By Shikin Louis
WEST KALIMANTAN, Jan 8: The Serikin Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex will be built on a 28-hectare land, about 500 meters from the Malaysia-Indonesia border.
Deputy Minister of Transport (Maritime and Riverine) Dato Henry Harry Jinep said the project will be implemented by the Sarawak Public Works Department (JKR) and State Implementation Monitoring Unit (SIMU) with the Kuching Resident Office as the coordinator.
“JKR has appointed consultants for the pre-design process, and after that, we will conduct land value management, whether the design is suitable with the place and so on before they proceed with the construction.
“Hopefully, by 2025 or 2026, we can start off (the construction), and it will take at least two years (to complete). Then maybe the ICQS will be operational by 2027 or 2028, depending on the implementation period,” he told reporters during a benchmarking visit to Jagoi Babang Border Post in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, here today.
Harry, who is Tasik Biru assemblyman, further pointed out that the relevant authorities would need to come in later and build up the utilities for the upcoming ICQS Serikin.
“We have started building up the road to the border now, and it will be completed soon. Thus, there is no issue on the road.
“However, we need to have water supply which we propose to have connecting water pipes from Kampung Bogag stretching about 12km in length, costing about RM3.5 million.
“Similarly, the ICQS Serikin needs electricity that could be tapped from the nearest main power line located 6km away, and for this, Sarawak Energy Berhad (Sarawak Energy) would have to give us the (cost) estimates.
“Thirdly, we need telecommunication because we currently have a black spot at the Serikin border—no line, to the extent that it is difficult to communicate with our army at the border,” he elaborated.
Upon completion of the ICQS Serikin, 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.
The media were also informed that about 1,000 to 1,500 visitors are travelling through the Jagoi Babang border post weekly, with the majority of them travelling on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to visit the famous Serikin Street Market.
Also present were Norleha Shariff, resident of Kuching; Nur Habib, head of Services Section for Indonesian Customs Exercise at PLBN Jagoi Babang; Welly Vasivikus, head of Immigration at PLBN Jagoi Babang; and Eddy Nayoi, assistant Bau District officer. — DayakDaily
