Labuan

Labuan is the main island of the Malaysian Federal Territory of Labuan. Labuan is best known as an offshore financial centre offering international financial and business services via Labuan IBFC since 1990 as well as a tourist destination for nearby Bruneians and scuba divers. The name Labuan derives from the Malay word labuhan meaning anchorage.

10 Dec 1846 Labuan Island ceded to Britain by Sultan of Brunei.
1 Aug 1848 British colony
1 Apr 1867 Crown colony
1 Jan 1890 Administered by British North Borneo (see Sabah).
1 Jan 1906 Labuan returns to British colonial administration.
30 Oct 1906 Labuan annexed to the Straits Settlements (see Singapore).
1912 Labuan a separate settlement within Straits Settlements.
3 Jan 1942 - 10 Jun 1945 Occupied by Japan (renamed Pulau Maida), part of Northern
Borneo (see Sabah).
10 Jun 1945 - 15 Jul 1946 Allied military administration (see under Sabah).
15 Jul 1946 Part of British North Borneo.
16 Sep 1963 British North Borneo joins Malaysia as Sabah
(with Labuan a district of Sabah).
16 Apr 1984 Labuan Federal territory.

Map of Labuan

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The Federal Territory of Labuan comprises Labuan Island (75 km²) and six other smaller islands (Pulau Burung, Pulau Daat, Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Papan, Pulau Rusukan Kecil, and Pulau Rusukan Besar), which have a combined total area of 92 km². The islands lie 8 km off the coast of Borneo, adjacent to the Malaysian state of Sabah and the independent state of Brunei Darussalam, on the northern edge of Brunei Bay facing the South China Sea. Labuan Island is mainly flat and undulating and the highest point is only 85 meters. Over 70% of the island is still covered with vegetation. Bandar Labuan, formerly known as Victoria, is the major town to Labuan Port Jetty,Labuan Airport and faces Brunei Bay.

History
Brunei Sultanate(prior to 1840)

Labuan was a part of the Brunei Sultanate.

British rule(1840-1941)
In the 1840s the previously-uninhabited island was proposed as a base for British operations against piracy in the South China Sea. The Sultan of Brunei ceded Labuan to Britain in 1846, and the island became a Crown Colony in 1848. The first White Rajah of Sarawak, James Brooke was appointed first commander-in-chief and Governor of the territory. In 1849 the Eastern Archipelago Company became the first of many companies trying to exploit its coal deposits and establish it as a coaling station for the China trade. It later became a station for the submarine cable between Singapore and Hong Kong.

It was made a part of North Borneo on 1 January 1890, then on 30 October 1906 joined to the Straits Settlements.

Japanese Occupation(1941-1945)
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.

Post War British(1945-1963)
The island was retaken by Australian forces in Operation Oboe Six, in June 1945. Labuan assumed its former name and was under British military administration (along with the rest of the Straits Settlements), then joined to British North Borneo, on 15 July 1946, which in turn became a part of Malaysia as the state of Sabah in 1963.

1984, Labuan become Federal Territory
In 1984, Labuan was ceded by Sabah to the federal government and made a federal territory. In 1990, it was declared an international offshore financial centre and free trade zone. The Labuan International Business and Financial Centre (Labuan IBFC) was created as Malaysia’s only offshore financial hub on October 1990 and was operating under the name of Labuan International Offshore Financial Centre (IOFC). At the time it was established to strengthen the contribution of financial services to the Gross National Products (GNP) of Malaysia as well as to develop the island and its surrounding vicinity. The jurisdiction, supervised by the Labuan Offshore Financial Services Authority or LOFSA, offers benefits such as 3% tax on net audited results or a flat rate of Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) 20,000 to trading companies; low operational costs; liberal exchange controls; and a host of other advantages including readily available, experienced and professional service providers.

Since its inception, the jurisdiction has expanded to become a base for more than 6,500 offshore companies and more than 300 licensed financial institutions including world leading banks. Labuan IBFC is embarking on an aggressive growth strategy to become the premier international business and financial centre in the Asia Pacific region.

