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Tawau

October 15, 2023

For the federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat, see Tawau (federal constituency).

Tawau (Malaysian: [ˈta wau], Jawi: تاواو‎, Chinese: 斗湖; pinyin: dǒu hú), formerly known as Tawao, is the capital of the Tawau District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the third-largest city in Sabah, after Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. It is located on the Semporna Peninsula in the southeast coast of the state in the administrative centre of Tawau Division, which is bordered by the Sulu Sea to the east, the Celebes Sea to the south at Cowie Bay[note 1] and shares a border with North Kalimantan, Indonesia. The town had an estimated population as of 2010, of 113,809,[2] while the whole municipality area had a population of 397,673 (including 47,466 in Kalabakan, subsequently split off to form a separate district).[2][note 2] The municipal area had a population of 372,615 at the 2020 Census.[3]

Tawau
Tawao
Town and district capital
Other transcription(s)
 • Jawiتاواو
 • Chinese斗湖
 • Tamilதவாவ்
From top, left to right:
City sign, Aerial view towards the town center, Aerial view towards Cowie Bay
Seal
Motto: 
Bumi Peladang
Location of Tawau in Sabah
Tawau
   Tawau in    Sabah
Tawau
   Tawau in    Malaysia
Tawau
Tawau (Asia)
Tawau
Tawau (Earth)
Coordinates: 04°15′30″N 117°53′40″E / 4.25833°N 117.89444°E / 4.25833; 117.89444
Country Malaysia
State Sabah
DivisionTawau
DistrictTawau
Bruneian Empire15th century–1658
Sultanate of Sulu1658–1882
Sultanate of Bulungan1750
Founded1893
Settled by North Borneo Chartered Company1898
Municipality1 January 1982
Government
 • Council PresidentAmrullah Kamal
Area
 • Town55.9 km2 (21.6 sq mi)
 • Municipality2,240 km2 (860 sq mi)
Elevation
[1]
8 m (26 ft)
Population
 (2020 Census)
 • Municipality
372,615
Time zoneUTC+8 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)Not observed
Postal code
91000
Area code(s)089
Vehicle registrationET (1967-1980), ST (1980-2018), SW (2019-Present)
Websitempt.sabah.gov.my

Before the founding of Tawau, the region around it was the subject of dispute between the British and Dutch spheres of influence. In 1893, the first British merchant vessel sailed into Tawau, marking the opening of the town's seaport. In 1898, the British set up a settlement in Tawau. The North Borneo Chartered Company (BNBC) accelerated growth of the settlement's population by encouraging the immigration of Chinese. Consequent to the Japanese occupation of North Borneo, the Allied forces bombed the town in mid-1944, razing it to the ground. After the Japanese surrender in 1945, 2,900 Japanese soldiers in Tawau became prisoners of war and were transferred to Jesselton. Tawau was rebuilt after the war, and by the end of 1947, the economy was restored to its pre-war status. Tawau was also the main point of conflict during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation from 1963 to 1966. During that period, it was garrisoned by the British Special Boat Section, and guarded by Australian Destroyers and combat aircraft. In December 1963, Tawau was bombed twice by Indonesia and shootings occurred across the Tawau-Sebatik Island international border. Indonesians were found trying to poison the town's water supply. In January 1965, a curfew was imposed to prevent Indonesian attackers from making contact with Indonesians living in the town. While in June 1965, another attempted invasion by the Indonesian forces was repelled by bombardment by an Australian destroyer. Military conflict finally ended in December 1966.

Among the tourist attractions in Tawau are: the Tawau International Cultural Festival, Tawau Bell Tower, Japanese War Cemetery, Confrontation Memorial, Teck Guan Cocoa Museum, Tawau Hills National Park, Bukit Gemok, and Tawau Tanjung Markets. The main economic activities of the town are: timber, cocoa, oil palm plantations, and prawn farming.

History Edit

 
Tawau residents and their community chief with Alexander Rankin Dunlop (sitting right) in the Cowie Harbour of Tawau, circa 1885.

Like most of this part of Borneo, this area was once under the control of the Bruneian Empire[4] in the 15th century before being ceded to the Sultanate of Sulu between the 17th[5] and 18th centuries[6] as a gift for helping the Bruneian forces during a civil war in Brunei. The name Tawao was used on nautical charts by 1857,[7] and there is evidence of a settlement by 1879. The East India Company had established a trading post in Borneo, though there was no significant activity by the Dutch on the east coast.[8] In 1846, Netherlands signed a treaty with the Sultan of Bulungan, where the latter assured the Dutch control of the area.[8] When the Dutch began to operate in 1867, the Sultan married his son to the daughter of the Sultan of Tarakan. Around this time, the Dutch sphere of influence reached Tawao. They controlled the area north of Tawao, overlapping an area controlled by the Sultan of Sulu.[8]

 
Alexander R. Dunlop is the first British resident of Tawau.

In 1878, Sultanate of Sulu sold the southern part of his land bounded by the Sibuco River to an Austro-Hungarian consul Baron von Overbeck, who later tried to sell the territory to the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy for use as a penal colony but failed, leaving Alfred Dent to manage and establish the North Borneo Provisional Association Ltd.[9] The Provisional Association negotiated in the 1880s with the Dutch for a definition of a boundary between the area conferred by the Sultan of Sulu and the area that the Dutch claimed from Sultan of Bulungan to settle a dispute that arose from the unknown exact location of the real border between the territory that was held by the Sultanate of Sulu and the Sultanate of Bulungan.[8] Alexander Rankin Dunlop became the first Resident for the settlement of Tawau. On 20 January 1891, a final agreement was reached on a line along 4° 10' north latitude – on the central division of the Sebatik Island.[8][note 3] In the early 1890s, approximately 200 people lived in the Tawao settlement, mostly immigrants from Bulungan in Kalimantan, and some from Tawi-Tawi who had fled from Dutch and Spanish rule.[10][11][12] The settlement was renamed from Tawao to Tawau. Most of those who fled from the Dutch colonisation continued trading with the Dutch.[10] In 1893, a British vessel S.S. Normanhurst sailed into Tawau with a cargo to trade. In 1898, the British built a settlement which later grew rapidly when the North Borneo Chartered Company (BNBC) sponsored the migration of Chinese to Tawau.[13][14]

 
Japanese civilians and soldiers prior to their embarkation to Jesselton, the bell tower can be seen behind.

On 16 December 1941, during World War II, the Japanese invasion of Borneo began. After the first landing in Miri, the Japanese moved along the coastline of Borneo from the oil fields of Kuching and towards Jesselton. Life in Tawau continued as usual until 24 January 1942 when the Japanese were sighted off Batu Tinagat. The district officer Cole Adams and his assistant were expecting an attack at the shipyard but were instead arrested by the Japanese.[note 4] The Allies began counterattacking the Japanese in mid-1944 with the bombing of Tawau. From 13 April 1945, six massive air strikes were made on town, concentrating on the port facilities. The last and largest of these attacks was on 1 May 1945 when 19 Liberator bombers bombed Tawau until it was completely razed to the ground.[15] After an unconditional surrender of the 37th Japanese Army under Lieutenant General Masao Baba in mid-September at Labuan, 1,100 Australian soldiers in Sandakan under the command of Lt. Col. JA England marched into the Japanese bases at Tawau. A total of 2,900 Japanese soldiers of the 370th battalion under Major Sugasaki Moriyuki were taken as prisoners of war and transferred to Jesselton.[16][17]

 
An aerial view of Tawau town in 1947.

At the end of the war, the town had been largely destroyed by bombing and fire; the Bell tower was the only intact pre-war structure. Tawau quickly recovered. Though almost all the shops were destroyed, a report by The British North Borneo Annual Report in 1947 wrote that "the pre-war economy was largely made towards the end of 1947". In the first six months post-war, the British rebuilt 170 shops and commercial buildings. By 1 July 1947, subsidies for the purchase of rice and flour were introduced.[18]

Indonesian confrontation Edit

Main article: Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
 
The Tawau Konfrontasi Memorial.

Due to its exposed location near the international border with Indonesia, Tawau became the main point of the conflict during the confrontation. In preparation for the impending conflict, Gurkhas were stationed in the town with other units including the "British No. 2 Special Boat Section" under Captain DW Mitchell.[19][20] Australian River-class destroyer escorts were stationed in Cowie Bay and a squadron of F-86 Sabre aircraft flew over Tawau daily from Labuan.

