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Tawau (), formerly known as Tawao, is the capital of the Tawau District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the third-largest city (or town)While Tawau have a population of more than 100,000 of which is considered city elsewhere in the world it is officially referred as "bandar" (town) in Malay language due to Malaysian law have multiple criteria for a town to be considered a city including a population of more than 500,000 (such as George Town, Penang), administrative centre of a state (such as Kuching, a state capital of Sarawak despite its smaller 300,000 population) and income of RM100 million. 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 BayCowie Bay in the early 19th century was known as Kalabakong Bay. It is also known as Sibuco Bay. and shares a border with North Kalimantan, Indonesia. The town had an estimated population , of 113,809, while the whole municipality area had a population of 397,673 (including 47,466 in Kalabakan, subsequently split off to form a separate district).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 municipal area had a population of 372,615 at the 2020 Census.Dept. of Statistics Malaysia (web).
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.
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. 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. 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.The final contractual limit was indeed confirmed in 1912 by the joint boundary commission, and on 17 February 1913 by Dutch and British negotiators. 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. The settlement was renamed from Tawao to Tawau. Most of those who fled from the Dutch colonisation continued trading with the Dutch. 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.
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 Kota Kinabalu. 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.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. 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. 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.Gavin Long: Australia in the War: The Final Campaigns (Army), Australian War Museum, Canberra, Page 495, 564Bob Reece: Masa Jepun, Sarawak Literary Society, 1998
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.Goodlet, Page 129
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). 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.
By mid-December 1963, Indonesian had sent a commando unit consisting of 128 volunteers and 35 regular soldiers to Sebatik. Their aim was to take Kalabakan, then invade Tawau and Sandakan. On 29 December 1963, the Indonesian unit attacked the 3rd Royal Malay Regiment unit. The Indonesians managed to throw several Hand grenade into the totally unprepared Malay Regiment's sleeping quarters. The attack resulted in eight Malay soldiers being killed and nineteen wounded. Malaysian armed police eventually drove the attackers north after a two-hour battle.
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. 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. On 28 June 1965, an attempt by Indonesian troops to invade eastern Sebatik was repelled by a heavy bombardment by Australian destroyer HMAS Yarra.Neil C. Smith (1999). 9781876179076, Mostly Unsung Military History Research and Publications. . ISBN 9781876179076 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. The confrontation largely ended 12 August 1966, and in December there was a complete ceasefire in Tawau.Goodlet, Page 167–172
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.
The town is administered by the Tawau Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran Tawau). , the President of Tawau Municipal Council is Pang Pick Lim or also known as Joseph Pang. The area under the jurisdiction of the Tawau District is the town area, surrounding populated area, of rural land and of adjacent sea area.
Almost 70% of the area surrounding Tawau is either high hills or mountainous. 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.
The only volcano in Malaysia is located in Tawau. The Bombalai Volcano contains a 300-meter crater that straddles to the south.
The population of Tawau is notably diverse, resembling major urban centres in the eastern coast of Kalimantan, such as Tarakan, Samarinda, and Balikpapan. The census reveals a melting pot of races and ethnicities, characterised by Exogamy among various ethnic group and nationalities.
In Tawau, the Malaysian Chinese community shares a historical narrative akin to their counterparts in other regions of Sabah. These are predominantly Hakka people, and their migration traces back to the British colonial era. Settling originally in agricultural zones around Apas Road, they have since become a prominent fixture in the town's fabric. Notably, intermarriages between Chinese and Kadazan-Dusun Muruts have fostered a distinctive Sino-Native community. Additionally, marriages between Chinese individuals and Toraja people from Indonesia, as well as Filipinos, are prevalent. Beyond the Sabahan Chinese, Tawau also attracts Chinese immigrants from Peninsula Malaysia, Sarawak, Indonesia and the Chinese Filipino into its fold, contributing to its vibrant multicultural landscape.
The majority of non-citizen inhabitants in Tawau adhere to Islam, with a significant minority belonging to the Christian faith. Among the Christian community, a sizeable proportion originates from Indonesia, mainly comprising ethnic Torajan people, Flores, , Chinese Indonesians, Dayak people Indonesian, and Filipinos of Visayan and Zamboangueño descent.
The Bugis language is also prevalent in Tawau due to a considerable population with Bugis ancestry. The main Bugis dialect spoken in the town is Bone, followed closely by Enrekang-Duri and other Bugis dialects.
Given that a significant portion of Tawau's Chinese population is Hakka Chinese, Hakka Chinese is commonly spoken. Additionally, Tawau Chinese also utilise other Chinese dialects such as Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew Min, Hainanese and other minority dialects.
The language of the east coast Bajau community bears resemblance to the Sama language in the Philippines and Kalimantan, with borrowed words from the Tausug language. Notably, the Bajau language on the east coast differs from the west coast Bajau, which has been influenced by Malayic languages from Brunei Malay. (1984). 9780858832978, Department of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. . ISBN 9780858832978
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. The Tawau marine zone are one of Sabah four marine zones, with the other been in Sandakan, Kudat and the west coast. A great variety of high-grade fishes and all kinds of crustaceans were found in abundance in the sea and waterways around Tawau. 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. (2006). 9789747946857, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. . ISBN 9789747946857
Regular bus services and Taxicabs 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. The short-distance services connect to destinations including as Sandakan and Semporna.
Before 2001, Tawau was served by an older airport located on North Street (Jalan Utara). The airport's first flight took place in September 1953. During the 1960s, it handled small aircraft such as the Fokker 27. In the 1980s, the runway was widened to accommodate Boeing 737s. In the early 1970s, the airport began receiving scheduled international flights operated by Bouraq Indonesia Airlines to Tarakan and Balikpapan, Indonesia. By the mid-1990s, international destinations expanded to include Makassar served by Merpati Nusantara Airlines.
The old airport experienced a fatal accident in 1995 when Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133, a Fokker 50, crashed due to pilot error during landing, resulting in 34 fatalities. Additionally, a Cessna 208 Caravan crashed on takeoff in 1995, and a MAS Boeing 737-400 skidded off the runway in 2001, though neither of these incidents caused fatalities. The old airport was closed when the new Tawau Airport opened.
The maritime route has also being used for smuggling subsidies goods from the town to certain parts in Indonesia, especially southern Sebatik Island, by Indonesian smugglers as this area is highly dependent on Tawau. 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.
Tawau has one public hospital, four public , three maternal and child health clinics, seven village clinics, one mobile clinic and two 1Malaysia clinics. 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. 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. Tawau Specialist Hospital is the only private hospital in the town. 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. Some schools, colleges, or universities have private libraries.
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. 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. A teacher-training college called Tawau Teacher Training Institute is found in the town. For tertiary education the town has the Tawau Community College and GIATMARA Tawau, and campuses of two universities, Universiti Teknologi MARA and Open University Malaysia.
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 from Tawau and is accessible by road. Bukit Gemok (also known as Fat Hill) is an approximately hill about from the town. It is part of the Bukit Gemok Forest Reserve, which was declared a Reserve forest in 1984. Tawau Harbour is used as a transit point to islands near the town including Sipadan Island, Mabul Island, Kapalai Island, Mataking Island, and Indonesian islands including southern Sebatik Island, Tarakan Island and Nunukan Island.
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. Sabindo Plaza was opened in January 1999 and is known as the first shopping centre built in Tawau. There is a market that runs alongside Dunlop Street. 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.
The town has a sport complex with badminton, tennis court, volleyball and basketball court courts, and two stadiums for hockey and football. 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. 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.
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