------~

HISTORY of

SERIAN BIDAYUH .In

SAMARAHAN DIVISION SARAWAK

by

Dr-CHANG PAT FOH Ph.D. . , • History of Biday"h in Serian ••.

1

CH PTER 1

ARAWAKIN GENERAL AND SAMARAHAN DIVISION

I) Introduction

Sarawak, the Land of Hornbills, is one of the .hirt een states and the largest state in the Federation : " Malaysia. Covering an area of 124,449.5 square ilorn et res in north west of Borneo, its area is about

37% of Malaysia total land area that is almost the size of the whole of Peninsular Malaysia. It enjoys _0 extensive coastline of 720 kilometres along the Sout h China Sea. It is bounded by Brunei Darussalam 'n the north, Sabah in the northeast and Kalimantan : donesia in the south, all in Borneo, the third largest -.>land in the world.

The State of Sarawak is generally rugged and :opographically complex. Swampy plainsextend along "lost of the coastal areas, backed by a broad belt of . ndulatinq lowland intersected by many rivers which

erge out from the mountainous interior. Situated 'n the tropical region, the greater part of Sarawak is still covered by primary forests and large portions of :ne area are practically uninhabited. The remaining .and is mainly used for agriculturaL purposes. The · ·ghest mountain in the State is Gunung Murud which '; 2,424 metres high and the Longest river is none :t her than Batang Rajang which runs 564 kilometres : rough Kapit, Sibu, Sarikei and Mukah Divisions in .ne central region of Sarawak. Batang Rajang has :een referred to as "The PuLse of Borneo" because

its tentacles spread across the cent ral region of Sarawak reaching the border of Kalimantan Borneo, Indonesia.

II) Administrative Divisions

With effect from 26 -3-2002, Sarawak is admini stratively divided into eleven divisions (Swk. L.N.06). The two new divisions are Betong Division and Mukah Division. Under the Administrative Areas Order 1987, all the divisions were renamed after the divisional headquarters, nameLy:

Kuching Division Samarahan Division Sri Aman Division Betong Division (with effect from 26-3-2002) Sarikei Division Sibu Division Mukah Division (with effect from 1-3-2002) Kapit Division BintuLu Division Miri Division and Limbang Division

Each division is h.eaded by a Resident who is , assisted by District Officers each taking charge of a district. There are altogether thirty-one administrative districts and twenty-seven sub-districts in Sarawak.

-_ . . •• History of Bidayuli in Serian •••

Based on Yea r o~ Stati st ics Sarawak 2002, ti r: area C:l i !J r ' ~ ; c '2'1 L;~; .: i. .st .ibuto n by Divisions and Dist ricts in Sarawak as at 7-2-2002 are as follows :­

-

Distri ct / Division Area (sq. Io n) ,

Percen t age Distribution _ . Kuching 1,862 .8 1.5 Ba u 884.4 0 .7

Lundu 1,812. 3 , 1. 5 KU CHIN G DIVI S IO~I 4, 559.5 I 3.7

Samarahan 4·07 .1 I

0 .3 Asa J aya 302.8 0 .3 Serian 2,039 .9 1.6 Simunja n 2, 217.6 1.8 SAfv\ ARAHAN DIVIS ION 4,967 .4 It.O

. - - -Sri Aman 2,323 .7 1.9 Lu bok Antu 3, 142.6 2. 5 ISRI AM AN DIVISION 5,466 .3 4 .4

Betong (Saribas ) 2,493 .9 I 2.0 Saratok (I<a laka) 1,686 .9 I 1.3 I BETON G DIVISIO N 4 ,180 .8 i 3.3

I Sibu 2,229 .8 1.8 Kan owit 2, 253 .5 1.8 Selangau 3,795 .0 3.0 SIBU DIVISIO N 8,278. 3 1 6.6

