Tampin

Tampin　(Jawi script: تمڤين; Cantonese: 淡边) is both a town and a district in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, however part of the town spills over into the neighbouring state of Malacca, as it is located along the Malacca-Negeri Sembilan border. The district covers 129.49 square kilometres (50.00 sq mi) and is further divided into four adat socio-political provinces; Repah, Keru, Tebong and Tampin Tengah.

History and etymology

Tampin gets its name from the container or pouch weaved from the pandanus fronds. The container was used to store condiments such as the kelamai or dodol and the shrimp paste belacan. The district of Tampin is also called Luak Tampin as the word luak is the local term for district.

Tampin was originally governed by the Rembau administration. After the Naning War in 1832Raja Ali declared himself the ruler of Seri Menanti and his son-in-law, Syed Shaaban, as the ruler of Rembau. This enraged other rulers of Negeri Sembilan as they had no right to the posts. In 1834 a civil war ensued, which resulted in Raja Ali and Syed Shaaban retreating to Tampin and the area from Mount Tampin to Putus Hill being removed from Rembau^[1]. This area consisting of the provinces Repah, Keru, Tebong and Tampin Tengah formed the district known as Tampin. Syed Shaaban became the first ruler of Tampin and proclaimed himself the title Tunku Besar Tampin. The district is one of the original nine states collectively known as Negeri Sembilan, which means "Nine States" in Malay.

On 11 March 1889, the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Cecil Smith, held a meeting with the rulers of Jelebu, Sungai Ujong, Rembau, Seri Menanti and Tampin. The purpose of this meeting was to combine the districts to better manage them under British rule. Tampin, Rembau and Seri Menanti agreed to the proposal and were united as the Seri Menanti Confederation. The newly formed confederation accepted Martin Lister as its first British Resident^[5].

After the independence of Malaya in 1957, Negeri Sembilan and its districts started forming local administrative councils. Formerly known as the Tampin Town Board, the Tampin District Council was established on July 1, 1980 as a result from a restructure of the state via the Local Government Act of 1976.

[edit]Transportation

Tampin is well served by the Malaysian transportation system. It is connected to both North-South Expressway/Exit Alor Gajah/Simpang Ampat, Malacca) and the West Malaysian railways system. In fact, Gemas which is part of Tampin district, is the meeting point of West Malaysia's eastern and western railway lines. The Pulau Sebang/Tampin railway station is in Pulau Sebang, which is on the Malaccan side, about 1 kilometer from the town centre. Furthermore, since Malacca Town does not have a railway station, people living in Malacca normally have to travel to Tampin/Pulau Sebang Railway Station in order to get on a train. There was a track from Pulau Sebang to Melaka before World War II but it was dismantled by the Japanese during the war for the construction of the infamous Burmese Death Railway.

[edit]Administration

The signboard indicates the state boundary between Negeri Sembilan andMalacca in Tampin.

The Negeri Sembilan side of the town is governed by the Tampin District Council, while the Malacca side of the town is governed by the Alor Gajah District Council.

The district of Tampin is divided into 3 mukims namely Repah, Gemencheh and Gemas.

Jelebu

Jelebu ( Chinese: 日叻务; pinyin: Rì Lè Wù ) is second largest districts in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia after Jempol, consisting more than 40,000 in population. Jelebu borders with the Seremban district, Jempol district, Kuala Pilah district, Pahang and Selangor. Jelebu is a suburban district with blossoming semi-agricultural industry.

Jelebu has an infamous recorded history of British and Japanese colonization as compared to other parts of Negeri Sembilan. Numerous priceless colonial artifacts were discovered in the small semi-agricultural town of Sungai Muntoh, which was a once-booming mining town a century ago. These artifacts are now displayed in the state museum. Titi and neighbouring Sungai Muntoh were the most developed towns of all mining sites in Jelebu. The booming tin industry was one of the main reasons of the massacre in Titi, where more than 1,500 people (mainly Chinese) were killed. Altogether, there were about 5,000 people killed under the Japanese-led army during World War II.

Jelebu has the warmest climate in recorded Malaysian history. The southwestern part of Jelebu is arguably the driest place in Malaysia.

However, in the morning the temperatures are quite low and visibility is moderate due to the foggy climate.

The rubber and the mining business made Malaya one of the richest in natural resources during the British colonial period. Jelebu was one of the districts that produced some of the world's best quality rubber and steel. Pineapple production there is ranked one of the top in Peninsular Malaysia. For some unknown reasons, Jelebu is home to some of the state's biggest and most advanced rehabilitation centers.

Jempol

Jempol is the largest district in the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. The district borders another Malaysian state of Pahang to the northeast. Bandar Seri Jempol and Bahau are the principal towns in Jempol.

Jempol is also the meeting point of Muar and Serting Rivers. The meeting point had played an important transportation role in ancient times. Known historically as Desa Penarikan, it connected trade posts west of the Malay Peninsula with population centers in the east coast and vice versa.

[edit]Hospital

Jempol is equipped with a hospital which is being funded by the Malaysian Ministry of Health. The hospital is the main health care provider in Jempol and its surrounding areas including Serting and Bahau. Residents of Rompin and other nearby areas in Pahang that used to utilize a hospital in Kuala Pilah are now visiting Jempol's hospital. Bahau is 39 km away from Kuala Pilah.

Kuala Pilah

Kuala Pilah is a town and district in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Commonly called Pilah by the mainly Malay Minangkabau inhabitants, it is also the name of a district. It is an old valley town with many of the pre-war Chinese shophouses still fronting the main streets surrounded by traditional style Malay village houses built on stilts nestled amongst extensive rice fields. Among the local specialities are Minangkabau food.

Kuala Pilah town itself is a main stopover for transport routes. It has a sizeable Chinese community that has existed since the mining days during the early British rule.

Kuala Pilah main road

On the main road is a Chinese-styled arch dedicated to Martin Lister who was the first British Resident of Negeri Sembilan, commemorating his effort in ending the intermittent violent conflict between Chinese secret societies then rampant amongst the migrant Chinese populace. Lister was killed by his enemies in the nearby hills at Ulu Bedul. The old Kuala Pilah Resthouse was a government built resthouse during the British occupation. In the early years, resthouses were the only available hotels and where everyone from businessmen to travellers stayed.