Early History of Tawau
courtesy of Mr Frederick Lo, Tawau

Tawau is situated at the south eastern tip of Sabah facing the Celebes Sea to the south and Kalimantan Indonesia to the southwest. So far, we know very little of its history prior to 1890. Perhaps, with the exception of rare collections in the archives of the governments and institutions of higher learning, records on Tawau is not easily available to the public. Some senior inhabitants may give some accounts and impressions of both the pre-war and post war events, albeit at times conflicting. The following accounts are gathered from several sources.

Steps were taken to establish the rudiment of local government by the British North Borneo (Chartered) Company (North Borneo Annual Volume 1955-1965 recorded that the Tawau was founded in 1898). Land leases were alienated by the Administration.

Since Tawau is situated close to the boundary with Indonesia, it is noteworthy to mention here that the Sebatik boundary is in latitude 4'10'N which was delimited in 1912 by a Boundary Commission comprising of officials from United Kingdom and Netherlands. A joint report was prepared together with a map and duly signed by their respective commissioners in Tawau on 17 February 1913. By protocol between the U.K. and the Netherlands signed in London on 28 September 1915, the two governments confirmed the joint report and the map.

In early 1890s, its population was about 200 comprising mainly immigrants from Balungan and Tawi-Tawi who had fled from Dutch rule in Kalimantan Borneo. This small village maintained trade with the Dutch. In February 1893, the vessel 'Normanhurst' sailed into Tawau (or Tawao as it was then known) for the first time with a full cargo to berter for rattan, raisins and rubber. It was in 1898 a settlement was then established and Chinese immigrants begun to settle in Tawau.