Mukah 2,536.0 2.0 Da lat 905.3 0.7 Da ro 1.956 .3 1.6

I

I Matu 1600 .0 1. 3 fvlUKAH DIVISION 6,997 .6 5.6

Sarikei I

985.0 0.8 Meradong (Bi nta ngor) 719 .0 0.6 Julau 1.703 .4 1.4

Pa kan 925.0 0.7

SARIKEI DIVISION 4,332 .4 3 5

3

spit 15,595.6 12.5 - ­ 9- - 3,935.2 3.2 :: ::.aga 19,403.2 15.6

.PIT DIVISION 38,934.0 31.3 ~ i il t u l u 7,220.4 5.8 - srau 4,945.8 4.0 ~ :; N T U L U DIVIS IO N 12,166. 2 9.8

in 4,707.1 3.8 3aram (Marudi) 22,070.0 17.7

IRI DIVISION 26,777.1 - 21.5

3.2. irnbanq 3,978.1 .awas 3,811.9 3.1 .J I ~ B A N G DIVISION 7,790.0 6.3 : ARAWAK 124,449.5 100.0

: -urce: Dept. of Land & Survey, Sarawak.

II . CLimate

Sarawak lies just above the Equator from .atit ude 0° 51' Nto 5° Nand extends from 109° 36' :0 115° 40' E Merindians of longitude. It has a hot­

et equato rial climate.

Sarawakenjoysa tropical climatewith coverage daytime tempe rature hovering between 24 degrees ::0 32 degrees Celsius. At night, on rainy days, the mercury might dip to a minimum of 22 degrees · Celsius. Sarawa kcan be visited at any time throughout the year. The monsoon season or Landas is between November and February. While there are occasionally days when it rains continuously during the Landas, 'TIore likely than not the showers fall abruptly and are over just as quickly as it comes. The average

annual rainfall is between 330 centimetres and 460 centimetres.

IV. PopuLation

Sarawak is the most multiracial st at e iJ1 Malaysia with 27 ethnic groups living togethe r. The theme of Sarawak is harmony and, hence, living in harmony is a way of life among the people in the State .

The population ofSarawak based on the 1990 figures provided by the Statistics Department was 1,670,000. However, according to the Yearbook of Statistics Sarawa k 2001, Sarawak had a population of 2,071,506 in the year 2000;I t is made up of the following ethnic groups:

• • • History ofBidayuh if! Serian •• •

6

(V) Main Ethnic Groups In Sarawak

1) The Malay

At present, more than half of the Malay populations live in both Kuching Division and Samarahan Division at the south-western endofthe State. However, this com munity can be found throughout t he length and breadth of Sarawak. It was believed that the origin of the Malay community came from Minangkabau in Su matra via Datu Merpati and his followers. Some said their ancestors migrated from Java and others believed they came from Johore, Brunei or Kalimantan Indonesia as far as Putussibau and Pontianak. Although they are coastal people, they can be found in all the principle inland towns, living mostly in villages along riverbanks. Amajor portion is employed in the civil service, private sectors or involving themselves in various businesses. Many ofthem are fishermen andfarmers. Ethnically they are a mixture of races. This is a result of their varied history and physical as well as cultural assimilation of different people who have settled along the coast of Sarawak. Islam is the cultural force that unites them.

2) The Iban

The Iban, Kayan dialect"Ivan" means "wanderer" orIban's own version means "Person" areformerly known as Sea Dayak. They originated from Kapuas and Ketungau, Kalimantan Indonesia as early as 1540 are by far the largest indigenous group in Sarawak as it forms nearly a third of the total population, They com prise of halfthe total num berof people engaged in agriculture, the main part of which is hill paddy cultivation and small-holdings of cocoa, rubber, oil palm and pepper. However, many of them have been engaged

••• History of Bidayuh in Serian •••

in public services, private sectors and commercial activities. The Ibans are found throughoutthe lowlands of .Sarawak. living mostly in long houses along the streams and riverbanks. A relatively large number of them are now Christians, although they have a strong cultural identity of their own. The Ibans are exclusively renowned for the weaving of Pua Kumbu and ma king wooden carvings.

