Vehicles lining up at the Miri border checkpoint to cross from Sarawak to Sabah via Brunei.
MIRI: The Federal Government and Sarawak government have been urged to start building a new highway linking northern Borneo and bypassing Brunei, following the sultanate’s move to impose new travel charges on those crossing into its borders.
In making the call, Progressive Democratic Party secretary-general Datuk Nelson Balang Rining told StarMetro that Brunei’s decision to impose land entry and exit fees of B$3 (RM9.2) per foreign traveller is too expensive.
“The decision by Brunei to start imposing the new charges (starting Aug 1) is going to hurt Malaysians badly.
“Business people and residents in the districts of Miri, Limbang and Lawas who commute through Brunei daily for business and social purposes will be affected by this latest travel charges, ” said Balang, who is former Ba Kelalan assemblyman.
He pointed out that every person entering or passing through Brunei will be charged B$3 each at their checkpoints.
“That is almost RM10 per person. A family of five in a car will have to pay close to RM50 per entry.
“From Miri to Limbang to Lawas and to Sabah, we have to pass through numerous border checkpoints.
“Just imagine the charges we have to fork out, ” he said, adding that the new rate was too expensive.
Brunei previously charged B$3 per vehicle, regardless of the number of passengers, but this has now changed.
“Now the travel charges are counted by the number of persons in a vehicle, ” he said.
Balang said the Federal and state governments had repeatedly said that a new highway would be built bypassing Brunei, adding that it was time to make this project a top priority.
“If this new highway bypassing Brunei can be realised, it will save Malaysians so much travel expenses, ” he said.
Passing through Brunei is the only land route available connecting Miri and Limbang and onwards to Lawas and Sabah.
Talks on building a direct land route from Miri to Limbang to Lawas, to connect Sarawak to Sabah while bypassing Brunei, had been bandied about since the 1980s but had not progressed further.
