User:Antelsoc/sandbox

History
Little is known about the history of Sandakan before the arrival of European settlers in the 1870s. Before this time the area that now makes up Sandakan was controlled by the Sultanate of Sulu. The first European to estalish a settlement here was a Scottish arms dealer named William Clark Cowie. Cowie received permission from the Sultan of Sulu to settle on Pulau Timbang near Sandakan bay in order to continue his business with the Sulu. It was Cowie who gave Sandakan its name from the Suluk word Sanda and the suffix kan. The name can be roughly translated to mean "the place that was pawned." The settlement later came to be known as Kampung German because of the large number of Germans who visited here.

The settlement was later relocated to the area known as Buli Sim-Sim in 1879. Because of the beauty of the surrounding area, Cowie determined at this time to rename the settlement Elopura meaning "Beautiful City." The name would later, however, revert to Sandakan once again.

History
Beginning in the early 1870s, the east coast of Sabah was under the control of the Sultanate of Sulu. The first European settlement was built by a Scottish arms smuggler named William Clarke Cowie who named the settlement "Sandakan," which in the Suluk language means roughly "the place that was pawned." The settlement was soon renamed Kampung German, due to the presence of several German bases there. In 1878, the settlement, along with the entire territory of North Borneo was sold to the Austro-Hungarian consul Baron von Overbeck, who had signed a concession contract with the Sultan of Sulu. This early settlement was burnt down on 15 June 1879 and was never thereafter rebuilt. The British Resident, William B. Pryer, moved to the settlement on 21 June 1879 to a residence in what is today known as Buli Sim Sim near Sandakan Bay. It was Pryer who gave the settlement the name Elopura meaning "Beautiful City." Several years later the settlement was again renamed Sandakan. The name Elopura, however, is still used for some local government functions of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly, including elections.

Japanese occupation
During the Japanese occupation of Sandakan, the Japanese had restored the name Elopura to the town. It was during this period that the Japanese established a labor camp which would later serve as the starting point for the Sandakan Death Marches. Thousands British and Australian soldiers lost their lives during this forced march in addition to Javanese labourers from Dutch East Indies. Only six Australian soldiers survived from this camp, all of whom had escaped. Sandakan was completely destroyed both by bombing from Allied forces and the Japanese occupation.

Original names
After the settlement been moved, the first name for the new town were Elopura which means "Beautiful City". The name was given by the British Chartered Company but the locals persisted to use the old name which later it was changed back to Sandakan. Beside Elopura, the town also called as Little Hong Kong due to a strong presence of ethnic Chinese from Hakka majority in the town.