3) The Bidayuh

The Bidayuh formerly known as Land Dayak are the fourth largestethnic group in Sarawak. In Bidayuh language, "Bi" means "people" and "Dayuh" means "Land". Hence, "Bidayuh" means "people of the land". Most of them came from Sungkung, Bugau and other parts along Kalimantan Barat, Indonesiaabout twenty generations ago before Karakatao eruption on 27-8­1883. This indicated that the Bidayuh community had settled down in Sarawak sometime in 1380s. Initially, they settled around Kuching area. However, in later years, when they were being attacked byother stronger groups, they moved to the hilly areas in Kuching and Samarahan Divisions till today. Their population distribution was Limited to the Kuching and Samarahan Divisions in the olden days, but today Bidayuhs can be found throuqhout the length and breadth of Sarawak. Some Bidayuhs still live in Longhouses but most of them stay in individual houses in the Kampungs. Most of them are still paddy farmers, planting cocoa and other cash crops. Many of them involve themselves in oil palm plantations. Majority of the Bidayuh population are Christians while there are still some smallgroups preferto remai n as pagans and a few of them prefer to be convertedto Islam and Bahai religions.

7 _---- - - - - ­

- oOicial ands

: the : ~ r of .tonq

/ely . :<mg

are .: /uh

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.~ler

~ ty

. --8­

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- ' - - hs are divided into four main different -: . .alect groups as follows:

:: ukar/ Sadoriq dialect (Serian Di strict) iat ah dialect (Kuching Dist rict)

Si gaij Jagoi dialect (Bau District) .:: lakau and Lara dialects (Lundu District).

he Orang Ulu

- ese groups of people known as "upriver : ..:: or "people of the interior" are found in the

. -- ighlands of Miri, Limbang and Kapit Divisions. _ . ~ _. refers to the 21 minority indigenous groups ~-= :: ak. Their origin came from Apau Kayan River

: '-- antan, Indonesia in the 1800s. Of these, the ~ - are semi-nomadic and live in the remote upper

f the Rajang and Baram Rivers. The Kayan - ;0 _ ah people, though quite distinct, are often

.: in association and live in the regions of the ::. :: and upper reaches of the main rivers in Sarawak

: ~ 'i antan, Indonesia. They are primarily farmers, - ::- - - hill paddy and rubber as well as rearing pigs

::. ~J try. They are also outstanding craftsmen who ~ s · .~e d at wood carving, making good knives and . ~ --= as well as building fine longboats. The Kelabit - _J O Bawang who literally means "people of the ::.::: or country" are the hill people inhabiting the .: : eyond the navigable limitsofthe Baram, Limbang

::. . . san rivers. Most of them reside in longhouses ~ ;:. pungs. Majority of them are followers of _ : anity but some of them are still pagans or being

=- red into Islam faith. Orang Ulu are generally t: _.ined and courteous people. They have been

-=.-: ed with music and dancing culture since time - - -: 1 rial.

5) The Melanau

The Melanau, often refe r themselve s as "A-Li kou" which means "people of the river" mainly occupying along the coasta l belt of the land extending from the mouth of the Rajang River (Sarikei and Mukah Divisions) to the mouth of the Baram River (Miri Divi sion) and extending inland some twenty miles from the sea. It was believed that their ancestors came from Bali Island, Indonesia morethan 500 years ago. Another group of ancestors were the Malays from Brunei when Mukah and the surrounding areas were under Brunei rule. Some Melanaus also live in the upriver areas of Batang Rajang. The Melanau language is divided into 4 major dialect groups namely Rajang area (Belawai, Rajang, Jerijeh, Igan, Bukit Kinyau and Selalang), PalohjDarojMatu area, MukahjDalat ­area and BalingianjTatau jBintulu area. Ve ry often , the se groups experience difficulty in understanding each other's dialect especially Bintulu Melanau dialect which differs to a high degree from that of the Mukah Melanau. Generally, they can be categorised into three subgroups: pagan, Mu slims and Christian Melanaus. The Melanaus have traditionally been associated with the production of raw sago and fishing. However, today many of the m involve themselves in business and plantations. A number of them a re being employed in the civil service and private sectors .

6) The Chinese

The Chinese is ranked the second largest community in Sarawak. They can be found in all the divisions of Sarawak centralizing in the city, towns and other urban areas. Most Chinese in Sarawak originated from the provinceof Fujian and Guangdong

~ •• HiS/DIY ofBidayuh in Serian » > ­

8

in South China. Chinese contacts with Bo rneo including Sarawak stretch over a period of more than 1,000 years. Most of the early contacts, however, were primarily for barter trading. Although some Chinese came to Sarawak well before the arrival of Sir James Brooke in 1841 , the major Chinese immigrants actually came after 1841 especially when the Brooke regime needed more people to develop Sarawak in all fields. Most of them are traders and businessmen. However, those who stay in the rural areas are smallestate farmers, fishermen and miners. The major Chinese dialect groups in Sarawak are Foochow, Hakka (Kheh), Hokkien , Teochew, Cantonese, Henghua and Hainanese.

