M’sia-Indonesiaborder check-pointat Tebedu not tobe closed: police

KUCHING - POLICE dismissed rumours that the Malaysia-Indonesia border checkpoint at Tebedu, Serian, about 95km from here, had been temporarily closed following alleged public unrest in Pontianak, the capital of Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province.

Serian police chief DSP Mohd Jamali Uni said the checkpoint remained open as usual and was operating 12 hours daily from 6am.

He said yesterday that public bus services between Kuching and Pontianak had also resumed operations after being affected last week by alleged extortion along the route (within the Indonesian province). “Despite such allegations, we have not received any report yet (from the bus operators) and although the situation seems to be back to normal, we will continue to monitor,” he said.

Meanwhile, a source from the Immigration here concurred with Mohd Jamali and said no order had been issued to close the checkpoint temporarily due to security reasons.

The Tebedu border checkpoint is one of several routes linking Sarawak and Indonesia’s Kalimantan which is serviced by four Sarawak express bus companies and two from Indonesia.

There were allegations from bus operators that buses entering Pontianak from Sarawak were stopped by groups that demand money to continue their journey, following which a number of bus operators in Sarawak refused to service the route.

Bernama