The following is a brief account of the life of my great-grandfather Koh Kim Hin, the Second Kapitan China of Sandakan, the former capital of British North Borneo.
Growing up in Sandakan in the 1950s, I could hardly locate any foot print left of his achievements, nor the sizable immovable properties that he had acquired up to the time of his death. The only building, or rather portion of a building, that I later discovered that he had played a major part on, was the remnant of the Jubilee Clock Tower (JCT) . As the representative of the Chinese community of Sandakan, he sat in the JCT Committee overseeing the planning and construction of the JCT to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign (1887). [The clock tower project was delayed due to various reasons and was only officially declared open some ten years later, as part of the celebration to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen.] As a kid, I had heard snippets of notable events related to him. These were simple recollections of oral history passed down the generations. Some were true, backed by articles found in the British North Borneo Herald (BNBH). Others could be partly mythical.
Short bio data: I was born in Sandakan, British North Borneo (now Sabah) during the Second World War (WWII), when the Japanese made its entry into Sandakan. I spent my teen years in Sandakan. In the mid 60's, I went to Auckland, New Zealand to study engineering under a Colombo Plan scholarship. Returning from NZ, I was appointed to the Sabah Government Service as an engineer in the Public Works Department. Since 1980, I have been residing in Kota Kinabalu (formerly Jesselton).
Will Koh
3 Nov 2017
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Family Patriarch: Koh Kim Hin
Koh Kim Hin (KKH) was born in the district of Tong An in Hokkien (Fujian) Province of China (c. 1848). He followed an uncle to North Borneo (now Sabah)at the age of 19. First setting foot in Labuan and worked there briefly.(1).
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| Koh Kim Hin, Kapitan China Sandakan (1895-1910) |
He died on 16 April 1910 (3), aged 62 and was buried at "Bak Kung San", the main Chinese Cemetery in Sandakan.
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| (Koh Kim Hin's Tomb, Sandakan) |
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The firm of KEW was mainly involved in collection of jungle produce, import/export trades from/to China and Hong Kong in the earlier phase. To a small extent the firm also acquired and exported timber, mainly bilian, to China, for use as railway slippers there. Later (late 1800s and early 1900s) the firm dealt principally on the extraction and export of raw timber. The firm was allotted sizable concessions to extract and export timber overseas. After the death of KKH, his set up was run by his children and renamed Kim Eng Watt Brothers (KEWB). Soon after celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the firm's founding by KKH, KEWB went into insolvency. The 1930s' Great Depression and the emerging chaotic situations preceding the Japanese invasion (WWII) must have dealt a fatal blow to KEWB.
Before the landing of the Japanese Imperial Forces, KEW was still holding several timber concessions from the British Government. However all attempts by a few of KKH's descendants to reclaim these concessions after World War II from the departing British Colonial Government and later, the emerging Sabah State Government failed. The firm of KEW went into oblivion.
Footnotes
1. Source: As disclosed by Koh Peck Boon (6th son of KKH) in 1960
2. Source: "The Transformation of An Immigrant Society" by Danny Wong
3. Source: Sabah State Archive. See extract of the "BNB Herald" on 16 Apr 1910 (below)
Extract of BNB Herald on 16 April 1910:
Death of Mr. Koh Kim Hin
We regret to have to record the death of Koh Kim Hin, Capitan China, Sandakan who died at his residence at No. 9, Praya Road, on Saturday, 8th instance, after a lengthy illness.
Mr. Koh Kim Hin who was 62 years of age had been Capitan China for 16 years and was greatly respected by Europeans and Chinese alike. He was ever ready to lend a helping hand to any of his countrymen who were in want, and his advice was sought by the Chinese themselves and also by the Government, on all questions relating to the Chinese.
His loss will cause a vacancy which will be difficult to fill.
The funeral took place on 11th instance and was attended by the District Officer and the Collector of Land Revenue, by the representatives of the European firms, by all the leading Chinese and by the principal people of other nationalities.
We offer our sympathy to his family and also to the whole Chinese Community upon the loss of a greatly respected Captan China.
Will Koh
Jan 28, 2009