7) The Indians

The Indians constitute less than one percent of the population of Sarawak. However, they came to the shore of Sarawak as early as the 12th century for barter trading with the natives in the State. During the coLoniaL rule, small groups of Indian migrants came to work in the coffee and tea plantations at Matang . Asmall number of Punjabi was recruited to join the police force after the Chinese RebelLion in 1860s. The last batch of Indian migration occurred after World War II. The Indians in Sarawak comprise of Tamil, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tegulu and Bengah.

(VI) Samarahan Division in GeneraL

Samarahan Division, the 8th Division of Sarawak, is situated in between Kuching Division on the west and Sri Aman Division on the east. It has an area of 4,967.4 square kilometres and based on

••• History of Bidayuh in Serian •••

2000 census, it had a population of 197,220. The majority of the people are Malays, Bidayuhs, Chinese and Ibans. Prior to 1-1-1987, Samarahan was part of the then First Division with its headquarters based in Kuching. However, after the declaration and creation of the new division, Kuching Division remains three districts, namely Kuching District, Bau District and Lundu District whereas Samarahan Division has also three districts namely Samarahan District, Serian District and Simunjan District. Kota Samarahan, formerly known as Muara Tuang was up-graded as the Divisional Headqua rters of Samarahan Division as well as the District Headquarters of Samarahan District. With effect from 7-2-2002, Asa Jaya was upgraded to a district. Hence, with effect from 7-2-2002, Samarahan Division has four districts under its administration. The Resident's Office was built at Kota Samarahan and it WJS declared open by the Chief Minister of Sarawak, YAB Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi (Dr.) Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud on 28-8-1992. In 1999, there were 485 Karnpunqs/lonqhouses/settlernents with 24,884 families in Samarahan Division. Samarahan Division has three sub-districts namely Tebedu Sub-district under Serian District, Sebuyau Sub-district and Sadong Jaya Sub-district (formerly known as Pendam) under Simunjan District.

As far as the settlement of Bidayuh villages is concerned, they are all located within Serian District totalling to 135 villages. There is no Bidayuh village in Samarahan, Asa Jaya and Simunjan Districts. Hence as far as this book is concerned, onLy the history of the Bidayuh in Serian District is being recorded and compiled.

- - -

9

- ,

- j -_..

Resident's Office, Kota Samarahan declared open on 28-8-1992

I) Serian District kilometres and based on 2000 Census, it had a

Serian District in General population of 82,042. The majority of the people hereare the Bidayuhs, followed by the Ibans, Chinese

Serian is one of the fourdistricts in Samarahan and Malays. The details of the population of Serian ' sion, The district covers an area of 2,040 square District in 1970, 1980, 1991 and 2000 are as follows:­

: hnic Group Population in 1970

Population in 1980

Population in 1991

_"dayuh 32,369 39,538 42,851

: inese 9,258 11,574 10,187

-'-an 6,034 9,378 10,474

lay 5,089 5,412 6,926

1=lanau 2 37 60

::her Indigenous 20 62 125

: t ers 866 1,152 1,241

-: tal 53,658 -67,153 71,874

Population in 2000

49,117

10,204

12,147

9,-519

149

180

- 726

82,042

_ ", ". History of Bidayuh ill Serian .,.

10

Serian Dist rict formerly known as Upper Sadong District and Simunjan Dist rict form erly known as Lower Sadong District were formerly a dist rict kn own as Sadong Di strict with Simunjan as the dist rict headquart ers from 1901 to 1955. The first Dist rict Offi cer of Sadong District at t hat time was Mr. LK. Caldecot who stationed at Sim unjan for a period of 4 years from 1901 to 1904. Upper Sadong Distri ct and Lower Sadong District remained as a district for a period of 54 years. In February, 1955, Serian was officially split from Sadong Di strict and became a full district with its dist rict headquarters at Serian Town. At that time, Mr. W.C.R. Wilson was the first District Officer for Simunjan whereas the first Dist rict Officer for Serian District was Mr. H. R. Harlow.

