By Marlynda Meraw
KUCHING, Aug 10: The Trans-Nusantara Expedition has officially commenced its 40-day journey, with the Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah flagging off the first convoy of vehicles.
According to Abdul Karim, there are 25 four-wheel drives (4WD) involved in the Trans Nusantara Expedition, with 60 expedition members from the Indonesia Offroad Federation, Brunei 4WD Association, Sabah 4WD Association, Sarawak 4×4 Travel & Adventure Club, and Indonesia 4×4 Overland.
“The expedition team members comprise a majority of Malaysians from Sarawak, Sabah, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.
“International participants are from Brunei, Singapore, Norway, and Australia,” said Abdul Karim during his speech.
The journey spans over 8,000km across land and sea, traversing through the Indonesian Archipelago, through Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Flores, Lombok, Bali and Java.
The convoy group will stop at Nusantara, Indonesia’s new capital in Kalimantan, for its opening ceremony on Aug 17, before continuing onward.
“This year (2024) marks a significant time in the history of Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) region as the nations of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines collaborate towards improving border bilateral ties and inter-connectivity in transportation,” Abdul Karim continued.
During the journey, expedition members will be encountering many significant historical, natural and world heritage sites such as Danau Kalimutu, Labuan Bajo, Toroja Land, Bali, Mount Bromo, and many others.
The Trans-Nusantara Expedition 2024 is the collaborative efforts of both Borneo Overland Expeditions and Indonesia 4×4 Overland with the flagging off organised by Epic Borneo.
The expedition commenced at the Clock Tower, Kuching Waterfront and will make its first stop at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex in Tebedu, with the 4×4 convoy expected to return to Kuching on Sept 18 to conclude their entire journey.
Presently, Sarawak is the only region with ICQS points between Malaysia and Indonesia and serves as the sole gateway to the capital Nusantara by land.
Also present at the flagging-off ceremony was MTCP Permanent Secretary, Datu Sherrina Hussaini. — DayakDaily
