|
Labis is the second
largest town in the district of Segamat,
Johor, Malaysia. Labis is an agricultural town
whose main export is rubber. A main trunk road that runs north-south
Peninsular Malaysia passes through it, as well as the Keretapi Tanah
Melayu railway line that connects it with the state's capital in the
south, Johor Bahru.
Labis
started as a small village known as Kampung Paya Merah. The village got
its name from a type of river grass which became the favorite food for
river terrapins. In early 20th century, British officers came to the
villages to survey for new areas to be developed in Segamat district.
The British officers were surprised to see the river terrapins since they
had not seen those animals before. They asked the villagers the name of
those animals and the villagers answered, "Labi-labi, tuan," ("River
terrapins, sir"). Because they didn't know the name of those animals, the
British officers referred to them as labis in the plural form. Therefore,
the British officers decided to name the settlement Labis.
Another theory is that in the 17th century, a member of the Malaccan royal
family was travelling through the area. He saw something that intrigued
him. He called out to his advisors to tell him what it was, he went "Habis?
Habis?" thus accidentally blurting out the name Labis.
Sources:
Wikipedia
|
