FORT Ranee is on its way to be gazetted as one of Sarawak’s heritage buildings under the Sarawak Heritage Ordinance 2019.
Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts II Datuk Snowdan Lawan (GPS-Balai Ringin) said the ongoing proposal and gazetting process is currently carried out by his ministry and the Sarawak Museum Department.
“Fort Ranee has played an important role as an administrative office since it was built by Charles Brooke in 1888. At one point, it was also used as the Saratok District Council Office before being turned into a Community Internet Centre in 2014,” he said.
Snowdan said this in response to Mohamad Duri (GPS-Kalaka) during question and answer (Q&A) session at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today.
Snowdan said the ministry has always tried its best to obtain allocations to repair Fort Ranee so that it can be developed as a landmark in Saratok and become a tourist destination in Sarawak.
Apart from that, he said five forts in Sarawak have been restored under the ‘Conservation and Upgrading of Historical Fortress Programme’ by the Sarawak Museum Department.
These included Alice Fort in Sri Aman which cost RM5 million in December 2014; Lily Fort in Betong (RM5.5 million) in September 2020; Emma Fort in Kanowit (RM5.5 million) in December 2019; Fort Brooke in Julau (RM5 million) in August 2020; and Hose Fort in Marudi (RM4 million) in June 2020.