In October 1963, Indonesia moved their first battalion of the Korps Komando Operasi (KKO) from Surabaya to Sebatik and opened several training camps near the border in eastern Kalimantan (now North Kalimantan).[19][21] From 1 October to 16 December 1963, there were at least seven shootings along the border resulting in three Indonesians' deaths. On 7 December 1963, an Indonesian Tupolev Tu-16 bomber flew over Tawau bay and bombed the town twice.[22]

By mid-December 1963, Indonesian had sent a commando unit consisting of 128 volunteers and 35 regular soldiers to Sebatik.[20] Their aim was to take Kalabakan, then invade Tawau and Sandakan.[20] On 29 December 1963, the Indonesian unit attacked the 3rd Royal Malay Regiment unit.[20] The Indonesians managed to throw several grenades into the totally unprepared Malay Regiment's sleeping quarters.[20] The attack resulted in eight Malay soldiers being killed and nineteen wounded.[19] Malaysian armed police eventually drove the attackers north after a two-hour battle.[19]

In 1964, the situation remained tense in Tawau. A group of eight Indonesians were detained while trying to poison the water supply of the town. On 12 May 1964, there was a bombing attempt on the Kong Fah cinema.[23][24] At the end of January 1965, a night time curfew was imposed in Tawau to prevent attackers from contacting the approximate 16,000 Indonesians living there. By the end of February 1965, 96 of the 128 Indonesian volunteers had been killed or captured, around 20 successfully retreated to Indonesia, and 12 remained at large.[19] On 28 June 1965, an attempt by Indonesian troops to invade eastern Sebatik was repelled by a heavy bombardment by Australian destroyer HMAS Yarra.[25][26] In August 1965, an unknown assailant made an attempt to blow up a high-tension electricity pylon while in September 1965, a logging truck was destroyed by a land mine.[27] The confrontation largely ended 12 August 1966, and in December there was a complete ceasefire in Tawau.[28]

Government and international relations Edit

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Malaysia

Indonesia has a consulate in Tawau[29] and the town has twin town arrangements with Zhangping, China[30] and Pare-Pare, Indonesia.[31]

 
Tawau Municipal Council building.

There are two members of parliament (MPs) representing the two parliamentary constituencies in the district: Tawau (P.190) and Kalabakan (P.191). The area is represented by six members of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly representing the districts of: Balung; Apas; Sri Tanjung; Merotai; Tanjung Batu; and Sebatik.[32]

The town is administered by the Tawau Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran Tawau). As of 2019, the President of Tawau Municipal Council is Amrullah Kamal.[33] The area under the jurisdiction of the Tawau District is the 2,510-hectare (25.1 km2) town area, 3,075-hectare (30.75 km2) surrounding populated area, 568,515 hectares (5,685.15 km2) of rural land and 38,406 hectares (384.06 km2) of adjacent sea area.[34]

Security Edit

Today, Tawau is one of the six districts involved in the eastern Sabah sea curfew that has been enforced since 19 July 2014 by the Malaysian government to repel attacks from militant groups in southern Philippines.[35]

Geography Edit

 
Basalt Columns formed by volcanic lava in Kampung Balung Cocos

Tawau is on the south-east coast of Sabah surround by the Sulu Sea in the east, Celebes Sea to the south and shares a border with East Kalimantan (now North Kalimantan).[34][36][37] The town is approximately 1,904 kilometres from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur and is 540 kilometres south-east of Kota Kinabalu.[38] The main town area is divided into three sections named Sabindo, Fajar and Tawau Lama (Old Tawau).[39] Sabindo and Fajar are the main commercial areas while Tawau Lama is the original part of Tawau.

Almost 70% of the area surrounding Tawau is either high hills or mountainous.[40] Among the major peaks surrounding the Tawau includes Mount Maria (1,067 metres), Mount Magdalena (1,310 metres) and Mount Lucia (1,201 metres).

The town is bordered by Cowie Bay towards the south. The bay is recorded as a home for several species of dolphin, including Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin and Irrawaddy dolphin.[41]

The only volcano in Malaysia is located in Tawau. The Bombalai Volcano contains a 300 meter crater that straddles to the south.[42]

Climate Edit

Tawau has a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification. The climate is relatively hot and wet with average shade temperature about 26 °C (79 °F), with 29 °C (84 °F) at noon and falling to around 23 °C (73 °F) at night. The town sees precipitation throughout the year, with a tendency for November, December and January to be the wettest months, while February and March are the driest months. Tawau's mean rainfall varies from 1800 mm to 2500 mm.[43][44]

Climate data for Tawau
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 31.6
(88.9) 		31.4
(88.5) 		31.9
(89.4) 		32.3
(90.1) 		32.4
(90.3) 		31.8
(89.2) 		31.3
(88.3) 		31.5
(88.7) 		31.7
(89.1) 		31.9
(89.4) 		32.0
(89.6) 		31.9
(89.4) 		31.8
(89.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.1
(79.0) 		26.1
(79.0) 		26.6
(79.9) 		27.0
(80.6) 		27.2
(81.0) 		26.9
(80.4) 		26.4
(79.5) 		26.6
(79.9) 		26.5
(79.7) 		26.7
(80.1) 		26.7
(80.1) 		26.3
(79.3) 		26.6
(79.9)
Average low °C (°F) 22.4
(72.3) 		22.3
(72.1) 		22.6
(72.7) 		23.1
(73.6) 		23.5
(74.3) 		23.3
(73.9) 		22.8
(73.0) 		22.9
(73.2) 		22.7
(72.9) 		23.0
(73.4) 		23.0
(73.4) 		22.6
(72.7) 		22.8
(73.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 138.3
(5.44) 		101.8
(4.01) 		100.5
(3.96) 		89.8
(3.54) 		126.3
(4.97) 		162.2
(6.39) 		207.3
(8.16) 		201.6
(7.94) 		178.7
(7.04) 		170.5
(6.71) 		150.3
(5.92) 		135.5
(5.33) 		1,762.8
(69.40)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 13 11 10 10 12 12 14 13 12 13 13 13 146
Mean monthly sunshine hours 182.5 183.8 216.5 222.6 231.1 191.6 216.2 218.9 198.3 198.1 193.3 194.0 2,446.9
Source: NOAA[45]

Demography Edit

Ethnicity and religion Edit

 
Traditional Bugis-headgear (Songkok Recca) in Tawau. The Bugis in Sabah predominantly concentrated in the eastern corridor of the state, with its main population center located in Tawau[46]

The Malaysian Census 2010 Report indicates that the whole Tawau municipality area has a total population of 397,673, although this included 57,466 in Kalabakan District, now split off from the municipality.[2][note 2] Owing to its development as a port town in Malaysian Borneo and its close geographical proximity to both Indonesia and the Philippines, the demographic of Tawau is visibly distinct from most of Sabah. Nevertheless, its ethnic composition largely resembles other major urban centers in east coast of Kalimantan (such as the cities of Tarakan, Samarinda, Bontang and Balikpapan), with an additional demographic influence from the southern Philippines and internal migrations from other parts of Sabah. The town's population today is a mixture of different races and ethnicities, intermarriage between various ethnic groups and nationalities are also prevalent. At the 2020 census, the Tawau District recorded a population of 372,615.[47]

Non-Malaysian citizens form the majority of the town population with 164,729 people. Malaysian citizens in the area were consist of Bumiputras (with the Bumiputras in Tawau mainly consist of Bugis, Bajau, Banjar, Javanese, Suluk, Tidung, Bulungan descent and a sizable population of Kadazan-Dusun, Bisaya, Murut, Lun Bawang/Lundayeh,Bruneian Malays, Cocos Malays, Peninsula Malays, Kedayan, Iban and other smaller Bumiputera groups) (134,456), Chinese (40,061), Indian (833) and others (6,153).[2] The largest ethnolinguistic group in Tawau is the Bugis, with an estimation of up to 60% of the district's population having Bugis ancestry. However in the Malaysian Census, the Sabahan-Bugis would be classified under other Bumiputera, Malay or Non-Malaysian based on personal self-identification and national origin.[46]

Non-Malaysian citizens are mostly from Indonesia and Philippines, arriving from Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Sulu Archipelago, Mindanao and Visayas. The Malaysian Chinese, like other places in Sabah, are mostly Hakkas who arrived during the British colonial era. Their original settlements were around Apas Road which was originally an agricultural area.[48][49] A common intermarriage between Chinese and Kadazan-Dusun also produced a considerable Sino-Kadazan community in the town. In addition to the local Sabahan Chinese, there are also many members of the Chinese community in Tawau originated from Peninsula Malaysia, Sarawak, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Most of the Bumiputera populations in Tawau are Muslims, with the exception of Kadazan-Dusuns, Lundayeh and Muruts that mainly practice Christianity though some of them are Muslim. Malaysian Chinese are mainly Buddhists though some are Taoist or Christians. There is a small number of Hindus, Sikhs, Animists, and secularists in the town.

The majority of non-citizens are Muslims, though there are also large numbers of Christian Indonesian who are mainly ethnic Toraja, Florenese, Timorese, Chinese Indonesians, Dayaks and Filipinos of Visayan and Zamboangueño descent who arrived since the 1950s.[50][51] A small number of Pakistanis lives in the town, mainly working as shop or restaurant owners. Most non-citizens work and live in the plantations. Some of the migrant workers have been naturalised as Malaysian citizens. However, there are still many who live without proper documentation as illegal immigrants in the town with their own unlawful settlement.[52][50]

Languages Edit

The people of Tawau mainly speak Malay, with a distinct Sabahan creole.[54] The Tawau creole shared many similarities with East Coast Sabahan Dialect and Bahasa Indonesia spoken in North Kalimantan across the border.[55][52] Amongst the younger generations, as in the case in most of Sabah, a visible language shift from their ancestral language towards Sabahan Malay language is also prevalent.

As most Tawau Chinese are Hakka Chinese, Hakka Chinese is widely spoken. Tawau Chinese also use other Chinese dialect languages like Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Hainan, and other minority dialect language. The east coast Bajau's language has similarities with the Sama language in the Philippines and Kalimantan; and has borrowed words from the Suluk language. The Bajau language on the east coast is different from the west coast Bajau, where the language has been influenced by Malayic languages from Brunei Malay.[56][57] As a large segment of the population originated from the Bugis ancestry, the Bugis language can also be heard in the town. The main Bugis language spoken in the town being the Bone, followed closely by Enrekang-Duri and other Bugis dialects.

