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| Administrative map of Lawas District |
The quiet and tranquil atmosphere of this small yet quaint
town is usually interspersed with sounds from the busy river where it sits. Boats
arrive daily at Lawas River, from Muara in Brunei, Labuan Island in Sabah and
Limbang. In addition, express buses drive by on a daily basis from Kota Kinabalu.
There are also regular flights arriving and departing at the airport located 3km
south of Lawas Town - the administrative headquarter of Lawas District.
Lawas District is one of the two districts of Limbang Division, the 5th division
of Sarawak. It is located on the northern part of Sarawak, sandwiched between
Brunei Darussalam (Temburong) on the west, Indonesia (Kalimantan) on the south
and Sabah on the east. With an area of 3,810.46 sq km, the district has a population
of 34,863 (as of 2002) mainly consisting of these ethnic groups: Malays (13,078),
Lun Bawang (12,047), Kedayan (4,197), Chinese (3,325), Tagal (1,896) and Iban
(320). The Lawas District Council is the main local authority of the district
overseeing 232 units of shophouses and 45,000 units of residential houses under
its jurisdiction. There are approximately 150 villages and 16 longhouses in the
district.
Geographically, Lawas District is divided into two regions - mountainous hinterland
and patched swampy low land - fringing the coastal areas with two main rivers,
Lawas River and Trusan River, meandering through it. Communication to the hinterland
administrative station at Ba’kelalan is made possible by domestic rural air
service - Malaysian Airline System (MAS), and to Long Semadoh by rugged 4-wheel
drive. Road transportation plays a major role in linking Punang, Trusan, Sundar,
Merapok and so forth to Lawas. The main economic activities in the district are
farming, fishing and lumbering.
Basic amenities available in Lawas District include 3 secondary schools, 31 primary
schools, 8 clinics and 1 hospital. Electricity is supplied to most of the big
towns and villages except for those villages situated in the highland. Water supply
is accessible to only the big towns, nearby villages and the villages situated
at the coastal area. The three main landmarks within Lawas Town that would catch
your eye are the concrete replicas of the Gasing (at roundabout) and Apple and
Sweet Corn (both near Tamu/Market).
Attractions and Activities
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| Shophouses in Sundar |
Besides being famous for its beautiful and clean Lawas Town, the District is
also well known for its Bario rice and Ba’kelalan apples. Aside from food,
there are various activities and attractions in Lawas for the residents and
visitors. The Tamu (Market) is held every Saturday, bringing people from all
walks of life to converge in one place to buy from the local farmers and fishermen.
Fresh farm produce and catches from the sea, sold at reasonable prices, are
huge draws to the crowds. To make the market more interesting, businessmen from
Sabah join the Tamu every fortnightly, hawking wares like clothing and electrical
goods.
The Lawas Festival is a popular celebration for the residents with its range
of traditional sports - regatta, buffalo racing, tugs-of-war - and common sports
- football and volleyball, singing competitions and concerts featuring local
singers. Visitors could also visit the exhibition centre organised in conjunction
with the festival by government agencies and non-governmental organisation (NGOs).
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| Salt processing at Ba’kelalan |
Another festival associated with Lawas District is the Lun Bawang Festival,
usually held annually in the month of June by the Lun Bawang ethnic group in
the district. The unique culture and lifestyle of the Lun Bawang could be observed
during the festival, including their handicrafts - beads, wood skin clothes
and traditional clothes. Traditional activities like the blowpipe and bamboo
band are part of the festival, which ends with a beauty pageant for both men
(padan liu burung) and women (ruran ulung).
Other places of attraction would include Mount Murut and the Salt Processing
from the Salt Spring at Ba’kelalan.
Sub-Districts and Sub-Stations
Lawas District has two sub-district offices at Sundar and Trusan, and three
smaller administrative stations at Merapok (situated at the Sarawak-Sabah border),
Long Semadoh and Ba’kelalan. Long Semadoh and Ba’kelalan are both
manned by Up River Agent (URA). The division into sub-districts is done to ensure
efficiency of the development processes and services in the district.
