The first Allied prisoners held in the camp were about 340 British and Indian soldiers who were interned there in mid-March 1942. In time, it held both Allied POWs and Allied civilian internees. Local Sarawakians including ethnic Chinese were not interned in the camp, although some were imprisoned in Kuching gaol.Three Chinese men from North Borneo, all staff at the Chinese Consulate at Sandakan, and their families were held in the camp: Mr Huan Lai Cho (the Chinese Consul), his wife and two children; Mr Ting Yuan Li and his wife and child, and Mr Philip Yang; a total of eight Chinese people interned in the camp. Allied civilian prisoners came almost exclusively from different territories on Borneo: from North Borneo (now Sabah), from Brunei, from the Straits Settlements island of Labuan, and from Sarawak, all of which were under British control, and from Dutch Borneo (now Kalimantan). In contrast, the POWs were brought to Batu Lintang from places such as mainland Malaya and Java as well as from Borneo. Many spent time at transit or temporary camps, such as the one at Berhala Island, North Borneo, prior to their transfer to Batu Lintang.Ooi 1998, 286 The camp officially opened on 15 August 1942, at which time a commemoration stone was erected at the camp.Keith 180; Australian War Memorial (AWM) photograph 120332