The first District Office Building was constructed in 1955 and situated on the existing site of District Offi ce, Serian. It was made of Belian and other wooden materials supplied by the local communities. The building lasted for about 15 years. In view of the rapid expansion ofthe government machinery in the new booming dist rict the old building was pulled down sometime in 1970 in order t o give way for a bigger buil.ding. The present concrete building of District Office, Serian was constructed at the cost of RM 123,000/- and it was declared open by the then Chief Minister of Sarawak, YAB Tun Datu k Patinggi Haji Abdul Rahman Ya'kub on 28-8-1971.

There are two versions as to how . Seria n got its name. In the olden days,

••. History of Bidayuh in Serian .,.

there was a kind of snake called "Serianq" which found aplenty along Sungai Rian and its surrounding area. Hence, t he local people called the place "Serianq" and event ually, it was pronounced as "Serian", However, there were also plenty of durian t rees around Sungai Rian in the olden days. After the establishment of t he sett lement along Sungai Rian, people slowly preferred t o call t he place from "Sungai Rian" to "Se-Rian" and eventually the name of Serian is used until today. In actual fact Serian is a durian town where good quality of durians is pro duced at nearby Ka mpung and longhouse areas. Based on agriculture statistic, there were more than 80,000 durian trees in the district in 1999. According t o Serian Agriculture Report 2002, 780 hectares of land were planted with

Durian - The Sl!mbol of Serian Town

---------;ound

: "rea. -'ang"

c1an". ,,'ound :-'nent slowly ~ l " to

' S used town

-earby _ lture - trees

. : lture : :: wit h

~ 1 Town

;'

. Office Sedan declared open on 28-8-1971

t rees and produced 5,700 kilogrammes of -= - fruits in Serian Di strict in the year 2002. Th at '. Durian is the symbo l of the dist rict as well as ; - Town. In this respect Serian District Co uncil erected a giant monument of Durian fruits right - :: middle of t he Council Market Square as well as -=entrance of Serian Town at t he big round about

- uching Ci ty. Serian Town, about 64 kilometres ',uching City by road, is the administrative and

:-- -g cent re of Serian Dist rict and it is the biggest in Samarahan Division. Based on a survey carried

2003, there were 357 shophouses in Serian

Formation of Serian District/Town

Initially, the temporary Dist rict Office of Serian .ocated at Gedong (now still under Simunjan

"::t). Gedong derived its name from "Gedong :. (Paddy Store)" because in the olden days, : -ants built paddystores so that t hey could keep

- : 3ddy purchased from t he farmers. However, in : ;. the District Office was initially moved from

11

Gedong to 37th Mile Kuching/Seria n Road for a few years and in 1930 it was shifted to a hilltop over looking Tebakang. "Teba kang" is actually the name of an inland fish which is commo n in t he area and its scientific name is Helostoma temmincki. A fort known as Teba ka ng Fort was built on the top of a small hill near Sadong River, behind Pa ngkalan Enbong, Tebakang. Besides being used as a fort , the District Office, Upper Sadong (Serian) was also housed t here. The st ructure of the fort was built of Belian in the Malay style.

The Di st rict Officer of Sadong Di st rict or his Native Officers made occasional vis its t o t he administrative centre for Upper Sadong at Tebakang from time to time. Traversing this community was a tributary of Sadong River called Batang Kayan which rest ricted the nesting inclination of the Malays to its left bankand the Bidayuh and Chinese t o its right bank. The Chinese Ha kkas who were t raders occupying the immediat e bank. The conscientious entrance of a few Eu ropean Missionaries of t he Roman Catholic Chu rch built the first school in t he dist rict in 1928.

Old District Office Building, Tebakang

_: .,. History ofBidayuh ill Serian . , .

".i. ?

