Viceroy Pengiran Mahkota had deliberately allowed the Saribas to
carry out the raids on the local folk as a form of “punishment”
because they had refused to be force to work for him at the antimony
mines.
Immediately after the attack, the desperate Sarawak Malay chiefs sent
an emissary to Batavia (Java) to plead for assistance and protection.
When help was not forth-coming, the Sarawak Malays “proclaimed their
independence” from Brunei and carried out a struggle against the
Sultanate blaming Pengiran Makhota who had “driven the Sarawak Malays,
as well as the Land Dayaks (Bidayuh), into open revolt.” (A History of
Sarawak Under Its Two White Rajahs (1839-1908).
It was because of Pengiran Mahkota’s dispicable conduct that the
Sultan had sent his nephew—a sophisticated, gracious and courtly
member of the Royalty--the Crown Prince “Raja Muda” Hassim (also
Hasim) to pacify the local population son after the sacking of
Katupong.
Try as he did, Raja Muda Hassim was unable quell the rebellion.
It was with this in mind that “Raja Muda” Hassim encouraged Brooke to
assist him and look into reasons behind the rebellion. Hopeful that
there was nothing to lose, Brooke who had heard all about the
so-called “blood thirsty” Sea Dayaks, decided to take a short trip up
the Sadong River in his ship the “Royalist” where he met the powerful
Arab-Malay chief Sharif Sahap.
On his way back to Kuching, Brooke experienced his first skirmish with
the Saribas warriors when one of the pilot boats leading the
“Royalist” was attacked. The skipper of the pilot boat “Panglima
Rajah” and a four of their crew were injured. Brooke waited until the
injured men had recovered in Kuching, before finally leaving for
Singapore.
On August 18, 1840 Brooke decided to stop in Kuching while on his way
Manila and China. On meeting the Raja Muda, he was told that the Malay
rebels were still defiant and despite the fact that some of the
starving communities such as the “Land Dayaks” (Bidayuh) had agreed to
stop fighting against the Sultanate.
A distraught Hasim appealed to Brooke for help, and Brooke
reluctantly agreed to lead an expedition comprising Brunei regulars to
Siniawan (further up from Lida Tanah) where the rebels had decided to
make their stand at Belidah.
The journey was delayed over the nest few days because Pengrian
Mahkota refused to co-operate with Brooke. Eventually, Brooke with 10
of his English crew with their ship fitted with two guns joined the
Brunei force comprising a mixed group of Malays, Dayaks and Chinese on
his first major expedition against the Siniawan Malays of Sarawak.
Brooke’s Peace Talks with the Siniawan Malays
Following several unsuccessful encounters and bombardment the area,
one of the rebel leaders Sherip Mat Hussein arranged to peace talks
with Brooke. They agreed that if Brooke was declared “Rajah” and among
other things asked if he could persuade Viceroy to restrain Pengiran
Mahkota’s men from oppressing the locals, they would agree to end the
insurgency. A peace deal was bartered.
Brooke returned to Kuching and after some difficulty, managed to
persuade Hasim to spare the lives of the rebels. However, over 100
wives and children of the principle chiefs were taken as “hostages”
just in case the rebels reneged on their promise.
Despite Raja Muda Hassim’s pledge to keep his promise, Pengiran
Mahkota devised a plan to teach the Siniawans a lesson. He
deliberately invited 2,500 Skrang Iban Dayaks to travel up the Sarawak
River to “massacre” the Malays, Land Dayaks and Chinese who were
working in the antimony and gold mines in the area.
Brooke was furious when the war party arrived in Kuching and prepared
to travel upriver. He suspected that Hassim could also have been
involved in the plan, and immediately prepared his men in the Royalist
and Swift to prevent the attack. Raja Muda Hassim denied any knowledge
of the so-called plan to unleash the warriors on the local population.
“He (Hasim) threw the blame on Makota, and, yielding to Brooke’s
insistence, sent a messenger upriver to recall it,--a command that
could not be disobeyed, as Brooke held command of the route by which
they must return. Sulkily and resentfully did the Sekerang Dayaks
return, without heads and without plunder.” (A History of Sarawak
Under the two white Rajahs)
After several weeks, Brooke left Kuching satisfied with his
achievements and accepted the Raja Muda’s offer of “the country of
Siniawan and Sarawak (as far as the Sadong River). He returned to
Borneo a year later and after formal meetings with the Sultan of
Brunei, Sarawak was ceded to Brooke on September 24, 1841 for the
annual fee of 500 British pounds sterling.
Thus began Brooke rule and an era of battles, expeditions and wars in
Sarawak. And to ensure that his keep his enemies at bay, Brooke built
a series of forts--the first was at Belidah which had been established
by the Malays to defend their position in 1840.
Over the next 100 years James and his two other White Rajahs
established nearly 30 forts at strategic locations on the major rivers
of Sarawak and its tributaries namely the Batang Lupar, Batang Rajang,
Baram, Limbang and Lawas rivers.
During a visit to Singapore Brooke met Sir Henry Keppel, commander of
the HMS Dido in Singapore. Impressed with Brooke’s determination to
wipe out all forms of piracy and headhunting, Admiral Keppel arrived
in Kuching in 1843 to assist Brooke in his first mission--to punish
the troublesome Saribas with some measure of success.
Sir Henry Keppel’s Expedition
A later in July 30, 1844 Keppel returned in the HMS Dido for his
second major expedition against the pirates. On board was Charles
Brooke, the 15-year-old “midshipman” and nephew of James Brooke.
It was the first time Charles saw action against the pirates during
the battle against Sharif Sahab’s (also Sahap) forces at Patusan, a
tributary of the Bating Lupar river. During a fire-fight, Charles
narrowly escaped death when Captain John Ellis, standing close to him,
was cut down by cannon shot while in the process of loading a
cartridge in the bow-gun of the ship “Jolly Batchelor”.
HMS Dido’s three-week expedition was bloody affair. As the fleet moved
upriver, another senior officer Lieutenant Charles Frederick Wade was
killed by two musket shots while pursing a band of rebels across a
small open space during a raid on the Undup River area
Datuk Patinggi Ali of Siniawan
On August 19 one of Brooke’s top Malay leaders Datu Patinggi Ali from
Siniawan and George Stewart, a Merchant, were killed while leading an
advance party along the Skrang river towards Karangan Peris.
Apparently the group had spotted the enemy and chased them around a
narrow pass only to find them six large war boats called “Bangkong” with 100
warriors each and their retreat cut off by a bamboo raft which had
been launched across the river.
In the ensuing battle the Saribas warriors swamped Ali’s boat
decapitating him and Steward and all but one of the 17-man crew. A
total of 31 Brooke soldiers were killed and 56 injured in the Battle
of Karangan Peris.
Thirteen years later Patinggi Ali’s son the Datuk Bandar of
Kuching in an act of great courage, led an armed force and took over a
Chinese garrison at Lidah Tanah during the Chinese insurrection.
As the battle progressed Captain Sir Edward Belcher arrived in the
Samarang and continued to bombard the enemy encampments into
surrender. Sharip Sahap fled across the border to Dutch Borneo while
Pengiran Mahkota, one of the provocaters, was captured. He was
subsequently released by the Sultan of Brunei.
A year later Mahkota as
involved in the mass murders of Raja Muda Hasim and nearly all his
brother in Brunei.
