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Regatta Lepa 2008
 The Annual Water Festival of the Sea Gypsy in Sabah

18 - 20 April 2008 Semporna

THE 15th Regatta Lepa 2008 water festival was held at Semporna Town from April 18 to 20.
 

LEPA boat has been a significant part of the Bajau fishermen. They are not merely a fishing community, they are among the most skillful boat builders in Asia. Each April,  Semporna Town celebrates the Water Festival of Regatta Lepa. A time when we can see, from land, the beautifully Lepas and the legendry people who made these boats....

More about Lepa ...
Tan Sri Lau Gek Poh, Well-known philanthropist and industrialist, passed away in Kuala Lumpur on 4th April 2008.

Lau Gek Poh, who hailed from Tawau, died of old age of 92 at  Kuala Lumpur General Hospital and his body is expected to arrive in Tawau, Saturday, for burial on 14th April 2008

Lau' is the founder of Hap Seng Group of Companies which mainly involved in the timber business in 1970s and with his vision, Hap Seng company soon branched into other fields such as property development and agriculture.

His success in business did not made him forget society as he donated generously to schools, religious bodies and victims of tragedies, both locally and abroad.   More about Lau Gek Poh...

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  Welcome to Tawau Division

Welcome to Tawau, the land of eco-treasures.  Tawau changed so much for the last 10 years. Today its no longer a clutch of old tin roofed shop houses but a bustling modern city-to-be.

The Tawau Division area covers 15,213 Squares Kilometers consisting of four districts in the south-eastern part of Sabah.  These districts are :-

Tawau  - 6,125 Sq. Km
Lahad Datu - 6,500. Sq Km
Kunak  - 1,144 Sq. Km
Semporna  - 1,444 Sq. Km

Tawau lies on the northeastern shore of Cowie Harbor, which is an inlet of the Celebes Sea. Once notorious for smuggling with the Philippines and neighboring Kalimantan, the town is now the administrative and service centre for a developing agricultural district of rubber, cocoa, oil palm, and seafoods. Since 2000 Tawau has an international airport, this sleepy town is sleepy no more...

Semporna is a quiet small town in Tawau Division with a population of only 133,000 in 2006. Most Malaysian do not even know such a town, yet Semporna is a well known name in the diving world of the western countries....

Tawau is located in the south-east coast of Sabah and the gateway to BIMP-EAGA, and hence is able to derive tremendous amount of economic benefits. With a new airport, seaport and good communication infrastructure, Tawau is now set to become Sabah's fastest growing town after Kota Kinabalu.

Here you will witness businesses growing, Industries and  agriculture developing. The largest township development in Sabah is in Tawau's Bandar Sri Indah.

You also see cultural life of the local people is enriching. Here you meet some of the friendliest, warmest people in Malaysia - and join in their colorful festivals,  traditions and believe that will take you back centuries.

If you yearn for the exhilarating sense of adventure, Tawau is a place for jungle trekking, or deep sea diving or you can of course tee off in the best in Asia championship golf course.

The "Lost World of Sabah" is only 200km from Tawau. In this town you experience the wonders of eco-treasures in well preserved original tropical rain forests. In January 2007, American scientists measured The world tallest tropical tree in Tawau. This giant tree together with 5 other giants hit the list of Top 30 tallest trees of the World, making Tawau the home town of tallest trees in this planet.

Ecotourism is travel with ethics...

More about Tawau Division - including Tawau Town, Semporna, Kunak and Lahad Datu

Travel to Tawau : http://wikitravel.org/en/Tawau

  Getting to Tawau

By Air to Tawau

1. From Kuala Lumpur :

Air Asia flies direct to Tawau daily www.airasia.com
Malaysia Airlines flies to Kota Kinabalu with connecting flights to Tawau daily www.malaysia-airlines.com

2. From Kota Kinabalu :

Malaysia Airlines flies from KK to Tawau daily www.malaysia-airlines.com

3. From Singapore :

Malaysia Airlines flies to Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday  www.malaysia-airlines.com
SilkAir flies to Kota Kinabalu on Monday and Friday ; www.silkair.com

By Land to Tawau :
 Your journey will start from Kota Kinabalu. First, take the East-West Highway from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan. Next, turn to the East Coast Highway which links Tawau and Sandakan. For public transport from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau, you can either take an 8 hours express bus or by 45 minutes plane. On the long journey you can see a lot of things and great sceneries including the Mount Kinabalu.


