Federal, Sarawak govts urged to build border security roads in Murum, Belaga
17 May 2023 04:19pm
picture for illustrative purposes - FILEPIC
Murum assemblyman, Kennedy Chukpal Ugon said the proposed road construction starts at Murum Dam in Belaga and stretches about 123 km to the Long Nawang CIQS post in Indonesia.
"This security border road will also pass through Long Lidem, then to Long Unai and Tapak Megah (Malaysian border post). Recently, when we visited Long Nawang CIQS, we saw that Indonesia is 75 per cent ready in terms of facilities and roads, (but) Sarawak is still using logging roads.
"We are proposing to the government to build a CIQS nearer to Indonesia because we cannot afford to build (the CIQS) too far away as we cannot control the movements and the possibility of the opening of rat routes," he told a press conference at the State Legislative Assembly today.
Tapak Megah in Belaga district is the nearest border control post to Nusantara, which is about 23km from the Long Nawang CIQS.
Chukpai said the upgrading initiative would also boost eco-tourism in the surrounding plateaus such as Apau Nawai, Belaga and Usun Apau, Baram.
Earlier, in his speech in support of the motion of thanks on the Yang Dipertua Negeri Sarawak Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud speech, he said the construction of the border security roads would create stability as well as a balance of development and security control between Malaysia and Indonesia.
"The construction of a road network in the heart of Borneo Island will certainly be a game changer that will boost Sarawak's socio-economic development and is in line with the aspirations of the Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030)," he said - BERNAMA
