Miri History

The "Sleepy Fishing Village"

Back in 1800s, Miri was just a sleepy fishing village of a few families trading occasionally with passing ships until the discovery of oil on Canada Hill in 1910. Canada Hill, especially the area around well Miri-1, has a significant place in the history of modern Miri. This is where the oil industry in the State started, with the successful drilling of well Miri-1 in December 1910. The growth of the oil industry has helped to transform Miri from a small fishing village at the turn of the century into a modern and prosperous town today. The first derrick constructed was affectionately called 'The Grand Old Lady' and produced oil for 62 years. As the first oil town in Malaysia, this discovery has put Miri on the road to progress.


The World War II

Realizing that war was imminent, the Brooke Government, under Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, conducted preliminary work to establish airstrips at selected locations throughout the country. These airstrips would be located at Kuching, Oya, Mukah, Bintulu, and Miri.

With no air or sea forces stationed in or around Sarawak, the British government encouraged the Brooke Regime to adopt a "scorched earth policy" in the event of a Japanese attack. Later, it was proposed to develop a Denial Scheme. Denial Schemes were in place to destroy the oil installations at Miri and Lutong.

The oilfields in British Borneo lay in two groups:

One of the Battle Ship involve during the war
one at Miri close to the northern boundary of Sarawak, and the other thirty-two miles north, at Seria in the State of Brunei. The crude oil was pumped from both fields to a refinery at Lutong on the coast, from which loading lines ran out to sea. Landings were possible all along the thirty miles of beach between Miri and Lutong and there was, with the forces available, no possibility of defending the oilfields against determined attacks. Plans had therefore been made for the destruction of the oil installations.

In December 1940 a company of 2/15th Punjab was sent to Miri for the protection of the demolition parties, and in May 1941 the rest of 2/15th Punjab was sent there to provide a garrison. This lone battalion consisted of approximately 1,050 soldiers under the command of Major C.M. Lane. These troops were entrusted with the destruction of Miri Oil Fields. It was to be known as the Miri Detachment.

In December 1941, The Brooke Government which had already heard of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (on 7 December 1941) quickly ordered the complete and total destruction of the oil fields and airfields at Miri and Seria. Orders for the demolition of the refinery at Lutong and the denial of the oilwells reached the officer commanding at Miri on the morning of the 8th December, and by the evening of the same day the task was completed.

On the 19th December 1941 the Dutch flying boat X-32 from Tarakan Island sank the Japanese destroyer Shinonome (Cdr. Hiroshi Sasagawa) of 1,950 tons off Miri, while another flying boat X-33 damaged a transport ship. The destroyer could not take the pounding and went down with her entire crew of 228 officers and men.

Miri, a town in Sarawak located in northern Borneo, fell to 2,500 Japanese invaders on 17 Dec 1941, after two days of fighting. The small garrison of Dutch troops was no match for the Japanese.


The Oil Town

The successful discovery of offshore oil in the 1970s triggered a fresh development boom in Miri; luxury hotels were built, more houses constructed and new shopping centres and industrial estates established. Miri ranked as the second most important commercial town in Sarawak after Sibu town.

The earliest officially recorded oil find in Malaysia was made in July 1882 by the British Resident of the Baram district in Sarawak. The oil was used by the local residents for medicinal purposes and later for lighting lamps and waterproofing boats. Commercial exploitation only began in 1910 when the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company, the forerunner of the present Sarawak Shell which was granted the sole right to explore for petroleum in Sarawak, struck oil in the town of Miri, marking the start of the Malaysian petroleum industry. The Miri success encouraged further attempts to discover other onshore fields. However, only traces of petroleum were found, and these were not large enough to justify drilling activities.

Consequently, by the 1950s, attention turned to the seas. This was made possible by new improvements in offshore petroleum technology. Marine seismic surveys were carried out for the first time in Sarawak in 1954. The shift offshore began to show results in 1962 with the discovery of oil in two areas offshore Sarawak. Other finds followed in rapid succession.

Original Source: MiriCity.com.my