Ancient crocodile effigies to lure eco-tourists to Sarawak

MIRI: Ancient crocodile effigies are set to become another of Sarawak's ecological tourism attractions to snap up the tourist ringgit.



Carved from earth and used as part of rituals practised by the Iban and Lun Bawang communities, the 3,000-year-old effigies symbolise the enduring spirit of the crocodile.



The tropical amphibious reptile, it must be noted, outlived the dinosaurs that ruled the earth millions of years ago.



Sarawak Museum director Ipoi Datan said the effigies, which symbolise the spirit of the crocodiles, were discovered in over 70 locations between Betong Division in the southern part of the state and Lawas, Sarawak's northernmost district.



"We have started carrying out a survey on the sites of the effigies in 2004 and the works were intensified, three years later.



"The biggest found so far, is about 53 feet (16.2 metre) long," he said here recently.



From survey works, he said, over 40 sites belonging to the Iban community were found between Betong Division and Balingian, in the Mukah Division.



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Sarawak Plan To Gazette Kuala Lawas As National Park

LAWAS -- Sarawak plans to gazette a new area made up mainly of water bodies in Kuala Lawas near here as another national park in a move to protect and conserve marine life, State Second Minister of Resource Planning and Management, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said.

He said the proposed national park that features fringe mangrove along the coastline has become a favourite feeding ground for dugongs and green turtles and would play an important role in marine eco-system.

Speaking at the South East Asia Regional Workshop on Dugong here Wednesday night, he said the plan was among the State's commitment to protect and conserve the invaluable heritage and wealth of wildlife.

He said to date, a total of 206,344 hectares of water bodies had been gazetted as totally protected areas to conserve endangered marine species such as sea turtles, marine mammals, sea horses, coral and marine eco-system.

"It is in our greatest interest to constantly improve our current approaches and innovatively transform our assets into legacies that will continue to provide beauty and wonder for generations to come," he added.

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Travel boon to Limbang and Lawas

LIMBANG: Malaysia and Brunei have agreed to ease travel to Sarawak's two northern territories, Limbang and Lawas, that are sandwiched by Brunei.

From Aug 1, frequent travellers from Sabah and Sarawak to Limbang or Lawas, or vice versa, will only need to have their passports stamped at the first entry point into Brunei and at the last exit point.

This was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak when he unveiled the Frequent Travellers Facility to ease travel along the Pan Borneo Highway that traverses Brunei.


To get to Lawas and Sabah from Miri, travellers have to first enter Brunei at the Sungai Tujoh immigration checkpoint, exit Brunei to enter Limbang at the Tedungan checkpoint and exit Limbang to enter Lawas at Pandaruan.

"At this moment, travellers from Miri to Lawas and Sabah, need to have their passports endorsed eight times one way.

"So, if they have a return visit, at least two pages of their passports are full of endorsements," said Najib at the launching of the Tedungan Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex yesterday.

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New airport to facilitate travel and open up Lawas

LAWAS: Travel for folk in Lawas and southern Sabah would be a breeze when the proposed new Lawas airport is completed under the second rolling of the Tenth Malaysia Plan (10MP)

Deputy Minister of Transport Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said the present transportation and communication woes would be addressed by the building of the airport by the federal government under the mid-term review of 10MP, which has been regarded as an essential project.

The new airport would also open up communication links around Lawas, including the Ba Kelalan and Bario highlands apart from neighbouring Sabah, he said during his working visit here yesterday.

“The construction of the new airport is a necessity and not a luxury for this region,” he said, adding that it would also boost the economic growth of the district and southern districts of Sabah.

The current fleet of four Twin Otter aircrafts is also slated to be replaced with more modern aircrafts that meet the requirements of rural Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) airstrips under the Rural Air Service (RAS) for Sabah and Sarawak.

These reliable aircrafts currently operated by MasWings are already 28 years-old.

Rahim said the ministry was informed by Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan of the problem of frequent flooding at Lawas airport during rainy spells which caused much inconvenience to the people.

The increase in passenger traffic would also bring a brighter prospect for the district’s tourism industry as it is currently constricted by limited air travel connectivity.

The deputy minister also visited the proposed site of the new airport which has been approved by the state government, and gave the thumbs up for its strategic location in the economic development triangle of Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei.

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New Limbang national park proposal submitted

KUALA LAWAS in Limbang is expected to be the next national park covering aquatic and marine areas in Sarawak.

Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) general manager Wilfred Landong said the area had been identified and the proposal to gazette it as a Totally Protected Area (TPA) had been submitted to the Controller’s Office for further action.

“We have proposed it to be gazetted as a TPA because of the diversity in marine life and it is a very important habitat for endangered species like dugongs, dolphins and turtles,” he told The Star during a break for the 10th Hornbill Workshop in Miri yesterday.

Other national parks covering aquatic and marine areas are Similajau (Bintulu), Miri-Sibuti, Loagan Bunut (Miri), Tanjung Datu, Talang Satang, Kuching Wetland (Kuching), Maludam (Sri Aman) and Rajang Mangroves (Sibu).

Landong said SFC and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) had also planned a long-term collaboration to monitor and conduct research on the marine biodiversity and habitats, particularly on seagrass, dugongs, turtles and fishery resources in the area.

Earlier, UMS marine mammal research unit head Dr Saifullah A Jaaman said Lawas, located in the southwest section of the Brunei Bay, had a unique and special marine ecosystem which consisted of mangrove forests, seagrass beds, coral reefs, estuaries, sandy beaches, mud flats and continental slopes.

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