KOTA KINABALU – A customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) complex is being planned near the border village of Kg Bantul in Pensiangan, some 161km from here.
Kg Bantul is located at the furthest end of the Pensiangan river and only 10 minutes away from Kg Labang in North Kalimantan, Indonesia.
A joint control post was recently set up in the area to control smuggling activities and illegal entries.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said construction of the complex will commence soon with the federal government requesting 26.3ha of land for the purpose.
He added that police will also be stationed at the new outpost for security purposes.
“The construction will commence when the land has been allocated. We hope we can call for tenders this year. We have already identified the area (for the CIQ).
“I was flying over the area earlier and saw that Indonesia has already started construction on their side,” he told reporters in Kemabong, Tenom here today.
The state had earlier requested for the federal government to hasten the CIQ in Serudong near Kalabakan, but has since pushed for the Bantul CIQ instead.
The construction of the RM600 million customs, immigration, quarantine and security complex and staff quarters in Kalabakan, Sabah, has been suspended due to no funds coming from the Finance Ministry.
Works minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof had said the project in Serudong was part of the Jalan Kalabakan-Serudong package of the Trans-Borneo Highway, which was already approved in the 2020 Budget, with RM10 million funds put upfront for early works.
However in June 2020, the Finance Ministry decided it would not proceed with some of the initiatives announced in the budget. – The Vibes, July 15, 2022
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