Economy Edit

 
A lorry carrying timber.
 
Eastern Plaza in Tawau

As of 1993, there were 40 timber-processing plants and a number of sawmills. Tawau Port is a major export and import gateway for timber especially from North Kalimantan.[58][59] A barter trade has been formalised between East Kalimantan (now North Kalimantan) and Sabah with the creation of Tawau Barter Trade Association (BATS) in 1993. The association handles the cash-based trade of raw materials from Indonesia, but in recent years has focussed on timber industry.[58] Other than timber, since British rule ended exports have traditionally been spices, cocoa and tobacco.[60] Birds' nests are harvested at Baturong, Sengarung, Tepadung and Madai Caves by the Ida'an community.[61][62] Tawau is one of the top cocoa producers in Malaysia, and the world together with Ivory Coast, Ghana and Indonesia.[63] The town is the cocoa capital for both in Sabah and Malaysia.[64] Cocoa production is mostly concentrated in the interior, north of the town, while palm oil production is concentrated along the roads to Merotai, Brantian, Semporna and Kunak.[40] Both cocoa and palm oil are part of the large agriculture sector that has become the main income producer for the town.[65][66]

Like in Sandakan, people in Tawau have always relied on the sea for their sustenance. Every day, hundreds of deep sea trawlers and tuckboats can be seen at the Cowie Bay. Barter trade also happens in the sea area around Tawau.[53] The Tawau marine zone are one of Sabah four marine zones, with the other been in Sandakan, Kudat and the west coast.[67][self-published source?] A great variety of high-grade fishes and all kinds of crustaceans were found in abundance in the sea and waterways around Tawau.[13] Prawn farming has become largest sea economic source for the district. The oldest and largest prawn farm were located in this area together with six frozen shrimp processing plants.[68][69]

Transportation Edit

 
The new Tawau Airport.

Most of the town's roads are state roads constructed and maintained by the state's Public Works Department. A program began in 2012 to upgrade the town's roads and increase the amount of public parking.[70] Most major internal roads are dual-carriageways. The only highway route from Tawau connects: Tawau – Semporna – Kunak – Lahad Datu – Sandakan (part of the Pan Borneo Highway)[71]

Regular bus services and taxis operate in the town. The town has long-distance, short-distance and local bus stations. The long-distance services connect Tawau to Lahad Datu, Sandakan, Telupid, Ranau, Simpang Sapi, Kundasang, Kota Kinabalu, Sipitang, Beaufort, Papar and Simpang Ranau.[72] The short-distance services connect to destinations including as Sandakan and Semporna.[73]

Tawau Airport (TA) (ICAO Code : WBKW) is the second largest airport in Sabah state, after Kota Kinabalu, and has flights linking the town to domestic destinations. Destinations for the airport include Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan via AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines and MASWings. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport also hosted international flights several times per-week, including to Juwata International Airport in Tarakan, Indonesia by MASWings; and RB Link to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, albeit both destinations have been suspended as of 2022. The airport opened in 2001 and as of 2018 handled 1.64 million passengers annually.[74]

Before 2001, Tawau was served by the old airport located in North Street (Jalan Utara). The first flight was commenced in September 1953. By the 1960s, the airport was used for small aircraft such as the Fokker 27.[75] The runway was widened in the 1980s, allowing it to operate Boeing 737s. In the early 1970s, the airport received scheduled international flights operated by Bouraq Indonesia Airlines to Tarakan and Balikpapan, Indonesia.[76] By mid-90s, the international destinations of the airport was expanded to include Makassar by Merpati Nusantara Airlines. There was a fatal accident in 1995 when Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133, a Fokker 50, crashed due to pilot error on landing, leading to 34 fatalities. A Cessna 208 Caravan crashed on takeoff in 1995 and MAS Boeing 737-400 skidded off the runway in 2001, neither causing fatalities. The airport was closed when the new Tawau airport opened.[77]

There are several daily ferry service from northeastern Kalimantan to the town's sea port, linking the town to Sungai Nyamuk, Nunukan and Tarakan.[78] This route has been used for smuggling subsidised goods from the town to certain parts in Indonesia, especially southern Sebatik, by Indonesian smugglers as this area is highly dependent on Tawau.[79][80] Many Indonesians near the international border choose to seek medical treatment in the town due to the lower cost and better facilities, compared to other Indonesian towns.[80]

Public services Edit

Tawau's court complex is on Dunlop Street.[81] It contains the High Court, Sessions Court, and the Magistrate Court.[82] Syariah Court is located at Abaca Street.[83] The district police headquarters is on Tanjung Batu Street,[84] and other police station are sited throughout the district including Wallace Bay, Bombalai, Bergosong, Kalabakan, Seri Indah and LTB Tawau.[85] Police substations (Pondok Polis) are found in Tass Bt. 17, Apas Parit, Merotai, Quin Hill, Balung Kokos, Titingan, Kinabutan and Burmas areas,[85] and the Tawau Prison is in the town centre.[86]

Tawau has one public hospital, four public health clinics, three maternal and child health clinics, seven village clinics, one mobile clinic and two 1Malaysia clinics.[87][88] Tawau Hospital, on Tanjung Batu Street, is the town's main hospital and an important healthcare facility for patients from Semporna, Lahad Datu, Kunak, and Sandakan. Indonesian patients near the border area also frequently visit the hospital. Tawau Specialist Polyclinics (TSPC) is a walk-in healthcare clinic that sees patients from Tawau and surrounding areas as well as patients from neighbouring Philippines and Indonesia. TSPC has a range of medical specialists, a medical laboratory and radiology services.[80][89][90] The hospital has undergone a series of modernisations since 1990 with the construction of specialist clinics, Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD), new wards and operation theatres.[90] Tawau Specialist Hospital is the only private hospital in the town.[91] The Tawau Regional Library is one of three regional libraries in Sabah, the others are at Keningau and Sandakan. These libraries are operated by the Sabah State Library department.[92] Some schools, colleges, or universities have private libraries.[87]

There are many government or state schools in and around the town. Secondary schools include Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kinabutan, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jalan Apas, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kabota, and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pasir Putih.[93] The town has two private schools, called the Sabah Chinese High School (Sekolah Tinggi Cina Sabah) and Vision Secondary School (Sekolah Menengah Visi). Tawau has two of the three A-Level education centres in the state of Sabah—the Institute of Science and Management (ISM) and Maktab Rendah Sains Mara Tawau.[94][95] A teacher-training college called Tawau Teacher Training Institute is found in the town. For tertiary education the town has the Tawau Community College[96] and GIATMARA Tawau,[97] and campuses of two universities, Universiti Teknologi MARA[98] and Open University Malaysia.

See also: List of schools in Sabah
  •  

    The Tawau Regional Library, one of the three regional libraries in Sabah.

  •  

    The Tawau Court.

  •  

    Universiti Teknologi MARA campus in Tawau.

Culture and leisure Edit

The Tawau International Cultural Festival is an annual event, first held in 2011, that has been promoted for its potential to attract tourists.[99] The Tawau Bell Tower in the town's park was built by the Japanese in 1921 shortly after World War I to mark the close allied relations between Japan and Great Britain.[13] Other historical attractions include the Japanese War Cemetery, Confrontation Memorial, the Public Service Memorial and the Twin Town Memorial. Tawau is one of the top cocoa production centres in Malaysia. The Teck Guan Cocoa Museum has become one of the important historical attractions for the town since it was founded in the 1970s by Datuk Seri Panglima Hong Teck Guan.[100] Varieties of cocoa products including chocolate jam and hot cocoa beverages are sold in the museum.[101]

Tawau has nearby conservation areas and areas set aside for leisure. The Tawau Hills National Park has picnic areas, a vast camping site, and cabins. It is 24 kilometres (15 miles) from Tawau and is accessible by road.[102] Bukit Gemok (also known as Fat Hill) is an approximately 428-metre (1,404 ft) hill about 11 km (7 mi) from the town. It is part of the 4.45-square-kilometre (1.72 sq mi) Bukit Gemok Forest Reserve, which was declared a forest reserve in 1984.[103][104] Tawau Harbour is used as a transit point to islands near the town including Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai, Mataking, and Indonesian islands including southern Sebatik, Tarakan and Nunukan.

The main shopping area in Tawau is the Eastern Plaza located at Mile 1 on Kuhara Street. It was built in 2005, completed in 2008 and opened in May 2009. The complex has three levels of car parking with 476 covered and 49 surface parking bays.[105][106] Sabindo Plaza was opened in January 1999 and is known as the first shopping centre built in Tawau.[107] There is a market that runs alongside Dunlop Street.[108] The Tawau Tanjung Market was established in 1999. Since then, it has expanded to house 6,000 stalls and is known as the largest indoor market in Malaysia.[109][110]

The town has a sport complex with badminton, tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, and two stadiums for hockey and football.[111] In 2014, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced formation of a National Sports Institute (ISN) in Tawau. It will be the third sports satellite centre in Sabah once completed in 2015.[112] A cross-border sporting event was held in 2014 between the town and Nunukan in Indonesia. It has been proposed to be repeated annually to strengthen ties between the towns.[113]

  •  

    The Bell Tower (left) and the Public Service Memorial (right)

  •  

    A monument in the Tawau Japanese War Memorial

  •  

    Sabindo Plaza, Tawau's first shopping centre.

