SANDAKAN: A total of 1,690 participants, accompanying teachers and secretariat members from 88 groups across 11 scout districts in Sabah took part in the three-day Jamboree On The Air and Jamboree On The Internet (Jota-Joti) 2026 at Gilwell Scouts Nature Park here during the weekend.
The gathering established Sandakan as Sabah’s main Jota-Joti 2026 station, bringing together educational institutions, uniformed bodies and international participants through amateur radio and internet-based communications.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Sandakan Member of Parliament Vivian Wong said the programme exposed young people to communication technology while fostering self-confidence, friendship and cooperation.
Programme director and camp chief Barmuli Parudin said the participation exceeded the initial target of 1,000, reflecting strong interest in the international scouting initiative.
He said a total of 1,285 radio contacts were logged with overseas operators in countries including Brazil, Australia, Portugal, Denmark, Switzerland, Indonesia and South Africa.
Activities included amateur radio communications, the Zello application, Semaphore, Morse code, the phonetic alphabet, first aid and pioneering knots. However, several sessions were moved indoors due to haze to safeguard participants’ health and safety. – James Leong
Vivian Wong (front row, 4th from right), with officials and participants of the Jota-Joti 2026.
