Crown Colony of Labuan

Crown Colony of Labuan
Pulau Labuan 纳闽
British colony
1848–1890 1904–1906 1906–1941 1945–1946
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Anthem God Save the King/Queen
Labuan today, in    Malaysia
Capital		Victoria
Languages		English Malay Chinese Indian
Government		Monarchy (1867–1946)
Monarch
•	1837–1901	Queen Victoria
•	1936–1952	George VI
First Governor
•	1847–1852	James Brooke
Historical era		British Empire
•	Establishment of the colony	1848
•	Transferred to North Borneo	1890
•	Incorporated into Straits Settlements	1906
•	Japanese occupation	1941
•	Labuan to North Borneo Crown	15 July 1946
•	Federation	16 September 1963
Area		91.64 km² (35 sq mi)
Currency		Straits dollar (to 1939) Malayan dollar (thereafter)
Preceded by Succeeded by Bruneian Empire North Borneo Straits Settlements Japanese occupation of British Borneo North Borneo Straits Settlements Japanese occupation of British Borneo Crown Colony of North Borneo
Today part of		Malaysia

Labuan, made up of the main Labuan Island and six smaller islands (Burung Island, Daat Island, Kuraman Island, Papan Island, Rusukan Kecil Island, and Rusukan Besar Island). Since 15th century, Labuan was part of Brunei and the island became the shelter for the ships from storms and pirate attacks. Later on in 1846, Labuan was ceded to Great Britain in 1848 to became a Crown colony under the Treaty of Labuan.

In 1890, it came to be administered by the British North Borneo Company. It was reverted to British government rule in 1904. Then, on 1 January 1907, it joined the Straits Settlements and had been administered from Singapore, the capital of the Straits Settlements.

During World War II, Labuan was occupied by Japan from December 1941 to June 1945 and governed as part of the Northern Borneo military unit by the Japanese 37th Army. Labuan was renamed Maida Island (Pulau Maida, 前田島 Maeda-shima) after Marquis Toshinari Maeda, the first commander of Japanese forces in northern Borneo. The liberation of Borneo began on 10 June 1945 when the Allied Forces under the command of General McArthur landed at Labuan with a convoy of 100 ships. The 9th Australian Division launched an attack supported by massive air and sea bombardments that resulted in the surrender of the Japanese. On 9 September 1945, General Masao Baba, commander of Japanese military, surrendered at the Layang-layang beach before Major General George F. Wooten, commander of Australian 9th Division. Labuan assumed its former name and was under British military administration along with the rest of the Straits Settlements, then joined to the Crown Colony of North Borneo, on 15 July 1946, which in turn became a part of Malaysia as the state of Sabah on 16 September 1963.

Labuan was later separated from Sabah, becoming a Federal Territory, administered by the federal government, on 16 April 1984.

Timeline

• 1500 Under Brunei Empire.
• 1846 Treaty of Labuan, officially became Crown colony to Great Britain.
• 1890 Incorporated into the territory of the British North Borneo Company which in 1881 had taken over land previously part of Brunei.
• 1906 The boundaries of the Straits Settlements were extended to include the Colony of Labuan.
• 1907 Became part of the Straits Settlements.
• 1946 Labuan returned to the Crown Colony of North Borneo.
• 1963 Became part of Sabah and Malaysia.
• 1984 Ceded to Federal Government by Sabah and made into Federal Territory.

External links

• Official Portal Labuan Co. http://www.pl.gov.my/history-of-labuan