  •  

    Tawau Marker Hill.

Notable residents Edit

Political
Entertainment
Sports

Notes Edit

  1. ^ Cowie Bay in the early 19th century was known as Kalabakong Bay. It is also known as Sibuco Bay.
  2. ^ a b Above the official figures of the 2010 Census, there are a large number of illegal immigrants from Indonesia and the Philippines.(Goodlet, page 248 and page 299)
  3. ^ The final contractual limit was indeed confirmed in 1912 by the joint boundary commission, and on 17 February 1913 by Dutch and British negotiators.
  4. ^ Cole Adams spent 44 months in Japanese POW camps – first on the Berhala Island in Sandakan, later in Batu Lintang camp near Kuching – and died on the day of his liberation by the 9th Division of the Australian armed forces in September 1945.

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Literature Edit

  • Ken Goodlet: Tawau – The Making of a Tropical Community, Opus Publications, 2010 ISBN 978-983-3987-38-2

External links Edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tawau.
  •   Tawau travel guide from Wikivoyage
  • Tawau Municipal Council
  • Tawau Information
  • Info Tawau & News

October 15, 2023
tawau, federal, constituency, represented, dewan, rakyat, federal, constituency, malaysian, ˈta, jawi, تاواو, chinese, 斗湖, pinyin, dǒu, formerly, known, tawao, capital, district, sabah, malaysia, third, largest, city, sabah, after, kota, kinabalu, sandakan, lo. For the federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat see Tawau federal constituency Tawau Malaysian ˈta wau Jawi تاواو Chinese 斗湖 pinyin dǒu hu formerly known as Tawao is the capital of the Tawau District in Sabah Malaysia It is the third largest city in Sabah after Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan It is located on the Semporna Peninsula in the southeast coast of the state in the administrative centre of Tawau Division which is bordered by the Sulu Sea to the east the Celebes Sea to the south at Cowie Bay note 1 and shares a border with North Kalimantan Indonesia The town had an estimated population as of 2010 update of 113 809 2 while the whole municipality area had a population of 397 673 including 47 466 in Kalabakan subsequently split off to form a separate district 2 note 2 The municipal area had a population of 372 615 at the 2020 Census 3 Tawau TawaoTown and district capitalOther transcription s Jawiتاواو Chinese斗湖 Tamilதவ வ From top left to right City sign Aerial view towards the town center Aerial view towards Cowie BaySealMotto Bumi PeladangLocation of Tawau in SabahTawau Tawau in SabahShow map of SabahTawau Tawau in MalaysiaShow map of MalaysiaTawauTawau Asia Show map of AsiaTawauTawau Earth Show map of EarthCoordinates 04 15 30 N 117 53 40 E 4 25833 N 117 89444 E 4 25833 117 89444Country MalaysiaState SabahDivisionTawauDistrictTawauBruneian Empire15th century 1658Sultanate of Sulu1658 1882Sultanate of Bulungan1750Founded1893Settled by North Borneo Chartered Company1898Municipality1 January 1982Government Council PresidentAmrullah KamalArea Town55 9 km2 21 6 sq mi Municipality2 240 km2 860 sq mi Elevation 1 8 m 26 ft Population 2020 Census Municipality372 615Time zoneUTC 8 MST Summer DST Not observedPostal code91000Area code s 089Vehicle registrationET 1967 1980 ST 1980 2018 SW 2019 Present Websitempt wbr sabah wbr gov wbr myBefore the founding of Tawau the region around it was the subject of dispute between the British and Dutch spheres of influence In 1893 the first British merchant vessel sailed into Tawau marking the opening of the town s seaport In 1898 the British set up a settlement in Tawau The North Borneo Chartered Company BNBC accelerated growth of the settlement s population by encouraging the immigration of Chinese Consequent to the Japanese occupation of North Borneo the Allied forces bombed the town in mid 1944 razing it to the ground After the Japanese surrender in 1945 2 900 Japanese soldiers in Tawau became prisoners of war and were transferred to Jesselton Tawau was rebuilt after the war and by the end of 1947 the economy was restored to its pre war status Tawau was also the main point of conflict during the Indonesia Malaysia confrontation from 1963 to 1966 During that period it was garrisoned by the British Special Boat Section and guarded by Australian Destroyers and combat aircraft In December 1963 Tawau was bombed twice by Indonesia and shootings occurred across the Tawau Sebatik Island international border Indonesians were found trying to poison the town s water supply In January 1965 a curfew was imposed to prevent Indonesian attackers from making contact with Indonesians living in the town While in June 1965 another attempted invasion by the Indonesian forces was repelled by bombardment by an Australian destroyer Military conflict finally ended in December 1966 Among the tourist attractions in Tawau are the Tawau International Cultural Festival Tawau Bell Tower Japanese War Cemetery Confrontation Memorial Teck Guan Cocoa Museum Tawau Hills National Park Bukit Gemok and Tawau Tanjung Markets The main economic activities of the town are timber cocoa oil palm plantations and prawn farming Contents 1 History 1 1 Indonesian confrontation 2 Government and international relations 2 1 Security 3 Geography 3 1 Climate 4 Demography 4 1 Ethnicity and religion 4 2 Languages 5 Economy 6 Transportation 7 Public services 8 Culture and leisure 9 Notable residents 10 Notes 11 References 12 Literature 13 External linksHistory Edit nbsp Tawau residents and their community chief with Alexander Rankin Dunlop sitting right in the Cowie Harbour of Tawau circa 1885 Like most of this part of Borneo this area was once under the control of the Bruneian Empire 4 in the 15th century before being ceded to the Sultanate of Sulu between the 17th 5 and 18th centuries 6 as a gift for helping the Bruneian forces during a civil war in Brunei The name Tawao was used on nautical charts by 1857 7 and there is evidence of a settlement by 1879 The East India Company had established a trading post in Borneo though there was no significant activity by the Dutch on the east coast 8 In 1846 Netherlands signed a treaty with the Sultan of Bulungan where the latter assured the Dutch control of the area 8 When the Dutch began to operate in 1867 the Sultan married his son to the daughter of the Sultan of Tarakan Around this time the Dutch sphere of influence reached Tawao They controlled the area north of Tawao overlapping an area controlled by the Sultan of Sulu 8 nbsp Alexander R Dunlop is the first British resident of Tawau In 1878 Sultanate of Sulu sold the southern part of his land bounded by the Sibuco River to an Austro Hungarian consul Baron von Overbeck who later tried to sell the territory to the German Empire Austria Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy for use as a penal colony but failed leaving Alfred Dent to manage and establish the North Borneo Provisional Association Ltd 9 The Provisional Association negotiated in the 1880s with the Dutch for a definition of a boundary between the area conferred by the Sultan of Sulu and the area that the Dutch claimed from Sultan of Bulungan to settle a dispute that arose from the unknown exact location of the real border between the territory that was held by the Sultanate of Sulu and the Sultanate of Bulungan 8 Alexander Rankin Dunlop became the first Resident for the settlement of Tawau On 20 January 1891 a final agreement was reached on a line along 4 10 north latitude on the central division of the Sebatik Island 8 note 3 In the early 1890s approximately 200 people lived in the Tawao settlement mostly immigrants from Bulungan in Kalimantan and some from Tawi Tawi who had fled from Dutch and Spanish rule 10 11 12 The settlement was renamed from Tawao to Tawau Most of those who fled from the Dutch colonisation continued trading with the Dutch 10 In 1893 a British vessel S S Normanhurst sailed into Tawau with a cargo to trade In 1898 the British built a settlement which later grew rapidly when the North Borneo Chartered Company BNBC sponsored the migration of Chinese to Tawau 13 14 nbsp Japanese civilians and soldiers prior to their embarkation to Jesselton the bell tower can be seen behind On 16 December 1941 during World War II the Japanese invasion of Borneo began After the first landing in Miri the Japanese moved along the coastline of Borneo from the oil fields of Kuching and towards Jesselton Life in Tawau continued as usual until 24 January 1942 when the Japanese were sighted off Batu Tinagat The district officer Cole Adams and his assistant were expecting an attack at the shipyard but were instead arrested by the Japanese note 4 The Allies began counterattacking the Japanese in mid 1944 with the bombing of Tawau From 13 April 1945 six massive air strikes were made on town concentrating on the port facilities The last and largest of these attacks was on 1 May 1945 when 19 Liberator bombers bombed Tawau until it was completely razed to the ground 15 After an unconditional surrender of the 37th Japanese Army under Lieutenant General Masao Baba in mid September at Labuan 1 100 Australian soldiers in Sandakan under the command of Lt Col JA England marched into the Japanese bases at Tawau A total of 2 900 Japanese soldiers of the 370th battalion under Major Sugasaki Moriyuki were taken as prisoners of war and transferred to Jesselton 16 17 nbsp An aerial view of Tawau town in 1947 At the end of the war the town had been largely destroyed by bombing and fire the Bell tower was the only intact pre war structure Tawau quickly recovered Though almost all the shops were destroyed a report by The British North Borneo Annual Report in 1947 wrote that the pre war economy was