Serasa, Brunei-Muara

Serasa is a mukim or subdistrict of Brunei-Muara District in Brunei. It is headed by penghulu and is currently held by Johari bin Abdul Razak.[2] In 2014, it had a population of 16,242.[1] Serasa is home to the de facto town of Muara, and subsequently the location of Muara Port, the main shipping port of the country.

Serasa Mukim Serasa
Mukim
Location of Serasa in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei
Country	Brunei
District	Brunei-Muara
Subdivision	Villages: Kapok, Meragang, Muara, Sabun and Serasa
Government [1]
• Penghulu	Johari bin Abdul Razak
Population  (2014)[1]
• Total	16,242

Geography

Serasa is the north-easternmost mukim in Brunei-Muara District. It borders by land only with the subdistrict of Mentiri to the west; the rest are bounded by the South China Sea to the north and the Brunei Bay to the east and south.

There are several island bodies off the coast of Serasa and the two which are well-known include Pelong Rocks (Malay: Pulau Pilong-Pilongan) and Pulau Muara Besar. There are also two sand spits found on its coast: Pelumpong Spit, which is originally a spit but has become a narrow island when an artificial channel was cut to provide access to Muara Port;[3] and Serasa Spit, an artificial spit.

Administration

Serasa is administered as a mukim or subdistrict, the second-level administrative division of Brunei. It is a mukim subdivision under Brunei-Muara District.

As a mukim, the community of Serasa is headed by a penghulu; the incumbent is Johari bin Abdul Razak.[2]

The area of Serasa is officially divided further into six village administrative divisions, namely: Kapok, Meragang, Muara, Pelumpong, Sabun and Serasa. All are populated places except Pelumpong, which constitutes the Pelumpong Spit. Although Muara is a village subdivision, it is known as Pekan Muara (literally 'Muara Town');[4] Muara has no municipal body.

Education

Primary and secondary education are available for the community of Serasa. Primary education is provided in a few government primary schools in Kapok, Muara and Serasa, where as the sole secondary school, Pengiran Isteri Hajjah Mariam Secondary School, provides the secondary counterpart.

Islamic religious education, compulsory for the Muslim pupils in Brunei, is also available in Serasa and provided in a few religious schools. They may share grounds with the primary schools.

There is also a sixth form college located in Meragang, namely Meragang Sixth Form Centre. It provides optional sixth form education after secondary for the resident students of Serasa as well as those living in the neighbouring mukims.

Religion

As almost 10,000 of Serasa's population are Muslim,[1] mosques have been built to accommodate the need of its mainly Muslim communities for places to conduct Islamic congregational activities, in particular the Jumu'ah or weekly Friday prayers. There are a few mosques in Serasa, namely Setia Ali Mosque, Kampong Kapok Mosque and Kampong Perpindahan Serasa Mosque, which serve the populaces of Muara, Kapok and Serasa respectively.[5]

Places of interest

The coast of Serasa which borders the South China Sea is lined with the beaches of Meragang, Muara and Tanjong Batu and they have been designated as places of recreation for the public.

The coast of the artificial Serasa Spit is also lined with beach features. The area of this Serasa Beach has also been made into a public recreational area.[6]

Brooketon Colliery is a disused coal mine. It was developed during the period of Charles Brooke's rule of Sarawak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Muara is home to the base of the Royal Brunei Navy.[7][8]

References

1. "Rencana - Keindahan Kampung Batong berlatarbelakangkan..." www.pelitabrunei.gov.bn. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
2. "Program Sua Muka diteruskan di Mukim Serasa – Media Permata Online". Media Permata Online (in Malay). 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
3. "Ports department - Muara Port facilities". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
4. "Muara to Experience Rapid Growth and Development | Brunei's No.1 News Website". www.brudirect.com. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
5. "SenaraiMasjid - SenaraiMasjid". www.kheu.gov.bn (in Malay). Retrieved 2018-02-16.
6. "Department of Environment, Park and Recreation - Serasa Beach". www.env.gov.bn. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
7. "Sultan graces RBAF 56th Anniversary celebrations at Muara naval base – Borneo Bulletin Online". Borneo Bulletin Online. 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
8. "Muara Naval Base - Naval Technology". Naval Technology. Retrieved 2018-02-16.