Pirates of the Sulu Sea?
"Kahahahaha...." Gelak ketawa kawan-kawan meletup ketika melihat foto saudara Neldy Jolo dikerjakan oleh penulis menjadi Pirates. Sekadar membayangkan bagaimana kehebatan Tausug meronda Laut China Selatan, Laut Sulu sehingga Selat Melaka ketika dulu.Prof. Datuk Dr. Shahril Talib (Director of the Europe-Asia Centre, University Malaya) said,
"There were also the men of the seas - the Tausugs of the Sulu archipelago that cuts across the Sulu and Sulawesi seas whom Raffles had not mentioned...
It was the Tausugs who were the undisputed mariners of the Sulu sea whose seat of power was on the island of Maimbung on the Sulu archipelago. The Tausugs blocked the Bugis from the south from access into the Sulu Sea and into the Eastern Sea following the Palawan Passage, the main artery leading to China markets.
It was the Tausugs who cut off the expansion of the Brunei Malays in northern Borneo into the Sulu Sea.
However, the better known of the Tausugs naval strength were Illanuns who manned warships cum trading vessels along the Palawan passage and made their presence felt on the east coast of the Malay peninsula." (Malays of the Asian seas, New Strait Times, 15 Januari 2011).
|
Posts
