Demolishment of town squatters in 1987

Masjid Assyakiriin in 1987 - Bintulu's new divisional mosque

View of Minaret under construction, circa 1987

View of Minaret, completed with landscaping done (circa July 1988)

View of Minaret today, taken on 17 February, 2015.
Note the changes in the background.  On the far let is the new hotel called "Promenade Hotel" opened in 2014.

Masjid Assyakiriin as seen in 1988.  View from minaret towards the main mosque building complex.

Befitting its status as a new administrative division on 1 January 1987, a new divisional mosque was deemed necessary to meet the growing Muslim population in Bintulu due to the first economic boom (1979 -1983).  The mosque is located about 6 kilometers from the old Bintulu town center.  Planning for the mosque started in 1985 but actual construction works only started in 1987 i.e. after the laying of foundation stone on 24 March,1987. The above picture shows the mosque viewed from the minaret.  What is interesting in this new planning is the location of the minaret.  In most mosque throughout Malaysia the minaret is normally part of the building. Here the minaret is separated from the main building and represented a new design planning concept in Malaysia.  The many arches are inspired by the mosque in Cordoba, Spain.  The blue dome is in the form of a starfruit cut in half.  The mosque could accommodate 2000 people and is equipped with library, indoor gardens, fountains and function rooms.  The mosque compound is fully landscaped.  On the 8th of July, 1988 the mosque was officially opened at a cost of RM 6.5 million.

Visitors and VIP's touring the mosque during its opening on the 8th of July,1988.
Note the orchid tree at right of the picture.

Indoor garden landscaping, 1988.

Note:  I was fortunate enough to be involved with the landscaping of the mosque from day one when I was the officer in-charge of the landscaping of Bintulu town in the BDA or Bintulu Development Authority during the 80's till early 1990's.   The whole planting works and maintenance were undertaken by staff from BDA but the supply of planting materials were sourced from private nurseries. The collection of orchids for the 'orchid tree' was obtained from Orchidwoods, Kuching.

Aurora Link Road

Aurora Link Road in 1987
Note the Poui trees (Tabebuia rosea) trees planted on both sides of the two-lane single carriageway road.
View looking north-east towards the roundabout near present day Masjid Assyakiriin.

The road is widened to become a four lane dual carriage-way road.
Date taken : 29 October, 2014

 There is a link road that connects the Kidurong Highway to Tanjung Batu Road situated besides the Masjid Assyakiriin.  During the First Boom (1979 - 1983) the link road was called Aurora Link Road because the road led to the Aurora Beach Hotel.  The Aurora Beach Hotel played an important role during the First Boom because it was big enough to accommodate the hundreds of expatriates especially Koreans and Americans involved with the construction of the Bintulu Port and the Liquified Natural Gas plant at Tg. Kidurong.  These expatriates required reasonably good accommodation facilities which the old Bintulu town was unable to provide.   The hotel was speedily constructed within a year and was opened in 1979, largely using the  prefab system.  Basically the hotel rooms were made of metal containers or porta cabins.   The Aurora Link Road was constructed in 1977-78 by the JKR to link the hotel (situated at Tanjung Batu Road)  to the Kidurong Highway thus providing a shortcut  to reach the Kidurong Highway in good time.

During the First Boom the Aurora Beach hotel was quite an institution by itself in booming Bintulu. The hotel provided many entertainment outlets like lounges, restaurants, dance halls, night clubs, offices and even banking (Bank Utama), besides the normal rooms.

Bintulu town squatters area in early 80's

View of Bintulu town from the Kemena River bank towards the Chinese temple (Tua Pek Kong), 1987

 There was a big squatters settlement in the midst of Bintulu town in the early 80's.  In 1987 a major squatters demolishment was done to cleanup the town of illegal buildings and slums.  The above picture shows some of the wooden structures built by the squatters that were in the process of being demolished by the government authorities.  The public space taken by the slums were later turned into an esplanade, car parking lots and new market buildings.

View from  Bintulu Esplanade (tiled area) towards the Chinese temple area and Main Bazaar Road - 25 December,2013.

Many festivals, public gatherings, fun fairs, shows and Ramadan markets are now held at the esplanade area.  The wooden shophouses in the 80's are replaced by permanent concrete shophouses.  The Main Bazaar road now becomes a four-lane one way street.

Bintulu Golf Course - 2nd Nine (Hole 18)

Hole 18 - showing part of the fairway closer to the beach (February 1987)
The turves are of Axonopus compressus grass and the trees and bushes at the left of the picture is the OB or rough area.
Picture is taken in Febrauary 1987 when all turfing works were already well-grown, but the course still not opened for public.

Date taken 26 December, 2013.
Note the developments at the beach area nearby the fairway.  A coastal scenic road runs along the golf course boundary by the seaside.  This road is an alternative route  from Bintulu town to Kidurong township.
There is land reclamation works in the sea beyond the road started a few years ago and still ongoing.

One of the strong points of the Bintulu Golf Course especially its 2nd Nine is its prime location by the seaside. The Hole 18 fairway was cleared of its jungles in 1986.  The green was turfed with Tiff dwarf grass in late 1986 and the fairway was planted with 'cow grass' or Axonopus compressus.  In February 1987 all turfing works to the Hole 18 green and fairway were completed and thereafter regularly maintained.  In early 1988 the BGC was almost ready to be used fully with all 9 holes (Hole 10 - 18)  well maintained for play.  Since its construction in 1986 till today, the Bintulu Golf Course remains  the only golf course in Bintulu town.

Tanjung Batu coastal scenic road - 1987

 The Tanjung Batu beach area has been a very popular picnic spot for Bintuluians since the 1960's.  When Bintulu encountered its first boom starting in 1979, many visitors and residents or temporary workforce to the town had the Tanjung Beach as the main outlet for beach recreational activities because it was conveniently located about 4 kilometers from the town center.  When more people settled permanently in the town there was a need to provide better amenities and facilities to the Tanjung Batu beach area.  In 1987 the Tanjung Batu coastal road as it was called then was paved and installed with street lighting.  To start with it was a  2-lane single carriageway.

1987 - Tanjung Batu coastal road -  2-lane single carriageway
Note the turning to the right (in the middle of the picture) which is the entrance to the "Pantai Temasya Bintulu" today'

 One of my responsibilities while working with the BDA (Bintulu Development Authority) in the 1980's was the landscaping of Bintulu.  In the above picture is shown the first batch of "Poui" trees planted along the Tg. Batu coastal road. The main reason for the choice was that Poui trees love the sea sprays and the intense heat of Bintulu for predictable flowering.  The seeds for these trees were sent in a brown envelope in 1985...go here to know further about the history of the Bintulu- Singapore connection regarding these Poui trees....>>>http://myussop.blogspot.com/2009/09/september-pink-and-white-glory.html

Tanjung Batu scenic road, as it is better known today - 11 October'13.

 Today, the Tanjung Batu scenic road has received many improvements.  It has become a dual-carriageway with much improved landscaping and central street lighting.  This scenic road now connects the Pantai Temasya to the Kidurong township and is fast becoming a popular spot to watch the Bintulu sunset.

Tanjung Batu scenic road, as it is better known today - 11 October'13.