Ken (standing, fourth left) and Hamfatullah (left) have their photo taken with the agency’s ICC 2016 winning team. — Photo by Chimon Upon KUCHING: The state Immigration Department has proposed to Putrajaya for an internal upgrading of its force to address the shortage of officers in Sarawak. According to its state director Ken Leben, presently 1,429 Immigration personnel are based in the state, with some 500 officers attached to its enforcement unit. “Whether we have enough manpower, it is a matter of perspective, but I have to admit that the state is in need of more personnel. In the meantime, to counter this shortage, we have proposed for the upgrading of the force to enable us to increase enforcement activities. “At the same time, our non-enforcement ...

Antonio (fourth from left) presents a book on Miri as a memento to Sim, witnessed by (from left) Miri Deputy Resident Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusuf, Dennis, Ting and Yii. MIRI: The Singapore government is keen on tapping into the tourism and business potential here for a win-win situation. According to Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Sim Ann, the island republic looks forward to inking collaborations on tourism and business with this city. “Potential for collaborations is very exciting, as Miri is indeed a unique destination that is strategically located. Apart from having the important source for the oil and gas industry, the city also has special tourism attractions in places abundant with nature’s beauty. “I think it is an unusual ...

Photo shows runners in the 10km Men’s Open and 10km Women’s Open categories. MIRI: Some 1,200 people from all walks of life here joined in the ‘Dayang Glow Run’ at Marina Parkcity here on Saturday night. The event was the first of its kind, and it was organised by Dayang Enterprise Sdn Bhd in conjunction with its ‘Quality, Health, Safety, Security and Environment’ campaign. It was divided into seven categories: 10km Men’s Open; 10km Women’s Open; 10km Men’s Veteran; 10km Women’s Veteran; 5km Family Boy; 5km Family Girl and Best Participants. Miri Mayor Adam Yii flagged off the run at 7.30pm, with Dayang executive deputy chairman Datuk James Ling and organising chairman Liaw Sin Soon among others present. Also ...

AWANG TENGAH KUCHING: Petronas Management led by its vice-president Zamri Jusoh on Tuesday met Second Minister for Resource Planning and Environment and Minister of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development, Trade and Investment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan to update him on contract works given to Sarawak-based companies. During the meeting, Awang Tengah stressed that Petronas must ensure that preference is given to local Sarawak companies that have the capability and capacity to undertake the contract works. He called on Petronas to advertise job vacancies in local newspapers and reminded Petronas to engage local talents whenever available. Also present in the briefing were Assistant Minister of Resource Planning and Assistant Minister of Entrepreneur Development ...

State is also looking at attracting tourists from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore KUCHING: China will be the main tourism market and focus of Sarawak followed by Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Speaking at a press conference after a meeting with Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) senior officers at the Yayasan Sarawak building at Jalan Masjid here yesterday, Assistant Minister for Tourism Datuk Lee Kim Shin said they would have to focus on a few markets rather than all over the place. “This year our main focus will be China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore but we will also be looking at our domestic market, particularly (arrivals) from Peninsular Malaysia,” he added. Lee said the number of arrivals from the twice-weekly Hong Kong-Kuching route which started last ...

Members of a traditional troupe perform a special welcome dance for the VIPs upon their arrival at Serian Community Hall. OUR RULER: Cultural performers Nursharmilya Amira Anuar (left) and Hartinah Abdullah take a closer look at a panel that displays photos and background of the reigning Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah at the special ‘Raja Kita’ exhibition in Serian Community Hall yesterday. — Photo by Muhamad Rais Sanusi SERIAN: It was a treat for 150 less fortunate members of society here as they received contributions from Yang di-Pertua Negeri (TYT) Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud during a high tea gathering yesterday held in conjunction with the state-level celebration of Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s birthday at Serian ...

MMA Sarawak branch chairman Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira presenting a souvenir to Uggah. MIRI: The state government is committed to improving infrastructure, increasing access to healthcare in both urban and rural areas, and increasing the number of doctors. Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem said this in his speech delivered by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas at the 56th Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) national annual general meeting state banquet here. “The doctor:population ratio in Sarawak is 1:2,000 improving to 1:980 in 2015, but we still lag behind. We are aiming for a ratio of 1:400 in the next five years,” Adenan said. “We know this is challenging due to geographical and logistical factors for a large ...

Rohani symbolically presents the contribution to Paska, received by Mohamad Yusnar (second left) and witnessed by Dr Annuar (right). SIBU: ‘Kompleks Penyayang’ (intergrated complex) in Sri Aman is the first of its kind in the country providing various services under one roof for the convenience of the public, says Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim. She said there were plans to set up one in each state, but due to the budget recalibration, places where land are already readily available would be considered first. “Otherwise, we have to slow down a bit. I believe there are a few now coming up in the peninsula, but the one in Sri Aman is the first in Malaysia,” she told reporters after gracing the ‘Majlis ...

Fatimah (fourth from right) witnesses the exchange of documents between Suraini (left) and Yeo and between Yong (second from right) and Dr Khoo. Tan is on the right. KUCHING: Women have been told to be vigilant against breast cancer and to seek early treatment if they discover they have this disease. Minister of Welfare, Women and Family Development Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said the problem with most women stricken with breast cancer is that they tended to keep mum about this ailment. “There remains this stigma about their body. They (those with breast cancer) will often opt for other treatment methods first. They will go for proper ones only after it is too late,” she said on Saturday at a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between Kuching Pink ...

Yakup presents a goodie bag to one of the patients. BINTULU: Fifty goodie bags were distributed to the patients of Bintulu Hospital’s maternity ward yesterday as part of the Christmas and the New Year celebrations. The gifts were presented by Bintulu Government Staff Welfare, Sports & Recreation Council (Maksak) members led by its chairman cum Bintulu Resident Muhamad Yakup Kari. Among those present were Bintulu deputy police chief DSP Lim Kwai Seng and other heads and senior officers of government departments. According to the event’s spokesman, the visit was held to promote a sense of care and compassion among Maksak members in Bintulu. “This event is also aimed at encouraging the participation of public servants and employees from the ...