 Tawau MAS Office:
Ground and First Floor, TB 319 Block 38,
Jalan Hj Sahabudin, Fajar Complex, Town Extension II,
P.O Box 547, 91008 Tawau, Sabah Malaysia

Air Asia, which fly directly from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, KLIA and Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru takes about 2 hrs and 30 mins.

Long-distance buses terminate at Sabindu bus station on the eastern end of Jalan Dunlop (which runs parallel to the shore), opposit the state library.  Here you also find landcruisers to Keningau. There's a bus to Sandakan (6hr) and KK (12hr) at around 8am and another at 8pm.

The Short-distance minibus station : Previousely this station was in Jalan Stephen Tan.

The Local minibus station : Serving minis bus services to nearby plantaations such as Apas and Merotai

More...

  Places of interest in Tawau, Semporna, Kunak and Lahad Datu

  Accommodation in Tawau

There are plenty of accommodation to choose during your visit to Tawau. Ranging from the backpackers up to 3 star hotels, you may select the most suitable accommodation according to your budget. List of hotel is available at our Accommodation list.

To meet the increasing number of visitors to Tawau, several new hotels buildings have added to the sky line of Tawau and the 3 newest hotels due to declare open in 2008 is the MAY BLOSSOM HOTEL, KINGSTON EXECUTIVE HOTEL and the tallest EASTERN HOTEL.

 

  Tawau City Planing

Malaysia city plan - Development Plans by Town and Regional Planning Department, Sabah :

  Adopted by CTCPB : ( 1 Plan)
1 Tawau Scheme
   
  Adopted by Local Authority : (9 Plans)
1 Tawau Comprehensive Development Plan
2 Tawau Local Plan 1990
3 Miles 26 Apas Balung New Town Plan
4 Kalumpang New Town Mile 38, Jalan Tawau
5 Bandar Tawau II
6 Bandar Tawau III
7 Kalabakan New Town Plan
8 Kinabutan Besar Town (Mile 6)
9 Pusat Perniagaan Pantai Sabindo
   
  Draft Plan : (9 Plans)
1 Tawau District Land Use Planning Scheme
2 Oulau Sebatik Land Use Planning Scheme
3 Tawau District Land Use Planning Scheme
4 Batu Lapan Jalan Apas Town Plan
5 Sebatik New Town Plan
6 Merotai New Town Plan
7 Bandar Tawau IV
8 Serudong Laut Town Plan
9 Wallesbay Town Plan

  Agricultural and Industry of Tawau

TIMBER of Malaysia

Rumpai Laut - Seaweed

Rumpai Laut - Seaweed  (Eucheuma - Kappaphycus alvarezii)

Seaweed (Rampai Laut) culture in Semporna started in 1970s by Department of Fisheries Sabah as a supplementary income-generating activity among the fishing communities in Semporna....

Oil Palm    

   World's first oil palm-based pulp and paper mill
   Palm Oil for cooking
   Oil Palm Tree

   POIC Palm Oil Industrial Cluster
   Oil Palm Fiber

Cocoa    

   About Cocoa
   Cocoa Village of Teck Guan
   Cocoa Museum of Teck Guan

Coffee    

   Coffee
 

Herb    

   The first medical herb garden in Tawau
 

Aquaculture - Tiger Prawn    

   Tiger Prawn Farming in Tawau

  More about Tawau Tourism

Travel information on Tawau tourism for your next vacation:

Tawau is well-known for its eco-tourism. The eco-tourism industry is increasingly popular in Tawau. Although the attractions are not in the town itself, Tawau is used as a transit for the popular natural destinations. Young adventures meet here as traveling starting point to natural wonders such as Pulau Sipadan and Mabul in Semporna. Other attractions such as the beautiful Forest Centre at Luasung near Danum Valley, Maliau - the LOST WORLD OF BORNEO etc....

  Explore the underwater world in Semporna

Semporna  has among the best dive sites in the world

Offshore Islands - Divers' Paradise
Sipadan Island Kapalai Island
Mabul Island Mataking Island
  Roach Reefs Resort
   

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  Introduction and information on Tawau, Sabah