Sungai Muntoh
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Sungai Muntoh ( Jawi: سوڠاي مونتوه; ) is a semi-agricultural small town in
Jelebu District The Jelebu District (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Jolobu'') is the second largest district in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia after Jempol, with a population over 40,000. Jelebu borders on the Seremban District to its west and Kuala Pilah District t ...
,
Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan''), historically spelled as Negri Sembilan, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia which lies on the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, wes ...
,
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 ...
with less than 3,500 in total population. The town is located approximately from the state capital of
Seremban Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Somban'') 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 Municipal Council, Seremban City Council. ...
, from
Kuala Klawang Kuala Klawang (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Kolo Klawang'') is a mukim and the district capital of Jelebu District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. It is connected to the state capital, Seremban through Federal Route as well as to Hulu Langat District, ...
, the district capital, and from the border with
Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
.


Geography and climate

Sungai Muntoh is located at the northern fringe of an
intermontane Intermontane is a physiographic adjective formed from the prefix " inter-" (''signifying among, between, amid, during, within, mutual, reciprocal'') and the adjective "montane" (inhabiting, or growing in mountainous regions, especially cool, mo ...
valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
that encompasses central Jelebu, in the middle of the Negri
Titiwangsa Titiwangsa is one of the main areas located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Kuala Lumpur General Hospital is located south of Titiwangsa. The current member of Parliament of Malaysia, parliament for Titiwangsa is Johari Abdul Gha ...
. Sungai Muntoh is the warmest place in Malaysia. However, it also experiences heavy thunderstorms. In early February 2005, Malaysia's temperature rose to almost , the worst in 30 years and in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
, second only to
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
. Being the warmest and driest place in
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 ...
, Sungai Muntoh bares shortage of water supply and possible drought.


History

Sungai Muntoh is believed to be founded by Chinese immigrants in early 19th century. The town's booming mining business and rubber plantation drew foreign indentured labors from
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, who were paid low wages. Sungai Muntoh has itself placed in the history of mining and
rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...
plantation in
Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan''), historically spelled as Negri Sembilan, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia which lies on the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, wes ...
. Sungai Muntoh was the earliest and most reputable mining site in
Jelebu The Jelebu District (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Jolobu'') is the second largest district in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia after Jempol, with a population over 40,000. Jelebu borders on the Seremban District to its west and Kuala Pilah District ...
back in the late 19th century. A lot of valuable centuries-old artefacts were found there and are now displayed in the state's museum. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, when Jelebu was invaded by the
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese, cruel acts performed on the locals included massacre and
genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...
. There were about 1,500 people killed during the Japanese invasion, and about 3,500 more in the rest of the state, making Negeri Sembilan one of the states having the highest death toll.


Demographics

Sungai Muntoh is a neighbourhood with a Chinese majority. Chinese accounts for almost 60% of the town's population while Malays, natives (
Orang Asli The Orang Asli are a Homogeneity and heterogeneity, heterogeneous Indigenous peoples, indigenous population forming a national minority in Malaysia. They are the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia. As of 2017, the Orang Asli accounted f ...
) and some
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
ns make up the rest. Most of the Malays reside near a rehabilitation centre, working as law enforcers.


Economy

Most Chinese of the older generation work in the rubber estate as rubber tappers. The rubber business is in decline over the years since younger generations seek to improve their lifestyles in nearby cities with most notably
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
and
Seremban Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Somban'') 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 Municipal Council, Seremban City Council. ...
. Recently however, the rubber plantation industry undergoes a resurgency since world demand for rubber has increased since 2005. Vegetable and fruit farming also contributes to the town's economy and prosperity. Vast land areas surrounding the town are planted with vegetables. Local
sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
s and
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
s are famous throughout the country. Fruits that are grown in Sungai Muntoh include
coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
s,
rambutan Rambutan ( ; ; ''Nephelium lappaceum'') is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae. The name also refers to the edible fruit produced by this tree. The rambutan is native to Southeast Asia. It is closely related to several other ed ...
s,
durian The durian () is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognized species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the only species ...
s,
mangosteen Mangosteen (''Garcinia mangostana''), also known as the purple mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree with edible fruit native to Island Southeast Asia, from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. It has been cultivated extensively in tropical Asia ...
s and
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
s and other tropical fruits.


Flora & fauna

Sungai Muntoh's dense rainforest is home to a huge variety of flora and faunas, including many endangered species. This includes
tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...
s,
crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...
s, wild
boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...
s and
lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
s. Rare types of blue-headed centipedes and the highly venomous colorful scorpions are found in Sungai Muntoh as well. A colorful peacock-like long-tailed flying creature about 2 ft tall was a usual sighting too, until illegal deforestation took place in less than a decade ago. Serpents are common in this town. Black snakes are the only snakes native to Sungai Muntoh. Other species of snakes are rarely seen. Pythons—which can grow up to 5 meter long—are also one of the common sightings. However, the rich biodiversity of the forest has brought problems to the local community as well. The town is famous for wild-animal invasion and attacks on livestocks and plantations. These include tigers, boars, crocodiles and others.


Rehabilitation centres

There are more rehabilitation centres in Sungai Muntoh than in the rest of the state. The state's biggest and most reputable prison for junkies and drug addicts is located there. In early 1997, a breakout of the junkies became a national headline. Chaos and mayhem occurred when prison guards tried to arrest the fugitives on the streets. In late 2004, another similar headline caught the attention of
NTV7 Natseven TV Sdn Bhd, operating as NTV7 is a Malaysian free-to-air television channel owned by Media Prima, Media Prima Berhad. The third private commercial TV station in Malaysia, the network focused on the urban area with various types of ...
. They did a full coverage on it, stating there could be a possible blue-collar crime going on. An investigation was initiated but to no avail.


References

{{Negeri Sembilan Jelebu District Towns in Negeri Sembilan