~1 ean while , opting out of this community was a srnall Chinese family, sandwi ched between the Sa dong Ri ver and its tributary, Sungai Rian about 13 kilometres coastward from Tebaka ng, began serving the trading needs of its neighbouring villages. This was the very shop that sta rted the establishment of a town - Serian . In early 1930's , due to the administrative and governmental reasons, the District Headquarters was shifted from Tebakang to overlook this lone settlement and it was renamed after the tributary although the governing tongue in those years found it easier to pronounce "Se-Rian" than Sungai Rian. On 24.9.1930, the construction of the old winding Kuch ingjSri Aman (Simanggang) road reached Serian Town. It was on this date that Serian was officially accessible by land from Kuching . In the past one had to use boats from Kuching via Simunjan and it took at least 2 days to reach the destination. Today, one can reach Serian Town from Kuching within one hour.

Irnmediately followi ng the government adjustment the 1934 Order of Roman Catholic Bishop endorsed Serian as its district headquarters causing the transfer of its school (St. Te resa's Prima rySchool) to its presentsite and the Chu rch (St. Teresa's Cathol.ic Church) established on the firm ground. By then, with the arrival of a few more Chinese traders, a trading centre had taken shape where the first shop was established. However, because the site was subjected to floods that often resulted in great losses, it was later abandoned and Sungai Serian (the name of the t ributary was officially assumed) was crossed fo r the higher ground beyond it. The structures which doted this landscape was Serian Town in its infant stage. By 1939, the town had well over 10 wooden

... His/on ' ofBidavuh in Serian .. •

shophouses. Within the same year the first bicycle rid den by the Roman Catholic Priest Father Frans Hulsbosch appeared on its dusty road.

Sett lements sprang up in access of the town especially along both sides of Kuchingj Serian Road. I<amp ungs and Chinese settle ments which were in natural isolation now became exposed to a world of commerce and vehicletraffic. To some extend, Serian Town owed its founding a nd growth to the government ambitions to make it an administrative cent re for Uppe r Sadong District (Serian District). Nevertheless, in the intervening years before the Second World Wa r, its growth was mo re than the result of human needs. New shophouses were constructed, the town grew and business flourished. It was only disrupted by t he sudden arrivalof the Japanese from the land of Rising Sun in Dece mber, 1941.

Tebakang Fort remained as it was. In the 1950s it was renovatedto accommodate various government agencies. During World War II , it was the administrative centre. In 1994, it was used as Pusat Giat MARA until today.

(3) Pre-Japanese Occupation

Before the Japanese invasion during the Wo rld War Two in 1941, the racialdisaffection was inherent in the invaders to the Chinese in Sarawak especially to those began to relish the prosperity of their business in Serian. The shopkeepers began to desert and desolate the town. It was struggling to survive as Banana Currency overflowing through some shop windows and doors whose owners had not bothered to shut these apertures as their economic and

13

.own - oad.

-= e in . of

:~ r i a n

t he stive

-':ct). : the -sult

. rted. _ only : , om

. ~ 5 0s

-,ent -= t he : Jsat

orld --= 'ent - .·ally : eir

: -sert -vive

. : ;") op - ered : and

. :_. - : ; , il worsened, preferring to just pack __ -_- the isolation of the less harsh jungle

o . ' anticipationof peace. Along with them __s·ness knowledge, which later accounted

_- : - 0 " such bazaars as Tebedu and Balai ~ - - and iviua ra Mon gkos.

: ~ cs ese Occupation and its Effect.

:-e mea nt ime, the Japanese were _- 9 the construction of the Kuchi ngjSerian . - =ol.etion and the abortive irrigation project : - an. Natives, Chi nese and other foreig ners

View ofSerian Town in the 19505

caught in the war tide were compulsory recruited to provide the labour required. Under the strain of physical exploitation rebellious tendencies surfaced in sporadic quarrels only to be quelled by some Japanes e-handpicked local force who spied, policed and reported on those who trod on the "Words of the Emperor". Construction of the Sadong Bridge had also begun, but was completed onlyafter the invaders had left. The Japanese Emperor's dream to link Kuching by road with North Borneo (Sabah) through Serian remained a dream. Anti-Japanese feeling was saturating by 1945. It finally culminated during the transitional months of the year in a macabre incident

••• History of Bidayuti ill Serian •••

~..~~; ..

