87
don’t!” was their reply, although they had, in the past, conducted field research
under armed police protection. The people at the Sabah Parks headquarters in Kota
Kinabalu said that for work in the Semporna area (Fig. 5.3) I should check in with
their local office and the marine police before conducting surveys of the mainland
and surrounding islands.
My first stop in Semporna was the waterfront. It’s typically the best source for
dependable boatmen but I quickly realized that Semporna was different from any
other place I’d visited in Malaysia. It has the feel of a frontier town and is a hub for
the many isolated kampungs (villages) on the islands of the adjacent Sulu and
Celebes seas. The population and culture reflect the diverse peoples, many from
Philippine and Indonesia territories. The cramped waterfront is alive with watercraft
and the boat dock teems with activity. Boats load and unload with quick deliberation
as dock space is sparse. Naked boys leap into the filthy, churning water wherever
there is space. I was not confident that I would find a reliable boatman here.
My second stop was the Sabah Parks office to get research permits. Strict compliance with the authorities is a necessity. The Parks officials recommended a Bajau
man named Romy, who turned out to be an excellent boatman. Next stop was the
marine police office. Their captain said the waters to the east and northeast, towards
the Philippine archipelago that separates the Sulu and Celebes seas, were heavily
patrolled by Malaysian security forces and should be safe. The islands to the north
were not patrolled because tourists never go there, but they should also be safe.
Trusting in my Marine Reconnaissance training and parang, I set out from
Semporna town with Romy and his son to work around the Pulau Bodgaya area
(Figs. 5.3 and 5.16). The day went well but, on the return trip, we were stopped by
Fig. 5.16 Typical Bajau island village on Pulau Bodgaya, Semporna area of eastern Sabah,
Borneo. Every day at low tide, women and children from these villages scour the exposed reef flats
and rocks for seafood. (Image by Peter R. Parham)
5 A Different Kind of Sea-Level Story from Malaysia
don’t!” was their reply, although they had, in the past, conducted field research
under armed police protection. The people at the Sabah Parks headquarters in Kota
Kinabalu said that for work in the Semporna area (Fig. 5.3) I should check in with
their local office and the marine police before conducting surveys of the mainland
and surrounding islands.
My first stop in Semporna was the waterfront. It’s typically the best source for
dependable boatmen but I quickly realized that Semporna was different from any
other place I’d visited in Malaysia. It has the feel of a frontier town and is a hub for
the many isolated kampungs (villages) on the islands of the adjacent Sulu and
Celebes seas. The population and culture reflect the diverse peoples, many from
Philippine and Indonesia territories. The cramped waterfront is alive with watercraft
and the boat dock teems with activity. Boats load and unload with quick deliberation
as dock space is sparse. Naked boys leap into the filthy, churning water wherever
there is space. I was not confident that I would find a reliable boatman here.
My second stop was the Sabah Parks office to get research permits. Strict compliance with the authorities is a necessity. The Parks officials recommended a Bajau
man named Romy, who turned out to be an excellent boatman. Next stop was the
marine police office. Their captain said the waters to the east and northeast, towards
the Philippine archipelago that separates the Sulu and Celebes seas, were heavily
patrolled by Malaysian security forces and should be safe. The islands to the north
were not patrolled because tourists never go there, but they should also be safe.
Trusting in my Marine Reconnaissance training and parang, I set out from
Semporna town with Romy and his son to work around the Pulau Bodgaya area
(Figs. 5.3 and 5.16). The day went well but, on the return trip, we were stopped by
Fig. 5.16 Typical Bajau island village on Pulau Bodgaya, Semporna area of eastern Sabah,
Borneo. Every day at low tide, women and children from these villages scour the exposed reef flats
and rocks for seafood. (Image by Peter R. Parham)
5 A Different Kind of Sea-Level Story from Malaysia