Tioman in History Books

There is this inexplicable awe that overcomes me every single time Tioman comes on the horizon. Be it in the window of the turbo prop plane decades ago, on the deck of the ferry or the bow Relax lah in my recent trips, I always feel that this majestic island in the middle of a great ocean has a story to tell. A story about all the ships that has passed by, their rich cargo and weary crew.

Maritime routes in southeast asia has not changed much with time

Located in the middle of the trade route in between China, Ryuku (Okinawa), Vietnam, Siam, Patani on one side and the Malay archipelago and west Asia on the other side, Tioman offers perfect shelter from the annual northeast monsoon winds and rain. In addition, it provides a stopover for weary sailors and a sure supply of water and wood essential for a boat after long voyages at sea.

Map showing location of Nipah, possiblly one of the earlier settlement on Tioman where significant ceramic find were made

The earliest recorded reference to the island is in the Arabic text "Akbar Al Sind Wal Hind" written sometime around 1000 AD that mentions "Then the ship travelled to a place called Betumah (Tioman) which has fresh water for anyone who desires it".

Early Chinese traders, who had a long history of trade with Nanhai, the term they used to denote the Southern Seas were also familiar with the island. In fact, Tioman was mentioned in Chinese 15th century charts used during the voyage of Admiral Zheng He, whose travel started from Beijing and reached as far West as Zanzibar and Mecca.

Ceramics collected in Nipah Bay have been identified to have origins in Korea, Sri Lanka and the coasts of Africa and America proving indeed that Tioman was for centuries actively involved in the maritime trade of Asia.

In the earliest charts published by western cartographers, Tioman appears prominently in names as such as Timao.

Chart made by Cornelius Claesz in 1595 showing Tioman (Timao) and its surrounding islands

When the Portuguese occupied Malacca in 1511, the Estado da India established a post on Tioman to look after movements of their trading vessels between Malacca and the other Portuguese colony in Macau. In a twist of irony, when the  Dutch East India company wanted to disrupt trade of Estado da India, their Portuguese rival during the decline of the latter the used Tioman as a spying post where a roaming squadron of warships would monitor trade movements between the mainland and the Malay peninsular and loot them.

Dutch phamphlet depicting the seize of Portuguese carrack Santa Catarina off Johore by Admiral Jacob Van Heemskerk who was laying in wait with his attack squadron in Tioman

In Feb 1603 Santa Catarina a Portuguese carrack loaded with riches from China, Ryuku and Macau was seized at the mouth of Johor River near nowaday Tanjung Pengelih. The Dutch squadron which intercepted Santa Catarina had been on watch a few days before in Tioman when a messenger came from Raja Kecil of Johor Lama informing them of the presence of Santa Catarina in the area.

In more recent history, Tioman and all islands to the south of it was presented by Tun Tahir of Pahang to the Temenggong of Johor for his support in the then ongoing civil war with his brother Tun Ahmad in 1862. However, in 1863, when Tun Ahmad later triumphed and became the Bendahara of Pahang, he refused to recognise this cessation. Only in 1866 Temenggong Abu Bakar of Johore agreed to cede Tioman and Seri Buat back to Pahang but the border dispute continued until 1897 when it was decided that the left bank of the Endau river belongs to Pahang and all islands north of a line drawn east from the Endau River belong to Pahang and anything in the south belong to Johore.

Tioman also saw early action in World War 2. When the Japanese landed in Songkla (Singora) Thailand on Dec 8, 1941 and continued to march south, one of the first response by the British Army was to send Force Z consisting HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse and four destroyers. These were intercepted by Japanese bombers and both ships were sunk on Dec 10, 1941 not far from Tioman with a total loss of 840 people.

Sources:
1. A ceramic legacy of Asia's Maritime trade on Tioman Island 
2. Prince of Pirates: The Temenggongs and the development of Johor and Singapore 1784 - 1885
3. Pahang Civil War - Wikipedia
4. Maritime Asia - Tioman Island