PKR Sarawak deputy chairman’s claim that the Bebuling Stolport (short takeoff and landing airport) near the rural town of Betong – about 140km from Kuching – is “becoming a potentially sick project” has been dismissed as malicious and false. 

Abun Sui Anyit made the claim recently in a social media post. 

Deputy Premier Douglas Uggah Embas, in dismissing it as the “obsession of the opposition to find fault with the government”, explained the stoppage was due to “significant changes” that had to be made to the airport design, which required the approval of the state cabinet.

The Bukit Saban assemblyman, where Stolport is located, said when Premier Abang Johari Openg visited the project site earlier this year, he was unhappy at the length of the runway, which he believed would restrict the types of aircraft that could land there. 

Uggah said as the proposal on lengthening the runway and other design changes had to be presented to the state cabinet for a decision, work therefore had to be stopped.

On a site visit today, he said the runway has been lengthened from its original design of 0.79km to 1.19km. 

This, he said, would allow the safe operations of turboprop “combi” (passenger-cargo combination) aircraft like the Cessna 408, the Beechcraft King Air, the DHC Twin Otter and the Cessna Caravan. 

The Cessna 408s and Twin Otters are 19-seater planes, the King Air is an 11-seater, and the Caravan a nine-seater.

The other changes to the design are a VIP lounge, security screening system, baggage check-in and bigger public and staff parking areas. 

Uggah said the changes had pushed the original contract cost of RM108 million to RM250 million and the completion date, originally slated for March 18 next year, to February 10, 2024.

While he dismissed the “sick project” claim, Uggah however admitted the actual progress as of August 25, before work stopped, was slightly behind schedule – 19.74% against the target of 25%. 

The Stolport is being built to handle tourists heading to the nearby Batang Ai resort, and transport agricultural goods and produce from the Agropark established there.

The state is turning Betong into one of its “food baskets”. – September 15, 2022.