Sub-Districts
Trusan is famous for its variety of fruits, particularly durian and rambutan.
Trusan also serves as a channel to Temburong, Brunei Darussalam. Soon, with
the availability of ferry services, Lawas could be reached not only via air
and water but also by land. The majority of people living
in Trusan are Lun Bawang while the minority groups are Malay and Chinese.
Sundar is located 30 km from Lawas Town. The sub-district is involved in the
rural development project of oil palm plantation. As a result, the residents
in
Sundar are able to receive the benefits from involving themselves in the project.
The main livelihoods of the people here are in farming and fishing. There are
however those who are in the business of cage fish farming that could bring
in a good income.
Awat-Awat is a village situated in the Sundar sub-district. Awat-awat is well
known as an ikan “tahai” producer. Ikan “tahai” is a type
of smoked fish, which is not found in other divisions in Sarawak.
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| The scenic view of Awat-Awat |
Sub-Stations
Merapok is a small town located at the end of the state of Sarawak, bordered
by the state of Sabah. Thus, this makes Merapok the main way out to Sabah, which
encourages residents from Lawas to visit Sabah often, especially Kota Kinabalu,
during the weekends. The main activity for the people of Merapok is hawking
and farming.
Ba’kelalan is known widely as a highland village with its own uniqueness.
Located almost 1,000m above sea level, the climate in this village could turn
very chilly. Due to its cool temperatures, planting subtropical fruits and vegetables
such as apples and oranges are suitable up here. Although Ba’kelalan is
relatively far from Lawas Town, it could still be reached by logging roads and
air. Despite its isolation, the village is on the government’s
development agenda.
Development Projects
The state government is continuously developing Lawas District through various
projects. Past development projects included the Rural Growth Centre, Lawas
Sports Complex, Roads, Water Supplies and Rural Electrification, while the on-going
development projects encompasses Merapok Secondary School, Sesco Power Station,
SEDC’s Lock-up Shops & Foodstalls, Quarters & Flats and CIQ Merapok.
Proposed future projects for the district are the Council’s Office, Millennium
Park, Town Square, Hospital, Melasak Waterfall, District Office and Agriculture
Office.
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| The famous Ba’kelalan apples |
Beautiful landscaping around Lawas Town |
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| The Saturday Tamu / Market |
Night view of Lawas Sports Complex |
Lawas District Council Projects for 2002
No. Project
1. Improvement To Trusan Field Grandstand
2. Installation of Street Lighting
3. Construction/ Improvement of Bilian Plankwork at
Melasak Waterfall
4. Construction of Fountain at Roundabout
5. Town Beautification
6. Resealing Of Roads
7. Purchasing Of Dustbins
8. New Lawas District Council Office
9. Luagan Dato Recreational Area
10. Sg. Bangat Beach (construction of bridge and relaxation area,
and improvement to the public toilet)
11. Children Playground (improvement to the playground and
painting costs)
12. Improvement of the Dumping Ground
13. Lawas Traffic Lights
HALL
- Lawas community hall
- Trusan community hall
- Lawas Sport Complex
MARKET
- Lawas main market
- Tamu centre
GARDEN
- Children playground
- Deer (Payau) Garden
- Chinese Garden
LIBRARY
- Kuala Lawas rural library
- Kg. Aru rural library
- Kg. Awat-Awat rural library
- Kg. Ba’kelalan rural library
- Kg. Long Tuma rural library
- Kg. Purusia rural library
- Lawas library
- Trusan library
- Sundar library
TRANSPORT
- Lawas bus station
- Lawas express terminal
- Lawas airport
- Ba’kelalan airport
OTHERS
- Wisma (Federal Depts.)
- Lawas District Office
- Police Station
- Lawas Hospital
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