Lahad Datu
| Lahad Datu | |
|---|---|
| District and Town | |
A view of Lahad Datu town.
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 Lahad Datu
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| Coordinates: 5°1′48″N 118°20′24″E / 5.03000°N 118.34000°E | |
| Country |
 Malaysia |
| State |
 Sabah |
| Division | Tawau |
| Government | |
| • Body | Lahad Datu District Council |
| • District Officer | Iman Ali |
| Area | |
| • Land | 6,501 km2 (2,510 sq mi) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 199,830 |
| Time zone | Malaysia Standard Time (UTC+8) |
| Area code(s) | 089 |
| Website | www.sabah.gov.my/pd.ld |
Lahad Datu is a town and district located in Tawau Division, in the east of Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. It occupies the peninsula on the north side of Darvel Bay. Its population was estimated to be around 199,830 in 2010. Lahad Datu is surrounded by stretches of cocoa and oil palm plantations. It is also an important timber exporting port. The town has an airport for domestic flights.
A settlement is believed to have existed here in the 15th century, as excavations have unearthed Ming dynasty Chinese ceramics. Just east of Lahad Datu is the village of Tunku, a notorious base for pirates and slave traders in the 19th century.
Based on a jawi manuscript in the Idahan language dated 1408 A.D, it is believed that Islam was first introduced to Malaysia in Sabah. The jawi manuscript gives an account of an Ida'an man named Abdullah in Darvel Bay who embraced Islam.
On 23 September 1985, 15-20 armed foreign pirates landed on this town, killing at least 21 people and injuring 11 others.
On 11 February 2013, several armed Filipino supporters of the Sultanate of Sulu, calling themselves the Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, arrived in Lahad Datu district and occupied the village of Tanduo. They were sent by Jamalul Kiram III, a claimant to the throne of the sultanate. His stated goal is to assert the Philippine territorial claim to eastern Sabah as part of the North Borneo dispute. In response, Malaysian security forces surrounded the village.
After several negotiations with the group, and by the Philippine and Malaysian governments to reach a peaceful solution were unsuccessful, the standoff escalated into an armed conflict which ends with 56 followers of the self-proclaimed Sultanate dead and the others captured by the Malaysian authorities. The Malaysian side also suffers 10 life lost because of the conflict with most of them are the security forces including other six civilians.
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Wikipedia