Kluang, formerly spelled Keluang, is a town and the district capital of Kluang District, Johor, Malaysia. Founded in 1915 by the British as the administrative capital for central Johor, Kluang is situated in the central geographical core of the state and lies within a 90-minute drive of major urban hubs across Johor.
Combined with neighboring Batu Pahat, central Johor encompasses a total market catchment exceeding 700,000 residents. Throughout the 20th century, Kluang's agricultural economy transitioned from natural rubber cultivation to large-scale palm oil production. In recent decades, it has developed a major organic farming sector alongside ecotourism destinations such as Zenxin Organic Park, UK Agro Farm, and Kahang Organic Eco Rice Farm. The district also houses a significant industrial base, particularly in ceramic tile manufacturing, earning it a reputation as the "tile capital of Malaysia".
History The name Kluang originates from the Malay word keluang, referring to a species of flying fox or fruit bat that was historically abundant in the region prior to widespread deforestation and habitat loss.
Kluang was established in 1915 as the administrative hub for central Johor under British colonial rule. The construction of the main Malayan Railway line passing through the town accelerated its early urban and economic growth, which was further supported by road links connecting Kluang south-eastward to Johor Bahru, south-westward to Batu Pahat, and north-eastward to Mersing.
During World War II, Imperial Japanese forces occupied Kluang on 25 January 1942 during their swift advance southwards following the retreat of Allied troops toward Singapore. General Tomoyuki Yamashita relocated his forward headquarters from Kuala Lumpur to Kluang on 27 January 1942. The Japanese military subsequently operated the local airfield as an airbase for bombing strikes targeting Singapore and Sumatra.
In the mid-1950s, during the Malayan Emergency, the airfield served as a base for reconnaissance aircraft and military helicopters tracking communist insurgents operating in the Gunung Lambak area, as well as an artillery base. The airfield hosted the Kluang Flying Club, which operated Tiger Moth biplanes. Insurgent activity around Kluang largely subsided in the months leading to Malayan Independence in 1957. The surrounding area was developed into a major military garrison hosting various units and a field hospital. The 75 Aircraft Workshop, an aviation support unit, was based in Kluang from 1946 until 1970.
In 1969, Kluang experienced a major disaster when the Mengkibol River overflowed by , causing extensive property damage throughout the town center.
Today, the Malaysian Army maintains a significant presence in Kluang at Kem Batu Tiga and Kem Mahkota, the latter housing the Malaysian Army Aviation unit (881 Squadron).
Geography Kluang is situated in central Johor and is entirely landlocked. The town lies in a terrain of undulating hills; its most prominent geographical landmark is Gunung Lambak, an isolated peak standing at above sea level situated on the eastern outskirts of the town. In the eastern segment of the district lies the Gunung Belumut Recreational Forest.
The administrative area governed by the Kluang Municipal Council covers approximately . Three main watercourses flow through the town area: the Mengkibol River bisects the town center, while the Melantai River runs through the eastern sector and the Sembrong River flows across the west.
Urban expansion from the 1970s through the 2000s saw Kluang grow horizontally along major east-west arterial corridors. Over this period, the commercial core expanded significantly as former rubber and oil palm agricultural land was redeveloped into residential subdivisions and commercial precincts.
Demographics In 2010, the population of Kluang District stood at 319,629 residents.
By 2022, the district population reached 323,762 people out of four million statewide, with males accounting for 55.4% of the population.
Government and politics
The Kluang Municipal Council (, MPKluang), formerly known as the Kluang North District Council (), is the local government body administering Kluang town and surrounding areas. It was elevated to municipal council status on 8 May 2001. The former North District Council was created on 1 January 1977 through the merger of the Kluang Town Council (originally established as the Kluang Town Board in 1920) with local councils governing Kampong Paya, Kampong Gajah, Sri Lalang, Chamek, and Paloh. The council headquarters relocated to Wisma Baharu MPKluang on Persiaran Utama Bandar Primer on 1 July 2025, moving from its long-time facility at Jalan Kota Tinggi.
Presidents of Kluang Thirty-eight individuals have served as president of the local authority since 1932.
