BY ABANG FARID ABANG TAHA
KUCHING: Foreigners are illegally entering Tanjung Datu with impunity ever since the launch of the Telok Melano-Sematan Pan Borneo Highway.
Worried by this new development, Santubong MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said these foreigners are taking advantage of the porous Malaysia-Indonesia border checkpoint, moving in and out without proper permits or credentials.
He said like rubbing salt to wounds, these foreigners are opening up hawker stalls by the roadside, taking away business from locals.
“This is unfair to the local community. We don’t discourage immigrants, illegal ones especially, to do business here.
“Foreigner must follow our law when they are here. They must go through a certain procedures at the checkpoint and possess the relevant permit to do business here,” Wan Junaidi said at the presentation of Minor Rural Project (MRP) grants at his Santubong Parliament Service Centre here, yesterday.
According to him, the problem has been going on for “quite some time” but their numbers seem to increase drastically ever since the completion of the Pan Borneo project in the area.
He noted also that although the Malaysian and Indonesian governments had agreed terms on the border issues, occasionally irresponsible people would shift the land boundary stone.
“But each time there was a formal visit to the border post, the stone would be placed at its normal position.
“I urge the relevant party to look in this matter. The security of our boundary needs to be guarded efficiently so we won’t have a problem with Illegal intrusion.
“If our neighbours want to visit Sarawak, they must respect our authority and pass through the Malaysia-Indonesia Joint Post (Gabma) at Biawak,” he pointed out.
Earlier Wan Junaidi presented MRP funds to recipients from Pantai Damai (30 receiving a total of RM96,000) and Demak Laut (18 – RM56,500) at the Santubong MP Service Centre, Satok, Jalan Kulas.
Nine other NGOs received a total of RM27,000.
