Lawas is a small and cozy riverine town with friendly and likeable
people. It has seen a lot of development in the last few years, such as new
roads, a new airport and a modern township.
Located in the
northernmost region of Sarawak, Lawas is a bustling frontier town with a
predominantly agrarian-based economy.
Its strategic
location bordering Brunei Darussalam, Sabah, and Labuan made it a focal point
for tourists especially from Brunei Darussalam.
One of the
unique features of Lawas as compared to other areas in Sarawak is its
capability in producing apples and oranges which are grown on the undulating
highlands of Ba’ Kelalan, situated about 1,000 metres above sea level.
The major races
in Lawas district are the Lun Bawang, Malays, Tagal, Iban and Chinese. The
entire district has a population of about 32,726 with 9,500 residing in the
town area.
The local
businesses are doing well, due largely to the cross-border traffic from Sabah
and Brunei and the improved transportation infrastructure.
The present
District Officer of Lawas District is Tuan Haji Mohd. Supaih bin Haji Hamdan.
He is a man who is easily accessible by the people of Lawas and with such a
close rapport between him and the people, the government’s development agenda
can be smoothly introduced and accomplished.
The other
development and implementation agency of government projects in Lawas
district is the Lawas District Council
headed by the District Officer as the Chairman, and Mr. Flavian Liaw as the
Secretary of the Council.
The 5-year 8th
Malaysia Development Plan is coming to a close at the end of 2005. As one of
the leading implementation and monitoring agencies of development projects
funded by the state government, the Lawas District Council has a total of 19
projects under its belt. All but one is still in progress.
According to Mr.
Liaw, the Council was allocated RM13 million for the 8th Malaysia
Plan and the only project yet to be completed is the Council building costing
RM4 million.
As of March
2005, the building is 50% nearing completion and is scheduled to be completed
by September 2005.
Another
recently-completed project in Lawas District is the SMK Merapok situated close
to the border with Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The school open its door to about 680
students in January 2005; 620 students are boarders. There are about 50
teaching staff of SMK Merapok.
Lawas town is
clean and beautiful because of the cooperation from its people, sustained
development projects by the government and various social activities organised
by the town.
The “Cleanliness
& Beautification Competition” and “Shell Traffic Game Competition” is to
help create an awareness of the importance of living in a nice and safe
environment to the children and adults.
Besides the
activities, Lawas residents and visitors to the town would be able to enjoy a
stroll in a couple of gardens representing different concepts or
characteristics of Lawas.
Located in the
centre of the town is the Deer Garden represented by a deer replica – one of
the many types of fauna found in the area.
Another garden
of interest is the Chinese Garden that is equipped with a basketball court.
This garden is attractive to the public particularly during
basketball/volleyball competitions or stage shows/festivals.
Future projects
proposed for the development and beautification of the district include a
Millennium Park and the Town Square.
Places of interest
Awat-Awat
Awat-Awat is a riverine village situated in the sub-district of
Sundar. This village is famous for its ‘ikan tahai’ or smoked fish which is
found mainly locally and nowhere else in Sarawak.
The ‘ikan tahai’ are processed in one of
the smoked houses in Awat-Awat before being sold in markets throughout the
district. They are very popular with visitors to Lawas who brought them back
home to give to friends and relatives.
Sungai Melasak Waterfall
Tucked away in a village of Pengalih which is about 15 kilometres
away from Lawas Town is the Melasak Waterfall.
Its clear water and safe surrounding is very popular amongst
picnickers at the weekend and gives the local plenty of choice for recreation.
Punang Beach
Punang Beach, situated close to Sungai
Bangat Beach, is a very popular picnic and camping spot especially for school
children who are on supervised school outings.
However, as with
all beaches, Punang is not free from the tidal effect of erosion. Efforts have
been made to strengthen the beach with the construction of a half kilometre
retaining wall to prevent further damage.
Sundar
Sundar is located about 30 km from Lawas town. The people of Sundar
have been able to reap the benefit of large-scale oil palm plantation. Beside
oil palm, the people of Sundar are mainly fishermen and farmers.
