Gemas (
Negeri Sembilan Malay
Negeri Sembilan Malay (; also known as or ) is an Austronesian language spoken mainly in the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan and in northern Malacca in Alor Gajah. The language is spoken by the descendants of Minangkabau settlers from Sum ...
: ''Gomeh'') is a small town and a mukim in
Tampin District
The Tampin District is a district in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The district covers and is further divided into four adat socio-political provinces: Tampin town, Air Kuning, Gemencheh and Gemas.
Tampin District is surrounded by Tangkak and ...
,
Negeri Sembilan,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, near the Negeri Sembilan-
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime ...
state border. It is situated 101 km northeast of
Seremban
Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Soghomban'', ''Somban''; Jawi: ) is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban City Council. Se ...
, the state capital city, and 30 km north of
Segamat
Segamat ( Jawi: سڬامت Chinese: 昔加末) is a town located in the Segamat District, Johor, Malaysia. It is 95 km travel distance via North–South Expressway from Johor Bahru to Yong Peng, and another 77 km from Federal Route 1.
Strat ...
,
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime ...
.
Gemas is notable for being at the
railway junction
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge. This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes (assuming they are of the same gauge), provided by ''points'' ( ...
between the Malaysian
west
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
and
east coast rail lines. For this reason, Gemas is busy for a town of its size.
Gemas is accessible via train from
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
and
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
.
The whole town of Gemas stretches from
Negeri Sembilan, crossing into the border with
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime ...
. The Johorean side of Gemas is known as
Gemas Baharu, in
Segamat District
The Segamat District ( ms, Daerah Segamat) or simply Segamat is a district in the Malaysian state of Johor. Segamat is also the name of the district's primary town.
Etymology
It is believed that 'Segamat' is derived from the Malay phrase '' ...
, which is located about 1 km from Gemas town centre, implying that the original Gemas town centre is on the
Negeri Sembilanese side.
To the southwest stands the famed
Mount Ledang
Mount Ledang ( ms, Gunung Ledang; historically also: Mount Ophir) is a mountain in the Gunung Ledang National Park located in Tangkak District, Johor, Malaysia. The summit is located next to the tripoint of Tangkak, Jasin and Tampin Distri ...
, also known as Mount Ophir, with a height of 1276 m.
Demographics
Malays make up the majority of the population at 83% followed by the Chinese 8%, Indians at 5% and others 4%.
Education
Primary school
* SK Gemas
* SK Tuanku Abdul Rahman
* SJK(C) Kg. Baru Gemas
* SRJK(C) Kuo Min
* SJK(T) Gemas
* SK Kampong Ladang
* SK Londah
Secondary school
* SMK Tuanku Abdul Rahman
* SMK Gemas
* SM Agama Gemas
Transportation
Rail
Gemas is located at the intersection of the
West Coast and
East Coast routes of the
Keretapi Tanah Melayu
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) (Jawi: كريتاڤي تانه ملايو برحد) or Malayan Railways Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was firs ...
(KTM) rail network. Trains from all directions stop at
Gemas railway station
Gemas railway station is a Malaysian railway station located at the eastern side of and named after the town of Gemas, Tampin District, Negeri Sembilan. Built in 1922, the station is the meeting point of and the railway junction connecting the ...
, making it an important railway hub.
Gemas also marks the southern end of the electrified and double-track section of the West Coast Line. The
electrification and double-tracking works were completed in 2013. The electric train services
KTM Komuter
KTM Komuter is a commuter rail system in Malaysia operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM). It was introduced in 1995 to provide local rail services in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Klang Valley suburban areas. Services were later expanded to o ...
and
ETS
ETS or ets may refer to:
Climate change, environment and economy
* Emissions trading scheme
** European Union Emission Trading Scheme
Organisations
* European Thermoelectric Society
* Evangelical Theological Society
Education
* École de techno ...
services were extended to Gemas in October 2015, increasing services and cutting down travel time to
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
and other northern West Coast destinations.
Road
Gemas is connected to other towns by federal highways
1 and
10. Route links Gemas with
Seremban
Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Soghomban'', ''Somban''; Jawi: ) is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban City Council. Se ...
, the capital of
Negeri Sembilan as well as
Tampin
Tampin is a town in Tampin District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, which borders Pulau Sebang town in Alor Gajah District, Malacca.
History and etymology
Tampin gets its name from the container or pouch weaved from the pandanus fronds. The con ...
and all the way to
Johor Bahru.
Route links Gemas to
Temerloh
Temerloh is a municipality in central Pahang, Malaysia. Temerloh has been proven to be the "centre of Peninsular Malaysia" (Malay: ) 3TS, which is situated at Kampung Paya Siput, Lanchang.