largely made towards the end of 1947 In the first six months post war the British rebuilt 170 shops and commercial buildings By 1 July 1947 subsidies for the purchase of rice and flour were introduced 18 Indonesian confrontation Edit Main article Indonesia Malaysia confrontation nbsp The Tawau Konfrontasi Memorial Due to its exposed location near the international border with Indonesia Tawau became the main point of the conflict during the confrontation In preparation for the impending conflict Gurkhas were stationed in the town with other units including the British No 2 Special Boat Section under Captain DW Mitchell 19 20 Australian River class destroyer escorts were stationed in Cowie Bay and a squadron of F 86 Sabre aircraft flew over Tawau daily from Labuan In October 1963 Indonesia moved their first battalion of the Korps Komando Operasi KKO from Surabaya to Sebatik and opened several training camps near the border in eastern Kalimantan now North Kalimantan 19 21 From 1 October to 16 December 1963 there were at least seven shootings along the border resulting in three Indonesians deaths On 7 December 1963 an Indonesian Tupolev Tu 16 bomber flew over Tawau bay and bombed the town twice 22 By mid December 1963 Indonesian had sent a commando unit consisting of 128 volunteers and 35 regular soldiers to Sebatik 20 Their aim was to take Kalabakan then invade Tawau and Sandakan 20 On 29 December 1963 the Indonesian unit attacked the 3rd Royal Malay Regiment unit 20 The Indonesians managed to throw several grenades into the totally unprepared Malay Regiment s sleeping quarters 20 The attack resulted in eight Malay soldiers being killed and nineteen wounded 19 Malaysian armed police eventually drove the attackers north after a two hour battle 19 In 1964 the situation remained tense in Tawau A group of eight Indonesians were detained while trying to poison the water supply of the town On 12 May 1964 there was a bombing attempt on the Kong Fah cinema 23 24 At the end of January 1965 a night time curfew was imposed in Tawau to prevent attackers from contacting the approximate 16 000 Indonesians living there By the end of February 1965 96 of the 128 Indonesian volunteers had been killed or captured around 20 successfully retreated to Indonesia and 12 remained at large 19 On 28 June 1965 an attempt by Indonesian troops to invade eastern Sebatik was repelled by a heavy bombardment by Australian destroyer HMAS Yarra 25 26 In August 1965 an unknown assailant made an attempt to blow up a high tension electricity pylon while in September 1965 a logging truck was destroyed by a land mine 27 The confrontation largely ended 12 August 1966 and in December there was a complete ceasefire in Tawau 28 Government and international relations EditSee also List of twin towns and sister cities in Malaysia Indonesia has a consulate in Tawau 29 and the town has twin town arrangements with Zhangping China 30 and Pare Pare Indonesia 31 nbsp Tawau Municipal Council building There are two members of parliament MPs representing the two parliamentary constituencies in the district Tawau P 190 and Kalabakan P 191 The area is represented by six members of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly representing the districts of Balung Apas Sri Tanjung Merotai Tanjung Batu and Sebatik 32 The town is administered by the Tawau Municipal Council Majlis Perbandaran Tawau As of 2019 update the President of Tawau Municipal Council is Amrullah Kamal 33 The area under the jurisdiction of the Tawau District is the 2 510 hectare 25 1 km2 town area 3 075 hectare 30 75 km2 surrounding populated area 568 515 hectares 5 685 15 km2 of rural land and 38 406 hectares 384 06 km2 of adjacent sea area 34 Security Edit Today Tawau is one of the six districts involved in the eastern Sabah sea curfew that has been enforced since 19 July 2014 by the Malaysian government to repel attacks from militant groups in southern Philippines 35 Geography Edit nbsp Basalt Columns formed by volcanic lava in Kampung Balung CocosTawau is on the south east coast of Sabah surround by the Sulu Sea in the east Celebes Sea to the south and shares a border with East Kalimantan now North Kalimantan 34 36 37 The town is approximately 1 904 kilometres from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur and is 540 kilometres south east of Kota Kinabalu 38 The main town area is divided into three sections named Sabindo Fajar and Tawau Lama Old Tawau 39 Sabindo and Fajar are the main commercial areas while Tawau Lama is the original part of Tawau Almost 70 of the area surrounding Tawau is either high hills or mountainous 40 Among the major peaks surrounding the Tawau includes Mount Maria 1 067 metres Mount Magdalena 1 310 metres and Mount Lucia 1 201 metres The town is bordered by Cowie Bay towards the south The bay is recorded as a home for several species of dolphin including Indo Pacific humpback dolphin and Irrawaddy dolphin 41 The only volcano in Malaysia is located in Tawau The Bombalai Volcano contains a 300 meter crater that straddles to the south 42 Climate Edit Tawau has a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification The climate is relatively hot and wet with average shade temperature about 26 C 79 F with 29 C 84 F at noon and falling to around 23 C 73 F at night The town sees precipitation throughout the year with a tendency for November December and January to be the wettest months while February and March are the driest months Tawau s mean rainfall varies from 1800 mm to 2500 mm 43 44 Climate data for TawauMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearAverage high C F 31 6 88 9 31 4 88 5 31 9 89 4 32 3 90 1 32 4 90 3 31 8 89 2 31 3 88 3 31 5 88 7 31 7 89 1 31 9 89 4 32 0 89 6 31 9 89 4 31 8 89 2 Daily mean C F 26 1 79 0 26 1 79 0 26 6 79 9 27 0 80 6 27 2 81 0 26 9 80 4 26 4 79 5 26 6 79 9 26 5 79 7 26 7 80 1 26 7 80 1 26 3 79 3 26 6 79 9 Average low C F 22 4 72 3 22 3 72 1 22 6 72 7 23 1 73 6 23 5 74 3 23 3 73 9 22 8 73 0 22 9 73 2 22 7 72 9 23 0 73 4 23 0 73 4 22 6 72 7 22 8 73 0 Average precipitation mm inches 138 3 5 44 101 8 4 01 100 5 3 96 89 8 3 54 126 3 4 97 162 2 6 39 207 3 8 16 201 6 7 94 178 7 7 04 170 5 6 71 150 3 5 92 135 5 5 33 1 762 8 69 40 Average precipitation days 1 0 mm 13 11 10 10 12 12 14 13 12 13 13 13 146Mean monthly sunshine hours 182 5 183 8 216 5 222 6 231 1 191 6 216 2 218 9 198 3 198 1 193 3 194 0 2 446 9Source NOAA 45 Demography EditEthnicity and religion Edit nbsp Traditional Bugis headgear Songkok Recca in Tawau The Bugis in Sabah predominantly concentrated in the eastern corridor of the state with its main population center located in Tawau 46 The Malaysian Census 2010 Report indicates that the whole Tawau municipality area has a total population of 397 673 although this included 57 466 in Kalabakan District now split off from the municipality 2 note 2 Owing to its development as a port town in Malaysian Borneo and its close geographical proximity to both Indonesia and the Philippines the demographic of Tawau is visibly distinct from most of Sabah Nevertheless its ethnic composition largely resembles other major urban centers in east coast of Kalimantan such as the cities of Tarakan Samarinda Bontang and Balikpapan with an additional demographic influence from the southern Philippines and internal migrations from other parts of Sabah The town s population today is a mixture of different races and ethnicities intermarriage between various ethnic groups and nationalities are also prevalent At the 2020 census the Tawau District recorded a population of 372 615 47 Non Malaysian citizens form the majority of the town population with 164 729 people Malaysian citizens in the area were consist of Bumiputras with the Bumiputras in Tawau mainly consist of Bugis Bajau Banjar Javanese Suluk Tidung Bulungan descent and a sizable population of Kadazan Dusun Bisaya Murut Lun Bawang Lundayeh Bruneian Malays Cocos Malays Peninsula Malays Kedayan Iban and other smaller Bumiputera groups 134 456 Chinese 40 061 Indian 833 and others 6 153 2 The largest ethnolinguistic group in Tawau is the Bugis with an estimation of up to 60 of the district s population having Bugis ancestry However in the Malaysian Census the Sabahan Bugis would be classified under other Bumiputera Malay or Non Malaysian based on personal self identification and national origin 46 Non Malaysian citizens are mostly from Indonesia and Philippines arriving from Sulawesi Kalimantan Sulu Archipelago Mindanao and Visayas The Malaysian Chinese like other places in Sabah are mostly Hakkas who arrived during the British colonial era Their original settlements were around Apas Road which was originally an agricultural area 48 49 A common intermarriage between Chinese and Kadazan Dusun also produced a considerable Sino Kadazan community in the town In addition to the local Sabahan Chinese there are also many members of the Chinese community in Tawau originated from Peninsula Malaysia Sarawak Indonesia and the Philippines Most of the Bumiputera populations in Tawau are Muslims with the exception of Kadazan Dusuns Lundayeh and Muruts that mainly practice Christianity though some of them are Muslim Malaysian Chinese are mainly Buddhists though some are Taoist or Christians There is a small number of Hindus Sikhs Animists and secularists in the town The majority of non citizens are Muslims though there are also large numbers of Christian Indonesian who are mainly ethnic Toraja Florenese Timorese Chinese Indonesians Dayaks and Filipinos of Visayan and Zamboangueno descent who arrived since the 1950s 50 51 A small number of Pakistanis lives in the town mainly working as shop or restaurant owners Most non citizens work and live