THE Sarawak government will have a meeting with the Indonesian consulate-general in Kuching on Monday to discuss the reopening of the state’s land borders with the republic. 

Sarawak Deputy Premier Douglas Uggah Embas said the state will present its standard operating procedure (SOP) proposal at the meeting. 

He said the proposed SOP needs the agreement of both sides for it to be implemented. 

“We will discuss with Indonesia; we have two categories of travellers – the first, tourists, and the second, frequent commuters in the form of transporters carrying goods.

“That’s the direction of our discussion with Indonesia, to enable trade in the Tebedu and Biawak area (bordering Indonesia) to commence. There was a lot of trade taking place there before (Covid-19),” he told reporters after visiting the Kuching International Airport on the first day of the country’s border reopening today. 

On March 8, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the country’s borders would be reopened on April 1 in line with the country’s plan to enter the transition period to the endemic phase of Covid-19. 

Uggah said the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex in Tebedu was reopened today although the SOP with Indonesia has yet to be finalised. 

He said the border with Brunei will remain partially shut and will be opened on April 15. – Bernama, April 1, 2022.