Bekenu (also known as Bekenu Bazaar or Bakenu) is a small fishing town near

Miri Miri () is a coastal city in north-eastern Sarawak, Malaysia, located near the border of Brunei, on the island of Borneo. The city covers an area of , located northeast of Kuching and southwest of Kota Kinabalu. Miri is the second largest ...

, in

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. Bekenu bazaar is the capital of the Sibuti subdistrict, Subis district,

Miri Division Miri Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions of Sarawak, Malaysia. Geography It has a total area of 26,777.1 square kilometres, and is the second largest division after Kapit Division. The seat of this division is the city of M ...

Etymology

Oil palm branch is the symbol of Bekenu town.

History

Administration

Subis district council administers the Subis district, which consists of two subdistricts, namely Sibuti subdistrict and Niah-Suai subdistrict. The council is located within the Bekenu bazaar.

Geography

Bekenu experienced floods in February 1966, January 1967, January 1972, January 1981, June 2020, October 2021, October 2022, and January 2023. The most serious flood in Bekenu was in 1962 when shops were flooded up to the first floor and people had to be rescued by fishermen in rowing boats.

Town and villages

Neighbouring settlements include: * Kampung Kuala Satap north * Kampung Lusong north * Kampung Jangalas northwest *

Kampung Ajau A kampong (this term is in Za'aba Spelling, ''kampung'' in both modern Malay and Indonesian) is a term for a type of village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "dock" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especi ...

northeast *

Kampung Tengah Kampung Tengah is a small town and village in Segamat District, Johor, Malaysia. Kampung Tengah is divided into two main settlements - the Malay village side and the Chinese New Village - where both settlements are separated by Sungai Kapeh. Wh ...

west *

Kampung Sinop A kampong (this term is in Za'aba Spelling, ''kampung'' in both modern Malay and Indonesian) is a term for a type of village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "dock" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especi ...

east *

Kampung Padang A kampong (this term is in Za'aba Spelling, ''kampung'' in both modern Malay and Indonesian) is a term for a type of village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "dock" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especi ...

north *

Kampung Sungi Tiris A kampong (this term is in Za'aba Spelling, ''kampung'' in both modern Malay and Indonesian) is a term for a type of village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "dock" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especi ...

south *

Kampung Teris A kampong (this term is in Za'aba Spelling, ''kampung'' in both modern Malay and Indonesian) is a term for a type of village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "dock" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especi ...

southwest

Economy

Bekenu is known as the "fruit belt" for the city of Miri. There is a coconut plantation at "Rancha Rancha" and a herb plantation at Kampung Terahad. Examples of herbs that are planted are lemon grass, ginger, turmeric, shallots, and chilies. Shophouses in Bekenu town conduct various businesses such as coffee shops and selling groceries, food, and farming equipment.

Attractions and recreational spots

The town has a central market and a riverbank esplanade park. The town square faces the Bekenu river, and many of the shophouses date from the 1930s. Tusan Beach is located nearby the town. Since 2015, the "Blue Tears" phenomenon caused by

Dinoflagellate The Dinoflagellates (), also called Dinophytes, are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered protists. Dinoflagellates are mostly marine plankton, but they are also commo ...

bioluminescence can be seen at Tusan beach. The iconic rock formation that resembles "horse head drinking water" was collapsed in 2020. Other rock formations at the beach are "Lion head" and "Baby Drinking Horse Head".

State constituency

References

{{Sarawak Towns in Sarawak