in the plantations Some of the migrant workers have been naturalised as Malaysian citizens However there are still many who live without proper documentation as illegal immigrants in the town with their own unlawful settlement 52 50 nbsp Al Kauthar Mosque the largest mosque in Sabah 53 nbsp St Patrick s the Anglican Church of Tawau nbsp The Holy Trinity Church a Catholic church in Tawau nbsp Pu Zhao Temple a Buddhist lodge temple in Tawau nbsp Thirumurugan Temple a Hindu temple in Tawau nbsp Gurdwara Sahib Tawau a Sikh temple in Tawau Languages Edit The people of Tawau mainly speak Malay with a distinct Sabahan creole 54 The Tawau creole shared many similarities with East Coast Sabahan Dialect and Bahasa Indonesia spoken in North Kalimantan across the border 55 52 Amongst the younger generations as in the case in most of Sabah a visible language shift from their ancestral language towards Sabahan Malay language is also prevalent As most Tawau Chinese are Hakka Chinese Hakka Chinese is widely spoken Tawau Chinese also use other Chinese dialect languages like Cantonese Hokkien Teochew Hainan and other minority dialect language The east coast Bajau s language has similarities with the Sama language in the Philippines and Kalimantan and has borrowed words from the Suluk language The Bajau language on the east coast is different from the west coast Bajau where the language has been influenced by Malayic languages from Brunei Malay 56 57 As a large segment of the population originated from the Bugis ancestry the Bugis language can also be heard in the town The main Bugis language spoken in the town being the Bone followed closely by Enrekang Duri and other Bugis dialects Economy Edit nbsp A lorry carrying timber nbsp Eastern Plaza in TawauAs of 1993 there were 40 timber processing plants and a number of sawmills Tawau Port is a major export and import gateway for timber especially from North Kalimantan 58 59 A barter trade has been formalised between East Kalimantan now North Kalimantan and Sabah with the creation of Tawau Barter Trade Association BATS in 1993 The association handles the cash based trade of raw materials from Indonesia but in recent years has focussed on timber industry 58 Other than timber since British rule ended exports have traditionally been spices cocoa and tobacco 60 Birds nests are harvested at Baturong Sengarung Tepadung and Madai Caves by the Ida an community 61 62 Tawau is one of the top cocoa producers in Malaysia and the world together with Ivory Coast Ghana and Indonesia 63 The town is the cocoa capital for both in Sabah and Malaysia 64 Cocoa production is mostly concentrated in the interior north of the town while palm oil production is concentrated along the roads to Merotai Brantian Semporna and Kunak 40 Both cocoa and palm oil are part of the large agriculture sector that has become the main income producer for the town 65 66 Like in Sandakan people in Tawau have always relied on the sea for their sustenance Every day hundreds of deep sea trawlers and tuckboats can be seen at the Cowie Bay Barter trade also happens in the sea area around Tawau 53 The Tawau marine zone are one of Sabah four marine zones with the other been in Sandakan Kudat and the west coast 67 self published source A great variety of high grade fishes and all kinds of crustaceans were found in abundance in the sea and waterways around Tawau 13 Prawn farming has become largest sea economic source for the district The oldest and largest prawn farm were located in this area together with six frozen shrimp processing plants 68 69 Transportation Edit nbsp The new Tawau Airport Most of the town s roads are state roads constructed and maintained by the state s Public Works Department A program began in 2012 to upgrade the town s roads and increase the amount of public parking 70 Most major internal roads are dual carriageways The only highway route from Tawau connects Tawau Semporna Kunak Lahad Datu Sandakan part of the Pan Borneo Highway 71 Regular bus services and taxis operate in the town The town has long distance short distance and local bus stations The long distance services connect Tawau to Lahad Datu Sandakan Telupid Ranau Simpang Sapi Kundasang Kota Kinabalu Sipitang Beaufort Papar and Simpang Ranau 72 The short distance services connect to destinations including as Sandakan and Semporna 73 Tawau Airport TA ICAO Code WBKW is the second largest airport in Sabah state after Kota Kinabalu and has flights linking the town to domestic destinations Destinations for the airport include Johor Bahru Kota Kinabalu Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan via AirAsia Malaysia Airlines and MASWings Prior to the COVID 19 pandemic the airport also hosted international flights several times per week including to Juwata International Airport in Tarakan Indonesia by MASWings and RB Link to Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei albeit both destinations have been suspended as of 2022 The airport opened in 2001 and as of 2018 update handled 1 64 million passengers annually 74 Before 2001 Tawau was served by the old airport located in North Street Jalan Utara The first flight was commenced in September 1953 By the 1960s the airport was used for small aircraft such as the Fokker 27 75 The runway was widened in the 1980s allowing it to operate Boeing 737s In the early 1970s the airport received scheduled international flights operated by Bouraq Indonesia Airlines to Tarakan and Balikpapan Indonesia 76 By mid 90s the international destinations of the airport was expanded to include Makassar by Merpati Nusantara Airlines There was a fatal accident in 1995 when Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133 a Fokker 50 crashed due to pilot error on landing leading to 34 fatalities A Cessna 208 Caravan crashed on takeoff in 1995 and MAS Boeing 737 400 skidded off the runway in 2001 neither causing fatalities The airport was closed when the new Tawau airport opened 77 There are several daily ferry service from northeastern Kalimantan to the town s sea port linking the town to Sungai Nyamuk Nunukan and Tarakan 78 This route has been used for smuggling subsidised goods from the town to certain parts in Indonesia especially southern Sebatik by Indonesian smugglers as this area is highly dependent on Tawau 79 80 Many Indonesians near the international border choose to seek medical treatment in the town due to the lower cost and better facilities compared to other Indonesian towns 80 Public services EditTawau s court complex is on Dunlop Street 81 It contains the High Court Sessions Court and the Magistrate Court 82 Syariah Court is located at Abaca Street 83 The district police headquarters is on Tanjung Batu Street 84 and other police station are sited throughout the district including Wallace Bay Bombalai Bergosong Kalabakan Seri Indah and LTB Tawau 85 Police substations Pondok Polis are found in Tass Bt 17 Apas Parit Merotai Quin Hill Balung Kokos Titingan Kinabutan and Burmas areas 85 and the Tawau Prison is in the town centre 86 Tawau has one public hospital four public health clinics three maternal and child health clinics seven village clinics one mobile clinic and two 1Malaysia clinics 87 88 Tawau Hospital on Tanjung Batu Street is the town s main hospital and an important healthcare facility for patients from Semporna Lahad Datu Kunak and Sandakan Indonesian patients near the border area also frequently visit the hospital Tawau Specialist Polyclinics TSPC is a walk in healthcare clinic that sees patients from Tawau and surrounding areas as well as patients from neighbouring Philippines and Indonesia TSPC has a range of medical specialists a medical laboratory and radiology services 80 89 90 The hospital has undergone a series of modernisations since 1990 with the construction of specialist clinics Central Sterile Services Department CSSD new wards and operation theatres 90 Tawau Specialist Hospital is the only private hospital in the town 91 The Tawau Regional Library is one of three regional libraries in Sabah the others are at Keningau and Sandakan These libraries are operated by the Sabah State Library department 92 Some schools colleges or universities have private libraries 87 There are many government or state schools in and around the town Secondary schools include Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kinabutan Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jalan Apas Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kabota and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pasir Putih 93 The town has two private schools called the Sabah Chinese High School Sekolah Tinggi Cina Sabah and Vision Secondary School Sekolah Menengah Visi Tawau has two of the three A Level education centres in the state of Sabah the Institute of Science and Management ISM and Maktab Rendah Sains Mara Tawau 94 95 A teacher training college called Tawau Teacher Training Institute is found in the town For tertiary education the town has the Tawau Community College 96 and GIATMARA Tawau 97 and campuses of two universities Universiti Teknologi MARA 98 and Open University Malaysia See also List of schools in Sabah nbsp The Tawau Regional Library one of the three regional libraries in Sabah nbsp The Tawau Court nbsp Universiti Teknologi MARA campus in Tawau Culture and leisure EditThe Tawau International Cultural Festival is an annual event first held in 2011 that has been promoted for its potential to attract tourists 99 The Tawau Bell Tower in the town s park was built by the Japanese in 1921 shortly after World War I to mark the close allied relations between Japan and Great Britain 13 Other historical attractions include the Japanese War Cemetery