By Nancy Nais
KUCHING, March 22: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah will visit historical forts in Sarawak during their ‘Kembara Pan-Borneo Highway’ expedition expected to take place in September.
Disclosing this, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the forts and longhouses are among the historical sites the royal couple wish to visit, especially Her Majesty, as she wishes to meet Sarawak’s rural dwellers.
Earlier on Feb 13, His Majesty expressed his desire to drive along the Pan Borneo Highway for him to get to know his people in the interior of ‘Bumi Kenyalang’ (Sarawak) and ‘Negeri di Bawah Bayu’ (Sabah).
“His and Her Majesties wanted to see why all the people in Sabah and Sarawak such as Dayaks, Malays and Chinese can live so harmoniously together.
“As for the forts, arrangements are being planned for them to visit some of them during their drive here in Sarawak. I was informed, they won’t be going to all, probably two or three,” Abdul Karim said at a press conference during DayakDaily’s D’Drift 2023 launch event held at DayakDaily’s office at TT3 here today.
He had touched on the subject of historical forts in Sarawak because they will be the focus of the D’Drift 2023’s trip.
From today until March 31, the D’Drift team led by Christopher Bishop with Sharon Ling Hui and Ashley Sim has taken up the mission to visit 12 historical forts in Sarawak.
They will seek to uncover the stories behind these fortified buildings that remain standing until this day, starting from Kuching up to Limbang.
Lauding D’Drift’s past trips and published articles on their adventures, Abdul Karim said he found the articles interestingly written as the team shared their exciting experiences.
Meanwhile, he is hopeful that a coffee table book on Sarawak’s forts or its trails can be published one day.
“Our forts are one of the tourism areas which the Sarawak government plans to upgrade. There are quite a number of them undergoing upgrading works. Some of them are completed.
“Once the Pan Borneo Highway is completed, these kinds of attraction can be part of tourism packages for visitors who are interested to go through these kinds of fort trails. They can start from Kuching and drive up to Miri, staying for a few nights along the way as they wish,” he added.
Among those who attended the D’Drift 2023 launch were Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chairman Dennis Ngau, STB chief executive officer Sharzede Salleh Askor and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) Head of Enforcement and Protection Madhan Kifli. — DayakDaily