Serian New Township aLong Serian By-Pass A section of Serian Bazaar in 1954

" - -­ , ~ ,

I

)

Photo taken at District Office, Serian on 2-1-1982. Outgoing 0.0 Andrew SaLip Ridu was seen sitting 5th from Left, incoming 0.0 Chang Pat Foh sitting 5th from the right. Pemanca Dipa seated 3rd from the right, Pengh... William Rade stood 3rd from the Left and PenghuLu AmboL stood 4th from the Left alonq 1st row.

•• , History of Bidayu h in Serian • •.

15

_- -: pro-Japanese character was literally - ec y the town mob right in front of the

-rari ly defunct District Office, Serian. - : Japanese surrendered on 14.8.1945 and

'C : 3me a British Colony on 1-7-1946.

nial Days

- -= task of restoring orderwas left in the hands - _•. onial power. Serian Town began another

= vth. The Roman Catholic Church-owned n as St. Teresa's School was restarted as

- - ; :chool. In 1946, the wooden shophouses - :'azaar totalled nearly 20 and in that year, =- at holic Priest, Fr. Frans Hulsbosch, who

= = _bicycle, drove the first car everto appear - sazaar street. In 1950 the KuchingjSerian

: - : :: mi nized and with the inception of the

from the :lenghulu

Upper Sadong District Council in 1959, the town had already far surpassed the booming days of the pre­war period.

During the colonial rule, some improvements here and there within Serian Town were in progress. More wooden shophouses were built to cater the increasing trade and population in the district. In March, 1962, Serian water supply was commissioned. It meant that the town wa s not necessary to depend on rain water or river water for consumption. In June, 1962, SerianjSri Aman (Simanggang) Road was opened for public use. Hence, Serian Town became a crossed road of Kuch ing Division (Kuching and Samarahan Divisions) and Sri Aman Division (2nd Division). More and more traffic as well as people passed through Serian and Serian Town was getting busier and more prosperous each day.

(6) Serian Town (2000).

Serian Town is fast developing for the past 25 years and it has now become the biggest town in Samarahan Division. Rubber gardens at the back of Serian Old Bazaar gave way to Council Market, Community Hall and Bus Station. More sho phouses, industrialized buildings are added to Serian Town. Landscape changed from a small trading centre for Ulu Sadong 70 years ago to a present modern looking Serian Town . Serian is a tourist centre where

••• History ofBidayuh in Serian ., .

- The District Headquarters of Serian District

~J'U~'\.'\)~\:>~~~ ~~~" ''-:::)'~\' "''' ~"O."Tho." ~ ""' "O.

'PbOl, w'rik'n 1~ "3 'R1'tometre~ away from Serian Town and Tasik Taman Danau (Lake Garden) , have attracted thousands of tourists to enjoy the natural and cool surroundings. Some tourists have commented that Serian Town is one of the cleanest towns in Malaysia.

Native participation in commerce and trade is very encouraging . With the assistance from MARA, a row of 6 shophouses was constructed to provide an opportunity for Bumiputra to fulfill the New Economic Policy. The Serian Co-operative shops, a three-storey building was also put up in 1980 under the generous loan from Co-operative Centre Bank. A RM3.5 million of Nurses Training School Complex was constructed at

. the side of Serian District.Hospital in early 1982. The Complex has not only enlarged the Serian Township but also provided a training ground for the nurses in the State.

Serian Town is blessed with a commercially strategic location in that it is linked 64 kilometres westward to the State Capital, Kuching City by the best stretch of highway in Sarawak and northward to SriAman and Sibu. The only tea plantation in Sarawak is located at Mayang along Mongkos Road. The Bidayuh long houses at Kampung Mujat and Mongkos are tourist spots in the district. Serian District started to plant oil palms in 1976and on 10-8-1996, the RM 20-million Sarawak Palm Oil Mill was launched in Serian. The oil · palm estates and mills have created many employments

••• History oj Bidayuh. in Se rian •••

Tasik Taman Danau, Serian

for the local people in the rural areas. Based on Yearbook of Statistics Sarawak 2002, there were 79 Government & Aided Primary Schools. with 790teachers and 12,287 students, 5 Government & Aided Secondary Schools with 383 teachers and 7,947 students as well as 1 Unaided Secondary School with 4 teachers and 52 students in Serian District in 2001. As far as health service is concerned, Serian District is provided with 1 Hospital with 84 beds and 5 doctors, 8 Health Clinics with 34 beds, 2 Maternal & Child Health Service, 5 Mobile Clinics, 1 Public Dental Clinic and 4 School Dental Clinics.