Confrontation Memorial the Public Service Memorial and the Twin Town Memorial Tawau is one of the top cocoa production centres in Malaysia The Teck Guan Cocoa Museum has become one of the important historical attractions for the town since it was founded in the 1970s by Datuk Seri Panglima Hong Teck Guan 100 Varieties of cocoa products including chocolate jam and hot cocoa beverages are sold in the museum 101 Tawau has nearby conservation areas and areas set aside for leisure The Tawau Hills National Park has picnic areas a vast camping site and cabins It is 24 kilometres 15 miles from Tawau and is accessible by road 102 Bukit Gemok also known as Fat Hill is an approximately 428 metre 1 404 ft hill about 11 km 7 mi from the town It is part of the 4 45 square kilometre 1 72 sq mi Bukit Gemok Forest Reserve which was declared a forest reserve in 1984 103 104 Tawau Harbour is used as a transit point to islands near the town including Sipadan Mabul Kapalai Mataking and Indonesian islands including southern Sebatik Tarakan and Nunukan The main shopping area in Tawau is the Eastern Plaza located at Mile 1 on Kuhara Street It was built in 2005 completed in 2008 and opened in May 2009 The complex has three levels of car parking with 476 covered and 49 surface parking bays 105 106 Sabindo Plaza was opened in January 1999 and is known as the first shopping centre built in Tawau 107 There is a market that runs alongside Dunlop Street 108 The Tawau Tanjung Market was established in 1999 Since then it has expanded to house 6 000 stalls and is known as the largest indoor market in Malaysia 109 110 The town has a sport complex with badminton tennis volleyball and basketball courts and two stadiums for hockey and football 111 In 2014 Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced formation of a National Sports Institute ISN in Tawau It will be the third sports satellite centre in Sabah once completed in 2015 112 A cross border sporting event was held in 2014 between the town and Nunukan in Indonesia It has been proposed to be repeated annually to strengthen ties between the towns 113 nbsp The Bell Tower left and the Public Service Memorial right nbsp A monument in the Tawau Japanese War Memorial nbsp Sabindo Plaza Tawau s first shopping centre nbsp Tawau Marker Hill Notable residents EditPoliticalChua Soon Bui Malaysian politician 114 EntertainmentAmber Chia Malaysian model 115 Ayie Elham A group member of Floor 88 singer actress 115 Firman Bansir Winner of Akademi Fantasia season 11 Faizul Sany Winner of Akademi Fantasia season 10 Pete Teo Malaysian singer songwriter musician film producer music producer and actor 116 Rahima Orchient Yahya Miss Malaysia top 10 semi finalist for Miss World 1994 Salma Asis Winner of Mentor season 5 Muhammad Hairi Amin known as MK K Clique Malaysian rapper and actor 117 Lia Natalia Malaysian actressSportsJulamri Muhammad Malaysian football player 118 Muhd Rafiuddin Rodin Malaysian football player 119 120 Siswanto Haidi Malaysian cricket player 121 Sumardi Hajalan Malaysian football player 122 123 Notes Edit Cowie Bay in the early 19th century was known as Kalabakong Bay It is also known as Sibuco Bay a b Above the official figures of the 2010 Census there are a large number of illegal immigrants from Indonesia and the Philippines Goodlet page 248 and page 299 The final contractual limit was indeed confirmed in 1912 by the joint boundary commission and on 17 February 1913 by Dutch and British negotiators Cole Adams spent 44 months in Japanese POW camps first on the Berhala Island in Sandakan later in Batu Lintang camp near Kuching and died on the day of his liberation by the 9th Division of the Australian armed forces in September 1945 References Edit Malaysia Elevation Map Elevation of Tawau Flood Map Water Level Elevation Map Archived from the original on 22 August 2015 Retrieved 22 August 2015 a b c d Total population by ethnic group Local Authority area and state Malaysia 2010 PDF Department of Statistics Malaysia Archived from the original PDF on 14 November 2013 Retrieved 14 September 2013 Dept of Statistics Malaysia web Mohd Jamil Al Sufri Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Diraja Dato Seri Utama Haji Awang K Agustinus Mohd Amin Hassan 2002 Survival of Brunei a historical perspective Brunei History Centre Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports ISBN 9789991734187 Frans Welman 9 March 2017 Borneo Trilogy Volume 1 Sabah Booksmango pp 160 ISBN 978 616 245 078 5 Ben Cahoon Sabah worldstatesmen org Retrieved 10 October 2014 Sultan of Brunei cedes the lands east of Marudu Bay to the Sultanate of Sulu in 1704 British Museum Sec 13 2576 Facsimile at Goodlet Page 6 a b c d e R Haller Trost 1 January 1995 The Territorial Dispute Between Indonesia and Malaysia Over Pulau Sipadan and Pulau Ligitan in the Celebes Sea A Study in International Law IBRU pp 6 8 9 ISBN 978 1 897643 20 4 Retrieved 6 August 2013 Summaries of Judgments Advisory Opinions and Orders of the International Court of Justice 1997 2002 United Nations Publications 2003 pp 266 ISBN 978 92 1 133541 5 Retrieved 6 August 2013 a b History of Tawau e tawau 26 July 2008 Archived from the original on 17 April 2014 Retrieved 9 April 2014 William Shaw Mohd Kassim Haji Ali 1971 Paper Currency of Malaysia Singapore and Brunei 1849 1970 Muzium Negara Paula Kay Byers 1 September 1995 Asian American genealogical sourcebook Gale Research ISBN 978 0 8103 9228 1 a b c Nicholas Chung 2005 Under the Borneo Sun A Tawau Story Natural History Publications Borneo ISBN 978 983 812 108 8 History of Tawau Settlement in Malay Tawau Municipal Council Archived from the original on 6 April 2014 Retrieved 7 April 2014 Kit C Carter Robert Mueller 1975 The Army Air Forces in World War II combat chronology 1941 1945 Arno Press ISBN 9780405121517 Retrieved 7 August 2013 Gavin Long Australia in the War The Final Campaigns Army Australian War Museum Canberra Page 495 564 Bob Reece Masa Jepun Sarawak Literary Society 1998 Goodlet Page 129 a b c d e Will Fowler 2006 Britain s Secret War The Indonesian Confrontation 1962 66 Osprey Publishing pp 12 ISBN 978 1 84603 048 2 Retrieved 6 August 2013 a b c d e J P Cross 1 January 1986 In Gurkha Company The British Army Gurkhas 1948 to the Present Arms and Armour Press ISBN 978 0 85368 865 5 Retrieved 6 August 2013 Malaysia Dept of Information Malaysia Kementerian Penerangan 1964 Indonesian involvement in eastern Malaysia Dept of Information Retrieved 6 August 2013 Indonesian Aggression Against Malaysia Ministry of External Affairs 1964 SAIS Review School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University 1966 Retrieved 6 August 2013 The Straits Times 24 June 1964 Page 11 2 000 for helping to catch sabotage gang National Library Singapore Retrieved 6 August 2013 Neil C Smith 1999 Nothing Short of War With the Australian Army in Borneo 1962 66 Mostly Unsung Military History Research and Publications ISBN 978 1 876179 07 6 Retrieved 6 August 2013 Rongxing Guo 1 January 2006 Territorial Disputes and Resource Management A Global Handbook Nova Publishers pp 217 ISBN 978 1 60021 445 5 Retrieved 6 August 2013 The Straits Times 30 September 1965 Page 22 Indon land mine blows up truck five hurt National Library Singapore Retrieved 25 April 2014 Goodlet Page 167 172 Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia in Tawau Sabah Malaysia Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Indonesia Retrieved 24 April 2014 Tawau to have sister city partnership with Zhangping City The Borneo Post 3 June 2013 Archived from the original on 6 April 2014 Retrieved 6 August 2013 Bachtiar Adnan Kusuma January 2001 Otonomi daerah peluang investasi di kawasan Timur Indonesia in Indonesian Yapensi Multi Media ISBN 978 979 95819 0 7 Tawau Geography Tawau Municipal Council Archived from the original on 19 April 2014 Retrieved 20 April 2014 Ex DBKK director general is new Tawau Municipal Council president The Borneo Post 13 June 2019 Archived from the original on 20 June 2019 Retrieved 20 June 2019 a b Tawau Position Tawau Municipal Council Archived from the original on 7 April 2014 Retrieved 8 April 2014 Sea curfew in Sabah to be extended until Sept 2 say cops The Star Retrieved 4 November 2014 Tawau Strategic Plan 2009 2015 PDF Tawau Municipal Council p 5 Retrieved 8 April 2014 Wendy Hutton November 2000 Adventure Guides East Malaysia Tuttle Publishing pp 77 ISBN 978 962 593 180 7 Retrieved 8 August 2013 Tawau to Kota Kinabalu Distance Google Maps Retrieved 9 April 2014 Lonely Planet Daniel Robinson Adam Karlin Paul Stiles 1 May 2013 Lonely Planet Borneo Lonely Planet pp 188 ISBN 978 1 74321 651 4 Retrieved 8 August 2013 a b Rapid Survey of Development Opportunities amp Constraints Doc for Tawau District Town and Regional Planning Department Sabah 30 March 1999 Archived from the original on 3 December 2013 Retrieved 15 April 2014 Boat Effects on the Behaviour of Indo Pacific Humpback Sousa chinensis and Irrawaddy Dolphins Orcaella brevirostris in Cowie Bay Sabah Malaysia Universiti Malaysia Terengganu 2011 retrieved 30 April 2023 Bombalai Volcano Volcano live retrieved 30 April 2023 P Thomas F K C Lo A J Hepburn 1976 The land capability classification of Sabah Land Resources Division Ministry of Overseas Development P Thomas F K C Lo A J Hepburn 1976 The land capability classification of Sabah Volume 1 The Tawau Residency Climate PDF Land Resources Division Ministry of Overseas Development p 10 29 Retrieved 9 April 2014 Tawau Climate Normals 1961 1990 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved 24 March 2015 a b Asmiati Amat ed 2013 Bugis Sabah ITBM pp 37 38 ISBN 9789830688589 Dept of Statistics Malaysia web Danny Wong Tze Ken 1999 