By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 13: The construction of the Serikin Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security (ICQS) Complex worth RM50 million is expected to start this year.
Minister of Transport Sarawak (MOTS) Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin announced this when presenting his ministerial winding-up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) today.
“I have also visited the Serikin ICQS with my Ministry recently on 30th April 2024 alongside the relevant agencies, and we anticipate the new RM50 million ICQS complex to commence works this year on a 28-hectare land,” he said.
In a previous report, Deputy Minister of Transport (Maritime and Riverine) Dato Henry Harry Jinep informed that the new ICQS Complex will be located about 500 metres from the Malaysia-Indonesia border.
Upon completion of the Serikin ICQS, cross-border travel may be opened to general passport holders, and this will see a huge influx of tourists between Malaysia and Indonesia.
At present, cross-border travel at the Serikin-Jagoi Babang border is only limited to Pas Lintas Batas (PLB) holders, where only those residing in Bau district (Sarawak) and Jagoi Babang district (Indonesia) are eligible to apply for it.
In this case, travellers would need to get their PLB passes stamped at Serikin Immigration and Customs Control Post, located 4km away from the border, due to the absence of a border post proper on the Sarawak part.
At the same time, Lee said the Sarawak government had approved RM4 million in allocation to enhance facilities at the Sungai Tujoh ICQS Complex on March 7, 2024.
These improvements include the addition of new lanes and counters, as well as upgrading other ancillary facilities, which serve as immediate measures to mitigate long-standing congestion issues.
He also said he had attended site discussions at two ICQS checkpoints, namely Mengkalap and Pandaruan, to address the traffic congestion on May 2, 2024.
“My ministry will continue to work closely with the relevant agencies to examine and tackle similar congestion challenges at other ICQS checkpoints in Sarawak, which are the Merapok checkpoints from Lawas to Sabah and Tedungan checkpoints from Limbang to Brunei,” he added. — DayakDaily
