LAWAS: The immigration checkpoint congestion in Lawas needs a long-term resolution, especially at the Merapok Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security (ICQS) Complex which records the second highest traffic volume after the Sungai Tujuh ICQS.
According to Sarawak Minister of Transport, Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, the Sarawak government is currently planning short-term measures to reduce traffic congestion at the ICQS border here.
"For the long term, we will study how we can improve the traffic flow here to avoid serious congestion issues, especially during peak times," he said during a press conference at the Mengkalab Trusan ICQS in Lawas on Thursday.
A total of 195,687 vehicles entered and exited through the Mengkalab border in 2023, and from January to April this year, 73,221 vehicles were recorded by the Lawas Customs Department to have entered and exited the border.
Also, 466,446 visitors have crossed the Mengkalab and Merapok borders in Lawas for the period from January to April 2024.
Dato Sri Lee added that the Sarawak Immigration Department will make long-term plans for Sungai Tujuh, Pandaruan, Mengkalap, and Merapok, with the information will also be discussed with the Brunei government.
However, he stated that the Sarawak government is only assisting in finding solutions to the problem as these ICQS are under the jurisdiction of the Federal government.
Commenting on the Sungai Tujuh ICQS, he informed that the Sarawak government has allocated RM4 million to overcome congestion issues there.
"We have studied the congestion issue at Sungai Tujuh to reduce border congestion. For the short term, Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg has assisted with an allocation of RM4 million, such as adding more counters to overcome this issue," he said. -UKASnews
