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Merdeka Square, Kota Kinabalu

Coordinates: 5°58′50.9916″N 116°4′37.0524″E / 5.980831000°N 116.076959000°E / 5.980831000; 116.076959000
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Merdeka Square with new building in 2014.

Merdeka Square (Malay: Padang Merdeka)[1] is a square located in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. The square has a capacity of around 5,000.[2]

History

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Donald Stephens (left) declaring the forming of the Federation of Malaysia at Merdeka Square, Jesselton on 16 September 1963. Together with him is the Deputy Minister of Malaya Abdul Razak (right) and Mustapha Harun (second right).

The square once became the site for sporting events during British North Borneo Crown period. Before the Jesselton Community Hall was built in the 1950s, the square is not just used as a football field, but also became a parade site especially before the construction of Kota Kinabalu Sports Complex. On 16 September 1963, the late Chief Minister Donald Stephens declared the formation of the Federation of Malaysia at the site. Since then, the square is only used for small ceremonies. In 2015, the square was closed for several months for renovation works.[2] On 23 February 2018, it is one of 24 heritage sites in the state that were gazetted by Sabah’s State Heritage Council under new enactment of "State Heritage Enactment 2017".[3][4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Getting Around – Padang Merdeka (Merdeka Square)". Sabah Tourism. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b Sandra Sokial (9 September 2015). "Padang Merdeka in Kota Kinabalu to relive Malaysia's formation in 1963". The Rakyat Post. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Sabah gazettes 24 heritage sites". The Edge Markets. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  4. ^ Ricardo Unto (23 February 2018). "24 State Heritage sites under new Enactment". Daily Express. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
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5°58′50.9916″N 116°4′37.0524″E / 5.980831000°N 116.076959000°E / 5.980831000; 116.076959000