In the year 2000,Serian Town had a population 00,121. Based on a survey conducted in July 2003, there were altogether 357 units of shophouses (exc\.udi ng the industri a\.i zed snopuouses) at tne town proper, nearKarnpunq Cina and Serian By-Pass in Serian Town . The details are as follows:­

_, Serian·

~ ssed on : zere 79

-eachers -:condary - :5 as well :: ers and

;5 health : =:d with 1 ..~h Clinics -srvice, 5

: 4 School

: opulation ~ lJ ly 2003, -ophouses ! ~ the town ~ 5 in Serian

17

- -,e of shoohouses

' . in Serian Town e-storey wooden shophouses

- _ ble-storey wooden shophouses =: ole-storey concrete shophouses - ree-storey concrete shophouses : - -storey concrete shophouses =- ble-storey concrete shophouses along Serian By-pass -- fee-storey concrete shophouses along Serian By-pass : - r-storey concrete shophouses along Serian By-pass - tree-storey concrete shophouses of Wi sma Cinmuk

tskirts of Sedan Town ~ uble-storey wooden shophouses along Jalan Melor

No. of units

4 25

117 103

16 21 36

8 10

9 - utile-storey concrete shophouses at Ayer Manis Housing Estate 8

z; :ansion of Serian Town is more towards Serian ss area. With the construction of both Serian

:.:: : and SerianjTangga By-Pass, more fund is . : annelled into the maintenance of the garden : urban roads, sanitation, street lightings and

. -o'o nal facilities in and around the town. The ~ n ofthe town warrants more housing estates - 9 the low-cost housing projects are being -- ented in the outskirts of the town. Besides, ;'e 31 units of lock-up shops, Council Market,

t', -ur ltipurpose Hawker Centre and one cinema, - -eat re, are built in the town. Moreover, Serian ~ outdoor stadium, an indoor mini stad ium and

-'! - J community hall at the side of the town. . - Township is still expanding rapidly. Upon

-: =: ~ i o n of more shophouses and factory areas, _- si ll become a bigger town. By then, the vision

357

of Serian District Council to turn Serian Town into a Municipal Centre by the year 2015 is not far from its reality.

(7) Tebedu Sub-District

Tebedu is a sub-district of Serian and based on 1991 Census, it had a population of 6,560. In Bidayuh language, "Bedu" means a dry place. Tebedu Bazaar, 42 kilometres from Serian is the legal and only over land drive-in gateway from Sarawak to Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia. On 25-2-1991 , the Tebedu Immigration Complex and the international road connecting Tebedu with Entikong in Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia was officially declared open. A new township known as Bandar Mu.tiara was being built at the border point on 7-8-1993. In 2002, this border

•• • History of Bidayuh in Serian •••

18

tow n ha d 68 new conc ret e sh opho uses but only a, fe w shophouses with a small population of 24 people a re ope rati ng for business. The old Tebedu Bazaar, which consists of 20 wooden shophouses and wit h a population of 146, is still t he centre for border trading in the district. Di strict Offi ce Tebedu and othe r gove rn ment agencies have been shifted to the new build ings at the side of the new township, but Police Station built in 1953 still remains at the side of old Tebedu Bazaar up to 2003. In 1996, the construction of RM 64 million Tebedu Hi ghway was completed and it has benefited not only the state economy but also the social ­economic activ ities of th e local populace. On 8-3-2003, the Minister for Housing, Y.B.Datuk Michael Manyin ak J awong announ ced that 150 hectares of land to be developed by LCDA for Small-Me dium Industr ial (SMI) Zone had been approved for implementation at Bandar Mutiara in Tebedu. He disclo sed that th e industrial activities would be wood­based upstream and downstream indu stri es. The e mployment opportunities in the indu strial est ates would reduce rural-urba n mig ration and at the same time reduce social problems arising from the migration .

•. . History ofBidavuh ill Serian • • .

Old Tebedu Bazaar

Tebedu/Entikonq Border Gate