KUCHING: The spike in Covid-19 cases is worrying for Sarawak as the state shares the land border with Kalimantan, Indonesia, said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing.
He pointed out that infected Indonesians could enter the state through ‘jalan tikus’ (rat trails).
“Therefore, I am happy to note that the government led by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin understands our concerns and is sending the home affairs ministry to look at the border and make the necessary recommendations to close all the ‘jalan tikus’.
“There are many ‘jalan tikus’ due to to our porous 1,000-km border. I am also glad that the government will assist us in guarding our CIQs (customs, immigration and quarantine complex) and has promised to create new ones as soon as possible,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Masing, who is also the State Border Security Committee chairman, said the infiltrations by Indonesions to Sarawak had been going on for years, but this time, it was a worrying factor due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We do not want to see Indonesians ‘export’ their Covid-19 infections to Sarawak by their infiltrations to Sarawak,” he stressed.