Chinese Migration to Sabah Before the Second World War Archipel 58 3 143 doi 10 3406 arch 1999 3538 Retrieved 9 April 2014 Handbook of the State of British North Borneo With a Supplement of Statistical and Other Useful Information British North Borneo Chartered Company 1934 a b Alexander Horstmann Reed L Wadley 15 May 2006 Centering The Margin Agency and Narrative in Southeast Asian Borderlands Berghahn Books pp 143 ISBN 978 0 85745 439 3 Geoffrey C Gunn 18 December 2010 Historical Dictionary of East Timor Scarecrow Press pp 71 ISBN 978 0 8108 7518 0 a b Kamal Sadiq 2 December 2008 Paper Citizens How Illegal Immigrants Acquire Citizenship in Developing Countries Oxford University Press pp 48 ISBN 978 0 19 970780 5 a b Tamara Thiessen 2012 Borneo Sabah Brunei Sarawak Bradt Travel Guides pp 226 amp 230 ISBN 978 1 84162 390 0 PEOPLE OF SABAH Discovery Tours Sabah Archived from the original on 28 March 2014 Retrieved 10 April 2014 Stephen Adolphe Wurm Peter Muhlhausler Darrell T Tyron 1996 Atlas of Languages of Intercultural Communication in the Pacific Asia and the Americas Walter de Gruyter pp 1615 ISBN 978 3 11 013417 9 Miller Mark Turner 2007 A Grammar of West Coast Bajau Ph D thesis University of Texas at Arlington pp 5 hdl 10106 577 Julie K King John Wayne King 1984 Languages of Sabah Survey Report Department of Linguistics Research School of Pacific Studies Australian National University ISBN 978 0 85883 297 8 a b Krystof Obidzinski 2006 Timber Smuggling in Indonesia Critical Or Overstated Problem Forest Governance Lessons from Kalimantan CIFOR pp 16 amp 28 ISBN 978 979 24 4670 8 Yvonne Byron 1995 In Place of the Forest Environmental and Socio Economic Transformation in Borneo and the Eastern Malay Peninsula United Nations University Press pp 219 ISBN 978 92 808 0893 3 Herman Scholz 2 August 2009 Tawau Heaven for divers New Sabah Times Archived from the original on 21 December 2010 Retrieved 11 April 2014 Madeline Berma Junaenah Sulehan Faridah Shahadan 1 3 December 2010 White Gold The Role of Edible Birds Nest in the Livelihood Strategy of the Idahan Communities in Malaysia PDF National University of Malaysia Massey University Retrieved 11 April 2014 Liz Price 27 September 2009 Local tribesfolk nestling among the Madai Caves The Brunei Times Archived from the original on 11 April 2014 Retrieved 11 April 2014 K Assis A Amran Y Remali H Affendy 2010 A Comparison of Univariate Time Series Methods for Forecasting Cocoa Bean Prices PDF Universiti Malaysia Sabah World Cocoa Foundation ISSN 1994 7933 Retrieved 11 April 2014 Fredrik Gustafsson 2002 Cocoa Satellites A study of the cocoa smallholder sector in Sabah Malaysia PDF Lund University pp 20 22 Archived from the original PDF on 13 April 2014 Retrieved 11 April 2014 Mohd Yaakub Hj Johari Bilson Kurus Janiah Zaini 1997 BIMP EAGA integration issues and challenges Institute for Development Studies Sabah ISBN 978 967 9910 47 6 Jailani Hassan 28 May 2013 Agro sector remains main income earner for Tawau The Borneo Insider Archived from the original on 11 April 2014 Retrieved 11 April 2014 Hamid Awong May 2008 Hamid Awong Fisheries Model HAFM A Case Study Stock Assesments sic of Demersal Fishes of Priacanthus Tayenus Richardson 1846 in Darvel Bay Sabah Malaysia Lulu com pp 4 ISBN 978 0 615 21321 7 self published source Wim Giesen FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific January 2006 Mangrove guidebook for Southeast Asia Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific ISBN 978 974 7946 85 7 Hajjah Norasma Dacho Rayner Datuk Stuel Galid and Alvin Wong Tsun Vui MARKETING AND EXPORT OF MARINE BASED FOOD PRODUCTS PDF Department of Fisheries Sabah pp 15 16 Archived from the original PDF on 25 October 2012 Retrieved 13 April 2014 Better roads more parking lots for Tawau The Borneo Post 21 July 2012 Retrieved 16 April 2014 INFRASTRUCTURE amp SUPERSTRUCTURE Road Borneo Trade Source from Public Works Department Sabah Archived from the original on 27 February 2012 Retrieved 15 April 2014 Long distance bus terminal e tawau 22 March 2014 Archived from the original on 17 April 2014 Retrieved 18 April 2014 Sabindo Short distance minibus station e tawau 4 April 2014 Archived from the original on 17 April 2014 Retrieved 18 April 2014 MAHB Annual Report 2012 PDF MAHB Archived from the original PDF on 24 April 2013 Retrieved 6 September 2013 Tawau Airport Malaysia Airports Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 23 April 2014 Bouraq Indonesia Airlines Timetable Images Timetable Images 2011 Retrieved 25 May 2020 Old Tawau Airport e tawau Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 23 April 2014 Tawau 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the original on 30 March 2014 Retrieved 22 April 2014 a b 16 Social Facilities Town and Regional Planning Department Sabah Archived from the original on 30 March 2014 Retrieved 23 April 2014 Clinics in Tawau Sabah State Health Department Archived from the original on 30 March 2014 Retrieved 23 April 2014 Peta Lokasi Location Map in Malay Tawau Hospital Archived from the original on 23 April 2014 Retrieved 23 April 2014 a b Pengenalan Introduction in Malay Tawau Hospital Archived from the original on 23 April 2014 Retrieved 23 April 2014 Home Tawau Specialist Hospital Archived from the original on 15 September 2016 Retrieved 15 September 2016 Tawau Regional Library Sabah State Library Online Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 22 April 2014 SENARAI SEKOLAH MENENGAH DI NEGERI SABAH List of Secondary Schools in Sabah See Tawau PDF Educational Management Information System Archived from the original PDF on 10 July 2012 Retrieved 22 April 2014 ISM History Institute of Science and Management 14 September 2009 Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 22 April 2014 MRSM Tun Mustapha Tawau tawar A Level pada 2014 in Malay The Borneo Post 27 January 2013 Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 22 April 2014 Laman Web Rasmi Kolej Komuniti Tawau The Official Website of Tawau Community College Kolej Komuniti Tawau Tawau Community College in Malay Archived from the original on 17 March 2015 Retrieved 17 March 2015 Sepintas lalu Giatmara Tawau A brief introduction Giatmara Tawau in Malay Giatmara Tawau Archived from the original on 12 December 2013 Retrieved 17 March 2015 UiTM Sabah Tawau Campus in Malay UiTM Sabah Archived from the original on 15 July 2013 Retrieved 17 March 2015 Tawau cultural festival a potential tourism icon for Malaysia Bernama The Brunei Times 28 February 2012 Archived from the original on 23 April 2014 Retrieved 24 April 2014 Teck Guan Cocoa Museum Tawau Sabah e tawau Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 28 April 2014 Teck Guan Cocoa Museum Sabah Tourism Board Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 28 April 2014 Tawau Hills Park Sabah Tourism Board Archived from the original on 25 June 2014 Retrieved 17 March 2015 Bukit Gemok Sabah Tourism Board Archived from the original on 16 July 2014 Retrieved 17 March 2015 Bukit Gemok Sabah Tourist Association Archived from the original on 18 March 2013 Retrieved 17 March 2015 Eastern Plaza Sabah Urban Development Corporation SUDC Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 27 April 2014 Eastern Plaza Shopping Complex e tawau Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 27 April 2014 Sabindo Plaza The First Shopping Centre in Tawau e tawau Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 27 April 2014 Tanjung Market Tawau s bestsecret for bargain hunters The Brunei Times Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 27 April 2014 Tawau Tanjung Market Sabah Tourism Board Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 27 April 2014 Tanjung Tawau market offers shoppers all kinds of items from amplang to seaweed Bernama The Star Retrieved 27 April 2014 Tawau Sport Complex Tawau Sport Complex Facilities Rental Rates Sabah Sports Board Retrieved 28 April 2014 Third Sports Satellite Centre For Sabah To Be Set Up in Tawau Bernama Eastern Sabah Security Command 13 April 2014 Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 28 April 2014 Hold Tawau Nunukan Border Sports annually Tawfiq Daily Express 16 February 2014 Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 28 April 2014 Members of Parliament Chua Soon Bui Malaysian Parliament Retrieved 15 March 2015 a b Ayie Floor 88 tak kisah niaga tepi jalan BHonline Berita Harian 7 March 2022 Retrieved 26 July 2022 Tashny Sukumaran N Rama Lohan 16 September 2013 Marching to their own beat The Star Retrieved 15 March 2015 MK takkan halau peminat serbu rumah BHonline BeritaHarian 4 May 2022 Retrieved 26 July 2022 Julamri Bin Muhammad Sabah FA Archived from the original on 15 March 2015 Retrieved 15 March 2015 Rafiuddin Rodin European Football Database Retrieved 15 March 2015 Pulau Pinang masih perlu banyak pembaharuan in Malay Sinar Harian 21 November 2013 Retrieved 15 March 2015 Siswanto Bin Moksun Haidi CricketArchive Retrieved 14 March 2015 Francis Xavier No comeback for Sumardi New Sabah Times Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 15 March 2015 Shahrizal Zaini 27 September 2014 Hijrah demi ilmu in Malay Sinar Harian Retrieved 14 March 2015 Literature EditKen Goodlet Tawau The Making of a Tropical Community Opus Publications 2010 ISBN 978 983 3987 38 2External links Edit nbsp Malaysia portal nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tawau nbsp Tawau travel guide from Wikivoyage Tawau Municipal Council Tawau Information Info Tawau amp News Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tawau amp oldid 1177792702, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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