#Name Term start Term end 1 Isa Ahmad 1932 1945 2 Rahman Jaafar 1945 1949 3 Hassan Omar 1950 1952 4 Salim Sabtu 1952 1953 5 Raja Omar Chik 1953 1955 6 Zainal Abidin Mohamed 1955 1957 7 Abdullah Ahmad 1957 1959 8 Salleh Ismail 1959 1960 9 Raub Saat 1960 1962 10 Ibrahim Majid 1962 1964 11 Kadir Abdullah 1964 1966 12 Rahman Ahmad 1966 1968 13 Osman Wahid 1968 1969 14 Abdullah Rahman 1969 1972 15 Ithnin Maarud 1972 1974 16 Sulaiman Md Noor 1974 1976 17 Sukiman Sahlan 1976 1979 18 Rahmat Asri 1979 1980 19 Hasmoni Salim 1980 1982 20 Musiran Ali 1982 1985 21 Ismail Aziz 1985 1988 22 Johari Suratman 1988 1995 23 Zabha Umar 1995 1997 24 Abd Kadir Maksom 1997 1999 25 Hamsan Saringat 2000 2003 26 Jabar Md Tahir 1 January 2004 31 May 2004 27 Abd Razak Md Salleh 1 June 2004 31 January 2006 28 Muji Salimon 1 February 2006 31 December 2006 29 Mislan Karmani 1 January 2007 16 January 2008 30 Abd Rahman Mohamed Dewam 16 January 2008 31 March 2011 31 Ahmad Ma'in 1 April 2011 31 May 2013 32 Adib Azhari Daud 1 June 2013 20 June 2015 33 Ismail Abu 21 June 2015 16 January 2017 34 Nasri Md Ali 17 January 2017 31 October 2018 35 Mohd Rafi Abdullah 1 November 2018 30 January 2021 36 Norliyati Md Nor 1 February 2021 14 February 2023 37 Azurawati Wahid 15 February 2023 19 October 2024 38 Mohd Fahmi Yahya 20 October 2024 Present
Secretaries of Kluang Thirty-seven individuals have served as council secretary.
#Name Term start Term end 1 Idris Mohamed 1961 1961 2 Jamari Karyadi 1961 1963 3 Ibrahim Abdul Ghani 1963 1963 4 Sarajudin Ali 1964 1965 5 Ibrahim Abdul Ghani 1965 1965 6 Abu Bakar Ahmad 1965 1967 7 Najib Masod 1967 1968 8 Ibrahim Abdul Ghani 1968 1969 9 Endan Dahlan 1969 1970 10 Mohamad Abdullah 1970 1970 11 Onn Ahmad 1971 1971 12 Mohamad Ibrahim Jaafar 1971 1972 13 Shahron Abdul Wahab 1972 1975 14 Ismail Yunos 1975 1975 15 Abdul Rahman Ahmad 1975 1976 16 Baderi Dasuki 1977 1980 17 Noh Mohamad 1981 1982 18 Fadhil Mohd Noh 1982 1986 19 Jumali Ahmad 1987 1988 20 Jabar Tahir 1989 1990 21 Halim Haron 1990 1992 22 Abdul Jamal Puteh 1992 1995 23 Md Tamrin Aliman 1995 1996 24 Abd Karim Abu Bakar 1996 1997 25 Norizan Kulob 1997 1999 26 Ayub Supaat 2000 2001 27 Kamarudin Abdullah 2002 2002 28 Mohd Shukri Mohd Masbah 2002 2003 29 Abdul Malek Ismail 2003 2006 30 Zulkiflee Abbas 16 February 2006 16 January 2008 31 Mulzaldin Mohamed 16 January 2008 31 May 2011 32 Mohd Radzi Mohd Amin 1 June 2011 15 July 2014 33 Mustaffa Kamal Shamsudin 16 July 2014 20 June 2015 34 Mohamad Radif Kosnin 21 June 2015 13 February 2019 35 Shahril Azizi Abd Gapar 14 February 2019 14 April 2020 36 Mohamad Yazid Baharudin 15 April 2020 31 December 2023 37 Azmi Ahmad 1 January 2024 Present
Municipal Administration Zones For local administration, the municipality is divided into 24 administrative zones, each represented by an appointed local councillor.
