bintulu for jobs. The government started building affordable housing to help people who could not find places to live.

Governance

See also: Bintulu (federal constituency)

Bintulu is represented by several seats in the Parliament of Malaysia. The town also has seats in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, such as Jepak, Kakus, Belaga, and others.

Since 1978, Bintulu has been managed by the Bintulu Development Authority. It is part of the Bintulu District, which covers a large area. The Bintulu Division was created in 1987, and the district's offices are located in Wisma Residen.

Geography

Bintulu is a coastal town in central Sarawak, Malaysia. It is near the mouth of the Kemena River and lies 610 kilometres (380 mi) northeast of Kuching, 216 kilometres (134 mi) northeast of Sibu, and 200 kilometres (120 mi) southwest of Miri. The area's soil is generally soft, with different types of rocks and dirt found along the coast and inland.

Climate

Bintulu has two main rainy seasons: the northeast monsoon from November to March and the southwest monsoon from May to September. Between these seasons is a calmer time called the transitional period. The coast gets the most rain in January, while the inland areas receive rain more evenly throughout the year. Bintulu gets about 3,750 mm (148 in) of rain each year. The town also gets around 5 to 5.5 hours of sunshine each day and has a lot of moisture in the air, with about 85% humidity. It receives an average of 14 to 15 mJ/m² of radiation yearly.

Demographics

Bintulu is a town in Malaysia on the island of Borneo. In 2010, the town had a population of 114,058 people.

The people of Bintulu come from many different backgrounds. Most of the people are from indigenous groups like the Iban and Melanau. There are also many Chinese people and people from other countries who live and work in Bintulu.

People in Bintulu speak many different languages. Malay and English are the official languages, but many also speak Iban, Chinese dialects, and other local languages.

Most people in Bintulu follow different religions such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. There are many places of worship where people can practice their faith.

Economy

There are five industrial areas in Bintulu. These include Kemena Industrial Estate for wood-based industries, Jepak Industries Estate for wood-based industries, Kidurong Industrial Area for medium and light industries, Kidurong Light Industrial Estate for medium and light industries, and Bintulu Light Industrial Estate for light industry.

Oil and gas

Malaysia LNG is a big factory in Bintulu that makes liquefied natural gas. It has eight big production units called LNG trains, with a ninth one being built. The factory was built by Petronas, Malaysia's main oil and gas company. It can make 25.7 million tonnes of LNG each year. Petronas also plans to build a special floating factory called Floating LNG (FLNG) near Bintulu to get gas from small fields far away. Gas from Kimanis in Sabah is moved to Bintulu through a very long pipeline called the "Sabah–Sarawak Gas Pipeline". About 45% of Malaysia's natural gas is found near Bintulu. Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China buy most of the LNG from Malaysia.

The Sarawak Shell Bintulu Plant was set up in 1979. It stores crude oil and has three main jobs: handling crude oil, stabilising condensate, and selling gas. In 1993, Royal Dutch Shell began building a special factory called the Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis plant, also known as the Bintulu Gas-To-Liquid plant. This factory can make about 14,770 barrels of special fuel each day.

Wood-based industries and plantations

Since the 1970s, big farms growing oil palm and cocoa have been set up in the countryside around Bintulu. Today, there are large areas of oil palm, some rattan, and pepper farms.

Bintulu has four factories that clean and process palm oil. One of these factories stopped buying palm oil from certain forests in 2015 because of worries about the environment.

The area around Bintulu has been set aside for growing trees like acacia, kelampayan, engkabang, durian, batai, eucalyptus, and rubber trees. A company owned by the Sarawak government takes care of these tree farms.

Bintulu has three factories that turn wood waste into useful products. Two of these make wood panels, and the third makes charcoal bricks. There is also a factory that makes glue for wood products.

Others

The Bintulu Port Authority started in 1981 and began operating in 1983. A private company now handles most of the work at the port. The port is very busy and handles a lot of cargo each year, mostly LNG and other products.

There is a big factory in Bintulu that makes fertiliser. It is one of the largest in Asia and was started in 1985. It is owned by several countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Singapore.

Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad opened a cement factory in Bintulu. It makes different kinds of cement and can produce nearly three million tonnes each year.

Bintulu also has a power plant that started in 2010. It can make 317 megawatts of electricity and helps save energy and reduce pollution. It is the first factory in Malaysia to join a special United Nations program to protect the environment. The plant is run by a company owned by the Sarawak government.

Transportation

Land

All roads in Bintulu are taken care of by the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA). Bintulu is linked to Miri and Sibu by the Pan Borneo Highway. It is also connected to Mukah and Samalaju Industrial Park. The Kemena Bridge goes over the Kemena River. It is the second bridge in Malaysia built using a special building method. Keppel Road in Bintulu is named after a friend of James Brooke, Sir Henry Keppel.

