Qualla: Labuan https://qualla.com/labuan en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:37 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Labuan https://qualla.com/labuan Labuan: Introduction https://qualla.com/labuan/ The name gives it away. Labuan comes from the Malay word labuhan -- "harbour" -- and for centuries that is exactly what this 91-square-kilometer island has been. A harbour for the Brunei Sultanate, whose sultan ceded it to the British Crown in 1846. A harbour for imperial coal ships that never found quite enough coal. A harbour for Japanese forces who occupied it during the Second World War, and then for the Australian troops who took it back. Today, Labuan is a harbour for international capital: Malaysia's only offshore financial center, home to more than 6,500 registered companies and around 300 licensed financial institutions on an island whose population barely tops 95,000.

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]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/8/c/y/labuan-wp/w8cy-labuan-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Labuan: The Second Singapore That Wasn't https://qualla.com/labuan/ When Captain Mundy escorted Pengiran Mumin to witness Labuan's accession to the British Crown on 24 December 1846, the empire had grand plans. James Brooke -- the White Rajah of Sarawak, adventurer, anti-piracy crusader -- was appointed the island's first governor. The logic was ...

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]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/8/c/y/labuan-wp/w8cy-labuan-the-second-singapore-that-wasnt.mp3 0:06 2 full Labuan: An Island of Many Peoples https://qualla.com/labuan/ Walk through Victoria, Labuan's compact capital, and you encounter the island's layered demography in the space of a few blocks. The 2020 census counted Malays (including Kedayan and Bruneian Malay) as the largest group, followed by a diverse spread of Kadazan-Dusun, Bajau, Chine...

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]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/8/c/y/labuan-wp/w8cy-labuan-an-island-of-many-peoples.mp3 0:06 3 full Labuan: Wrecks Below, Finance Above https://qualla.com/labuan/ Labuan operates on two levels that seem to belong to different islands entirely. Above the waterline, the Labuan International Business and Financial Centre -- established in 1990 -- handles Islamic finance, captive insurance, wealth management, and offshore holding structures. T...

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]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/8/c/y/labuan-wp/w8cy-labuan-wrecks-below-finance-above.mp3 0:06 4 full Labuan: Connected and Isolated https://qualla.com/labuan/ For all its financial sophistication, Labuan remains tethered to the rhythms of island life. Ferry services to Sabah and Sarawak are the lifeline for passengers and vehicles, though the Kota Kinabalu route was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and only resumed in 2025. Labua...

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]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/8/c/y/labuan-wp/w8cy-labuan-connected-and-isolated.mp3 0:06 5 full