Labuan's business focus is on five core areas: offshore holding companies, captive insurance, Shariah-compliant Islamic Finance structures, public and private funds and wealth management. Labuan IBFC’s position is further enhanced by the launch of the Malaysian International Islamic Finance Centre initiative in August 2006.


Governors

27 Nov 1847 - Nov 1852 James Brooke (b. 1803 - d. 1868)
(from 27 Apr 1848, Sir James Brooke)
1852 - 1856 Spenser St. John (b. 1825 - d. 1910)

Lieutenant governors (acting for the governors)
1848 - 1850 William Napier
1850 - 1856 John Scott (b. 1814 - d. 1898)

Governors
1856 - 1861 George Warren Edwards
1861 - 1866 Jeremiah Thomas Fitzgerald (b. c.1830 - d. 1881)
Callaghan
1866 - 1867 Hugh Low (b. 1824 - d. 1905)
1867 - 1871 John Pope Hennessy (b. 1834 - d. 1891)
1871 - 1875 Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer (b. 1836 - d. 1914)
9 Aug 1875 - 1879 Herbert Taylor Ussher (b. 1836 - d. 1880)
1879 - 1881 Charles Cameron Lees (b. 1837 - d. 1898)
1881 - 1888 Peter Leys
1888 - 1890 Arthur Shirley Hamilton
1890 - 1906 the governors of North Borneo
1906 - 1946 the governors of the Straits Settlements

Deputy governors
1906 - 1946 the British Residents in Brunei

British Residents (to 1915 also in Brunei)
1907 - May 1907 Malcolm Stewart Hannibal McArthur (b. 1872 - d. 1934)
(1st time)
May 1907 - Dec 1907 Harvey Chevallier (1st time)
Dec 1907 - Apr 1908 Malcolm Stewart Hannibal McArthur (s.a.)
(2nd time)
Apr 1908 - Sep 1909 John Fortescue Owen
Nov 1909 - Nov 1913 Harvey Chevallier (2nd time)
Nov 1913 - Jan 1915 Francis William Douglas (acting) (b. 1874 - d. 1953)
1915 - 1917 ....
Feb 1917 - 1918 Geoffrey Edmund Cator (b. 1884 - d. 1973)
1918 - 1927 ....
1927 - 1928? John Richard Neave
1928 - 1929 Andrew Gilmour (b. 1898 - d. 19..)
1929 - 1934 ....
1934 - 1936 A.D. York (b. 1907)
1936 - 1940 ....
1940 - 3 Jan 1942 A.H.P. Humphrey (b. 1911)

Japanese commanders
3 Jan 1942 - Mar 1945 ....
Mar 1945 - 10 Jun 1945 Hichiro Okuyama

British Residents
1945 - 194. ....
194. James Calder
1948? - 1956? J.E. Longfield (b. 1908)

British Advisers
1956? - 1963 ....

Presidents of the Municipal Council
1963 - 1984 ....
bf.1984 - 1992 Datuk Abdul Rahman Ali

Chairmen of the Labuan Development Authority
1 Aug 1992 - 30 Jun 2000 Tun Daim Zainuddin (b. 1938)
1 Jul 2000 - 2001 Datuk Mustapa Mohamed (b. 1950)

Chief administrators
1994? - Feb 1997 Datuk Nawawi Kamaruddin (b. 1943?)
Feb 1997 - Feb 1999 Dato' Baseri Lamsah (b. 1948)
Feb 1999 - Feb 2000 Datuk Muhammad Mohd Noor
Apr 2000 - 30 Jun 2001 Datuk Mohd Noor Moktar (b. 1948?)

Chairmen of Labuan Corporation
1 Jul 2001 - 2003 Dato' Othman Mohd Rijal (b. 1945) UMNO
Apr 2003 - 31 May 2009 Dato' Suhaili Abdul Rahman (b. 1961) UMNO/BN
1 Jun 2009 - 30 Jun 2009 Datuk Yusof Mahal (acting)
1 Jul 2009 - Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib (b. 1955?)