ZoneCouncillorPolitical affiliation Kahang A Abdul Ghani Abdul Rashid UMNO Paloh A Atan Ibrahim UMNO Paloh B Au Xian Jie MCA Sri Lalang Gan Lee Chiu MCA Kampong Melayu Haslina Mohammad Dom UMNO Kampong Paya Kelly Chye Pei Yee MCA Taman Intan Izaluddin Akmat UMNO Town Centre (Bandar) Law Mona MCA Taman Puteri Mohd Saim Paiman UMNO Taman Suria Law Yew Shen MCA Taman Megah Raman M Govindan Nair MIC Sri Kluang Mohd Khairul Ishak UMNO Kahang B Siti Norreha Hussin UMNO Taman Delima S Sarasvathi K.Sinatambi MIC Taman Kasih Zainal Mohamed UMNO Taman Sri Tengah Zakiah Pardi UMNO Taman Pelangi Zaimani Jamaluddin UMNO Yap Tau Sah Yap Zhi Peng MCA Taman Kluang Barat Azizul Ali UMNO Taman Ilham Abd Hamid Dahlan UMNO Chamek Go Yen Hong MCA Gunung Lambak Shey Risha Abdul Karim UMNO Kampung Gajah Lim Yew Chin MCA Taman Seri Impian Syed Hussin Syed Abdullah UMNO
Agriculture Following its founding in 1915, Kluang developed predominantly as a center for rubber cultivation under major plantation companies including Guthrie Ropel, Asiatic Plantations, and Harrisons & Crosfield. Industrial innovations, such as the vacuum evaporation of latex developed by Revertex, were introduced locally. Notable rubber plantations surrounding the town included Lambak Estate, Mengkibol Estate, Kluang Estate, Coronation Estate, Wessington Estate (renamed Simpang Renggam Estate), Benut Estate, Paloh Estate, Sepuloh Estate, Chamek Estate, Niyor Estate, Kahang Estate, Pamol Estate, and Kekayaan Estate.
Starting in the 1970s, rubber estates were systematically replanted with oil palms. Today, Kluang houses extensive oil palm holdings, as well as cocoa and tea cultivation. Pamol Estate, owned by IOI Corporation, is an active producer with of certified sustainable palm oil plantations producing over 56,000 tonnes annually.
The district also developed an organic farming industry. The 100-acre Zenxin Agri-Organic Food farm is among the largest organic vegetable producers in Malaysia. The Kluang Modern Agriculture Project (Projek Pertanian Moden Kluang), launched in 2004 across 9,000 acres, houses livestock and herbal farms including UK Agro Farm. In Kahang, the Kahang Organic Eco Rice Farm operates as Malaysia's first certified organic rice paddy enterprise.
Industry and commerce
Kluang maintains a diverse industrial manufacturing sector alongside its agricultural base, producing polymers, paper products, textiles, ceramics, industrial coatings, and electrical goods.
The town is a manufacturing center for ceramic tiles. Companies such as MML (Malaysian Mosaics), Terreal, Venus Ceramic, and Guocera operate major industrial facilities in Kluang, contributing to Malaysia's global tile production.
Multinational manufacturing facilities in the district include Kimberly-Clark's tissue paper manufacturing plant and Liebherr Group's refrigeration unit production plant. Synthomer plc operates a major nitrile latex manufacturing complex in Kluang, inheriting facilities originally established by Revertex Ltd. The facility produces nitrile latex utilized in the global medical glove manufacturing industry.
The downtown commercial district lies within the Kluang Inner Ring Road and hosts major commercial banks, retail complexes, and services.
Transport
Road
Kluang is accessible via Exit 244 (Ayer Hitam) on the PLUS Expressway. Federal Route 50 connects Batu Pahat through downtown Kluang eastward toward Kahang, Jemaluang, and Mersing.
Rail Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTMB) serves the Kluang railway station located along Jalan Stesen. Under the Gemas–Johor Bahru electrified double-tracking project, rail infrastructure through Kluang is integrated into the electrified intercity network connecting to Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, and Butterworth.
Bus
The Kluang express bus terminal is located on Jalan Bakawali next to Plaza BCB. Express intercity buses connect Kluang to major urban centers in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
Air A military airfield () operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force is situated in Kluang. The nearest commercial facility is Senai International Airport (IATA: JHB) in Kulai District, situated approximately south.
Infrastructure
Kluang is served by a district police station and a fire station.