Public transportation

Local Bus

Bintulu has a bus station far from the town center, where buses go to many places such as Miri, Sibu, Kuching, Mukah, Sarikei, Oya, Dalat, Balingian, and Pontianak, Indonesia. Different bus companies operate these services, and there are also buses within the town and taxis available.

Air

The old Bintulu airport was built in 1955 in the middle of town. On December 19, 2002, a new airport opened far from the town. The old airport area became places to shop and live, while the runway is used for a kite festival. The new airport can handle big planes and serves flights with Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia, and MASwings. It connects to cities like Sibu, Miri, Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Kinabalu, with flights to Singapore starting on December 26, 2017.

Water

Bintulu has a wharf where boats go to rural areas. From Bintulu by express boat, you can reach places like Sebauh, Pandan, Labang, Tubau, and Binyo.

Other utilities

Courts of law and legal enforcement

Bintulu has a court complex on Pisang Emas Road. It includes the High Court, the Sessions Court, and the Magistrate Court. There is also a Syariah Subordinate Court at Tanjung Kidurong, which serves the Bintulu District and the Tatau districts. The main police station is on Tun Hussein Onn Road, with additional stations in Tanjung Kidurong, Tubau, and Sebauh. Bintulu also has a central prison that serves as a correctional centre.

Healthcare

Bintulu Hospital began operating in 1968 and is located on Nyabau Road, about 12 kilometres from the town centre. After renovations finished in May 2000, the hospital has 200 beds and offers services in seven medical areas. There is one polyclinic called Polyclinic Bintulu, along with two private hospitals: Columbia Asia Hospital and Bintulu Medical Centre.

Education

Bintulu has around 50 primary schools and eight secondary schools. These schools are managed by the Bintulu District Education Office. Some of the older schools include St Anthony's Primary School, Chung Hua Primary School, and Orang Kaya Mohammad Primary School, all established in the early 1960s. The oldest secondary school is SMK Bintulu, which opened in 1964. There is also a Chinese independent school named Kai Dee Middle School, and the Kidurong International School, founded by the Shell Oil Company in 1982 for employees’ children. It follows the English National Curriculum and the International Primary Curriculum.

The UPM Bintulu Sarawak Campus started as a training centre in Kuching in 1974 and moved to Bintulu in 1987. After a closure from 1992 to 2001, it reopened as part of Universiti Putra Malaysia. The campus, located 13 kilometres from town, covers 715 hectares and can hold up to 2,200 students. It currently has one faculty focusing on agriculture and food sciences. SEDAMAI College, established in 1999, offers courses in business, information technology, language, and engineering.

There is also a technical school near Tanjung Kidurong, built in 1982. It offers courses in automotive, mechanical and civil engineering, commerce, and fashion. The Gulf Golden International Flying Academy, Sarawak’s only flying academy, closed in 2012 due to financial issues.

Libraries

The first public library in Bintulu was built in 1971 by the Bintulu District Council. It was torn down in 1988 for a parking lot, and its books were moved to the former council building. In May 2000, a new public library opened near the Bintulu Civic Centre, about 2 kilometres from the town centre. The library has three branches in Kidurong, Tatau, and Sebauh.

Culture and leisure

Attractions and recreational spots

Cultural

Kampung Jepak is a fishing village near the Kemena River where people work with sago, dry fish, and make special foods and items. There is a beautiful temple called Kuan Yin Tong with a rock garden and a small waterfall. Assyakirin mosque also has a small waterfall and flowers. Every year since 2005, people gather for the Borneo International Kite Festival at the old airport.

Historical

In 1987, a clock tower and fountain were put up at Council Negri Monument. There is also a special stone kept there from 1967. The Bintulu Tua Pek Kong temple was built a long time ago to keep away bad spirits and it still stands today.

Leisure and conservation areas

Similajau National Park is a short drive from town, with sandy beaches, forests, and streams. Other nearby parks include Lambir Hills National Park and Niah National Park.

Tanjung Batu beach is just a little way from the town centre. Taman Tumbina park has places to see birds, butterflies, and animals like deer and tigers. There are also hills nearby for walking and exploring.

Other attractions

Kidurong Tower gives a view of the oil and gas area at night. Bintulu Promenade is a long walk by the sea where you can watch the sunset. There is also a golf course with eighteen holes.

Shopping

Bintulu has many shopping places like The Spring Bintulu, Bintulu Times Square, and others. Tamu Bintulu and Pasar Utama are busy markets with unique roofs shaped like traditional headgear. They sell fresh foods, fruits, and local treats. The night market on Kampung Dagang road has many stalls with clothes, gadgets, and food.

Notable people

Ashley Lau is a professional golfer from Sarawak. She became the first woman from Sarawak to turn professional in December 2022 and was also the first from Sarawak to reach the top of the national women's rankings.