THOUGH travel restrictions are no more after national borders reopened on April 1, the more than 40,000 residents of Limbang in northern Sarawak are still “trapped” on their 397,600ha plot of land.

Limbang is nestled between Brunei borders, which have yet to reopen, making it almost impossible for residents to leave the district by road as they need to cross through the small nation.

Limbang residents must now choose to exit via air, river or sea.

Miri is 182km away and reachable in less than two hours, “but now it is very expensive and tortuous to get there”, Mastura Ismail told The Malaysian Insight.

The housewife said residents need to fork out hundreds of ringgit to make a similar trip via air as a return ticket can cost up to RM300.

It is cheaper to fly to Kuching, which is 629km away, than Miri, she added.

Mastura said she paid more than RM100, including add-ons, for her ticket to Kuching when she had to undergo a medical treatment.

But booking flights can be a pain as they are “fully booked for Hari Raya Aidilfitri and… will be the same for the upcoming Gawai”.

If residents fail to secure a flight out of Limbang, their only other option is to take a river or sea trip to Lawas.

As a last resort, they can try their luck at a road trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and book a flight to Miri from there.

Getting to Lawas, which is 68km away by road, will now take no less than an hour.

Mastura said: “You can either take the ferry via sea or so-called ‘private boats’ via river to Lawas.”

A ferry ticket costs RM30 and the trip will take three hours. A one-way private boat fare costs RM50 and the trip will take about one hour.

“It is crazy, but we are used to these difficulties,” said Mastura.

Prior to the pandemic and on normal days, the border crossings to Brunei or Sabah (from Lawas) are open between 6am and midnight.

Any emergency that requires travelling through the borders must be put on hold until they reopen at 6am.

Jenifer Laeng, who was recently transferred to Lawas, finds the Brunei border closure a bit too much.

Since her transfer on January 1, she has returned to Miri to visit her family only twice.

Laeng said on both occasions, she had to fork out up to RM240 for a flight ticket.

“It is cheaper to go on holiday to Penang. If the (Brunei) borders are reopened, I would drive to Miri every weekend.”

For now, she said she will have to make do with Lawas.

“For me who is new here, it is a strange feeling. But for long-time residents, it is normal and life goes on.” – May 8, 2022.