| Lahad Datu | |
| Official Name: | Bandar Lahad Datu |
| Settlement Type: | Town and district capital |
| Translit Lang1: | Other |
| Translit Lang1 Type1: | Jawi |
| Translit Lang1 Info1: | لحد داتو |
| Translit Lang1 Type2: | Chinese |
| Translit Lang1 Info2: | Chinese: 拿笃 Nádǔ |
| Coordinates: | 5.03°N 118.34°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Malaysia |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | Division |
| Subdivision Name2: | Tawau |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Lahad Datu |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Population Total: | 27,887 |
Lahad Datu (ms|Bandar Lahad Datu) is the capital of the Lahad Datu District in the Dent Peninsula on Tawau Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 27,887 in 2010.[1] The town is surrounded by stretches of cocoa and palm oil plantations. It is also an important timber exporting port. The town has an airport for domestic flights.
A settlement is believed to have existed here in the 15th century, as excavations have unearthed Ming dynasty Chinese ceramics.[2] Just east of Lahad Datu is the village of Tunku, a notorious base for pirates and slave traders in the 19th century.[3] Based on a Jawi manuscript in the Ida'an language dated 1408 A.D, it is believed to be the first site in northern Borneo where Islam was first introduced. The Jawi manuscript gives an account of an Ida'an man named Abdullah in Darvel Bay who embraced Islam.[4]
See main article: 1985 Lahad Datu ambush and 2013 Lahad Datu standoff. On 23 September 1985, 15-20 armed foreign pirates from the neighbouring Philippines landed on this town, killing at least 21 people and injuring 11 others.[5] [6]
Another standoff occurred in February 2013 and lasted for over a month between Malaysian authorities and the Filipino-based militants of the self-proclaimed "Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo" led by Jamalul Kiram III[7] [8] resulted in a Malaysian victory and creation of the Eastern Sabah Security Command and Eastern Sabah Security Zone.
The standoff reportedly saw a total of 68 deaths – 56 from the Sulu sultanate, nine from the Malaysian authorities and six civilians.[9] Before this incursion, the government of Malaysia continued to dutifully pay an annual cession payment amounting to roughly $1,000 to the indirect heirs of the Sultan honoring an 1878 agreement, where North Borneo – today’s Sabah – was conceded by the late Sultan of Sulu to a British company.[10] [11] After the event, the Malaysian government halted the payment. Years later, eight of these Sulu heirs, who insisted they were not involved in the standoff, hired lawyers to pursue legal action based on the original commercial deal.[12] The case is still ongoing.
Lahad Datu also has several palm oil refineries. The Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) is located near Lahad Datu township. POIC owns and operates its own port, POIC Port Lahad Datu and received its first vessel on 1 March 2013.[13] It consists of 1150acres of industrial land developed (with a centralised bulking facility, dry, liquid, barge and container terminals with a sea draft of 20 meters, making it one of the few deep sea ports in the world). To date, 55 companies have invested in POIC with 11 companies involved in fertilizer (making it the biggest cluster of fertilizer companies). POIC is a wholly state-owned company under the purview of the Ministry of Industrial Development, Sabah. Its Chairman is YB Senator Datuk Donald Mojuntin, and the Acting Chief Executive Officer is Mdm. Lynette Hoo (ADK). POIC was started by Datuk Dr Pang Teck Wai in 2005 and now retired since June 2020.
Lahad Datu is linked to other towns and districts via Federal Route 13, a part of larger Pan-Borneo Highway network in the east coast of Sabah. Works of constructing a new bypass road on Sandakan-Tawau route has been commenced on mid 2016, to relieve the traffic congestion on the town itself. Lahad Datu is served by many different methods of transportation. Taxis, buses and minibuses are abundant and provide connectivity around the town and other districts such as Sandakan and Tawau. Lahad Datu Port is a container port administered by Sabah Port Sdn. Bhd.
First Palm City Centre (FPCC) along Jalan Pantai is an integrated commercial development by Titijaya Land Berhad. It consist of 2-3 storey of retail shoplots, bus terminal and anchor business, Econsave operating in this strategic business address. 1.5 km to town, 2 km to Lahad Datu Airport and 2.5 km to Lahad Datu Hospital.
MASwings, a regional airline and subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAB) provides five direct flights daily to Kota Kinabalu, the state's capital from Lahad Datu Airport.
Lahad Datu has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.