Located about from Kuala Lumpur along the Kuantan–Kua ...
in
Pahang
Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and ...
. This road is built almost parallel to the KTM East Coast Line tracks, passing through
Bahau
Bahau ( Jawi: بهااو, ) is the principal town of Jempol District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The town's name is believed to have been derived from a Chinese phrase. Bahau's literal translation is "horse's mouth" while the nearby town, Mahsan ...
and
Triang The term Triang can refer to
* Teriang, a town in Pahang, Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South Chin ...
, two important railway towns.
Gemencheh Bridge during Battle of Malaya
During the
Battle of Malaya
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles betwee ...
in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, Gemencheh Bridge near Gemas was the site of a fierce battle between the
Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
and the
2/30th Battalion,
8th Division 8th Division, 8th Infantry Division or 8th Armored Division may refer to:
Infantry divisions
* 8th Division (Australia)
* 8th Canadian Infantry Division
* 8th Air Division (People's Republic of China)
* 8th Division (1st Formation) (People's Repu ...
,
Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Commanding Officer of the Battalion was Lieutenant Colonel Frederick "Black Jack" Galleghan. Gemencheh Bridge was a bridge over the Kelamah River (Sungai Kelamah in Malay) that connected Gemas with the larger neighbouring town of
Tampin
Tampin is a town in Tampin District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, which borders Pulau Sebang town in Alor Gajah District, Malacca.
History and etymology
Tampin gets its name from the container or pouch weaved from the pandanus fronds. The con ...
. The Japanese had passed through Tampin and needed to cross the bridge to reach Gemas.
On 14 January 1942, "B" Company of the 2/30th Battalion, launched an ambush against the Japanese in the hope of preventing them from advancing further south. As the advancing Japanese soldiers passed by the ambush site, the bridge was blown. The battle following the ambush, and a further battle closer to Gemas, lasted two days. It ended with the Australian withdrawal through Gemas to Fort Rose Estate.
Four days later, another encounter between Japanese and Allied soldiers took place near
Parit Sulong
Parit Sulong is a small town in Batu Pahat District, Johor, Malaysia on the Simpang Kiri River, east of Muar. The historical Parit Sulong Bridge constructed during World War II is a main feature in that town. Parit Sulong sits approximately ...
during the Battle of Malaya.
Allied troops, including the Australian
2/19th and
2/29th Battalions, were surrounded and routed there.
A memorial remembering fallen Australians now stands by the site of the destroyed Gemencheh Bridge in
Federal route .
Recently, a documentary titled The Battle of Gemas was jointly undertaken by Tahan Rata Filem and AVI to expand on the importance of this battle in the context of the Battle of Malaya and the fall of Singapore.
Politics
Gemas forms its own electoral district in the
Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly
The Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Sembilan) is the state legislature of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. It consists of 36 members who represent single-member constituencies throughout the state. ...
. The seat is currently chaired by Abdul Razak Bin Ab Said of
UMNO
The United Malays National Organisation ( Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its ...
/
BN.
On the national level, Gemas is part of
Tampin
Tampin is a town in Tampin District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, which borders Pulau Sebang town in Alor Gajah District, Malacca.
History and etymology
Tampin gets its name from the container or pouch weaved from the pandanus fronds. The con ...
constituency of the
Malaysian Parliament
The Parliament of Malaysia ( ms, Parlimen Malaysia) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, lit. "People's Assembly") and the ...
, currently represented by Hasan Baharom, from
Parti Amanah Negara
The National Trust Party (AMANAH; ms, Parti Amanah Negara), is a registered political party in Malaysia advocating a reformist strand of political Islam. The party was founded as the Malaysia Workers' Party before being handed over in Augu ...
, part of the federal ruling coalition
Pakatan Harapan
The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the ...
.
Since 1988 Gemas is also an autonomous sub-district (''daerah kecil''), consisting of the Adat Perpatih customary districts of Gemas and Air Kuning. Municipal works and parliamentary representation still remain under Tampin.
To date Gemas is the only autonomous sub-district in the state.
See also
*
Gemencheh
*
Parit Sulong
Parit Sulong is a small town in Batu Pahat District, Johor, Malaysia on the Simpang Kiri River, east of Muar. The historical Parit Sulong Bridge constructed during World War II is a main feature in that town. Parit Sulong sits approximately ...
*
Gemas Baharu
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 2, 35, N, 102, 35, E, region:MY_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title
World War II sites in British Malaya
Towns in Negeri Sembilan
Mukims of Negeri Sembilan
Tampin District