Limbang - Sin City

Quite interestingly the topic of Limbang and Brunei has been much talked about these few days. The headline being Brunei no longer wanting to "claim" Limbang as part of their sultanate.

Today, the NST wrote a little bit about history of Limbang, how accurate or exaggerated I have no idea.

THE sleepy hamlet of Limbang, tucked between the northernmost part of Sara-wak and Brunei, was once Borneo's "Sin City".
During the timber boom from the 1970s to 1990s, Limbang was notorious for drugs, gambling, prostitution and alcohol.

Now, timber has given way to oil palm plantations.

Income from small- and me-dium-scale enterprises form a major source of income for Limbang residents.

For decades, Brunei citizens endured a two-hour drive to Limbang and nearby Lawas for cheap shopping and entertainment during weekends. In the outskirts of Limbang and the division of the same name, cash crops such as rice are the major source of income for rural folk.

Many Iban residents live in the town, while Bisaya and Lun Bawang tribes live on the outskirts. There are also nomad-ic Penans who live in the forest.

The peculiar geography of Limbang town was created in 1890 when the White Rajahs of Sarawak forced the sultan of Brunei to cede Limbang district.

Limbang, a 3,978 sq km area between Brunei and Sarawak, was annexed in 1890 under the rule of Rajah Charles Brooke. More

Now, I've been in Limbang for nearly 2/3 of my life. Never have I thought Limbang is sich a "sinful" place. In fact, I think most "gangsters" in Limbang aren't gangsters. They are just following footsteps of their counterparts in Miri, Sibu, etc.

Sure there're alcohols, smuggling, prostitution, drugs, etc but come on, tell me a place in the world with a population over 50,0000 that doesn't have that? All these have been encouraged by corruptions and greed from the authorities.

With its' strategic location on the border, it helps with smuggling especially Brunei Dollar is more than double the value of Ringgit Malaysia.

Sometimes we often see people just carrying boxes of alcohols around the border checkpoint in open daylight! Nobody seems to care or mind. It's just a part and parcel of border life as far as they're concerned.

What I see is not a sin city in Limbang, rather a wasted opportunity for a great town in Limbang. Geographically, the town runs along the cleanest river in Malaysia (Limbang River), watch over by a mighty hill (Bukit Mas - haven't heard of land slides before!) and best of all, surrounded by a different country.
The rather lack of vision or incompetent leaders of BN has wasted a good opportunity Limbang has. Up to today, Limbang is just another small town, seriously underdeveloped and under poor planning.

If I am rich, I would have invested lots of money in it to make it Paradise. Sin City? I don't think so.

My 2 cents :)