Bintulu - History

History

Thereafter Bintulu played a very significant role in the history of democracy in Sarawak. On September 8, 1867, it became the first meeting place of the State Legislative Assembly, the Council Negeri.

The Brooke family had ruled Sarawak for about 100 years before it was occupied by the Japanese from 1941 to 1945. When Charles Vyner Brooke, the Rajah, returned to Sarawak in 1946, he took steps to hand Sarawak over to Britain. Thus in July, 1946, Sarawak became a British Crown Colony. Colonial rule lasted until July 22, 1963 and then on September 16, 1963 Sarawak joined the Federation of Malaysia.

Following the discovery of large reserves of natural gas offshore Bintulu in 1969, a feasibility study conducted in 1975 found in nearby Tanjung Kidurong a suitable site for Sarawak's first deep-water port.

Realising the industrial potential in Bintulu, the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) was established in 1978 by the State Government to undertake infrastructure development as well as to coordinate and promote industrial investment in the area.

The rapid urbanisation that Bintulu is facing has also led to the growth of the squatter's settlements and slums that surround the town's industrial area. The most notable is the slum area around the Sungai Plan area. The squatters' settlements are generally inhabited by the migrant workers who came from either the rural areas or the neighbouring countries (notably Indonesia). However, the local authority has made significant efforts in tackling this problem by building units of low-cost homes, the most notable being the RPR Kidurong low-cost housing development.