Long Banga

Long Banga is a rural village located in Marudi District, Sarawak, Malaysia.[1][2] It lies approximately 589.6 kilometres (366 mi) east-north-east of the state capital Kuching. The name of "Long Banga" originated from a small river near the site of the village.

Long Banga
Long Banga is located in Borneo
Long Banga
Long Banga
Coordinates: 3.2°N 115.38333°E / 3.2; 115.38333
Country Malaysia
State Sarawak
Administrative DivisionMarudi
Elevation
1,298 m (4,259 ft)

History

The village is said to date back to about 1900 and was founded by a group of saban people, though some dispute this account.[3] They converted from pagan beliefs to Christianity in the 1960s.[4]

The village was used as a base by the Allied Army during the Confrontation in the mid-1960s.[4]

The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Najib visited Long Banga on 22 July 2010 and announced a long-overdue road, a mini dam and a mobile medical clinic,[4] as well as a plan to survey native lands to give indigenous people ownership of their ancestral territory.[5]

Geography

Kampung Long Banga is actually two villages: one is predominantly Saban people and the other is Kenyah Leppo' Ke people.[6] The village is located quite close to the international border (Batu Kallong) between Indonesian Kalimantan and Sarawak. The area is on the upper reaches of the Baram River. The village is about one hour walk from Long Peluan and two day walk from Lio Matoh.[7]

Neighbouring settlements

Neighbouring settlements include:

Transportation

Before the mid 1980s travel to the village was predominantly by river, but in the late 1980s and early 1990s, this isolated place could be reached by small aircraft like the DHC-6 Twin Otter and helicopter. Now it is also accessible by timber or logging road from Merawa Camp.[8] There are also scheduled flights by Malaysia Airlines to Miri and Marudi.[7]

Infrastructure

Currently, the village has one primary school (SK Long Banga), a clinic, an airport (Long Banga Airport) and a church.[9]

References
  1. M. Mohizah, S. Julia and W. K. Soh (2006). A Sarawak Gazetteer (PDF). Kuala Lumpur: Sarawak Forestry Department Malaysia and Forest Research Institute Malaysia. ISBN 983-2181-86-0. OCLC 85818866. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  2. "Long Banga, Malaysia". Geonames. 1994-02-10. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  3. Kelvin Egay (2010-01-25). "Re-Situating the Sa'ban Ethnography: A Reflection on the Notion of Representation" (PDF). Akademika 77: 142. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  4. "LongBanga: Kampung Long Banga Not Forgotten - A tribute to Malaysian PM". 2011-02-19. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  5. M Jegathesan (10 August 2010). "Winds of political change blow through Sarawak". Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  6. Cecilia Lawing (2011-02-21). "Mararian Leppo' Ke, Long Banga". Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  7. Charles de Ledesma; Mark Lewis; Pauline Savage (28 October 2003). Rough guide to Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei. Rough Guides. pp. 500–. ISBN 978-1-84353-094-7. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  8. "Telang Usan: The Baram River of Sarawak". 2011-02-08. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
  9. "Telang Usan: Long Banga, Upper Baram". 2011-03-05. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
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