New Naval Base To Be Set Up Near Kuching

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Muara Tebas, about 25km from Kuching, will be the site of the navy’s Region 4 headquarters with a port slightly smaller than the main base at Lumut.
PETALING JAYA: A new naval base will be built in Muara Tebas, about 25km from Kuching, to house the navy’s Region 4 headquarters, instead of Bintulu as previously planned.
Armed forces chief Nizam Jaffar said the Sarawak government has approved the relocation of the new naval base to Muara Tebas in view of factors such as cost effectiveness and water conditions.
He said Muara Tebas was more conducive for the navy to set up a base, the Borneo Post reported.
He added that the Muara Tebas base is set to be more modern than the Sepanggar base in Sabah but a little smaller in size than the navy’s home port of Lumut, Perak.
Muara Tebas, located at the Sarawak river estuary where it empties into the South China Sea, is also the location of the regional headquarters of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, or coastguard.
The site is believed to be close to the proposed site of Kuching’s new international airport.
More border posts
Nizam said the armed forces were in the midst of identifying critical areas along Sarawak’s border with Indonesia for the new border posts, in order to tackle cross-border crimes.
He said this was still at the discussion stage in collaboration with the state, before further talks are held with the ministries of finance, home affairs and defence in May.
Sarawak has 59 posts along the border, which stretches about 1,400km, he said.
“If we include the ones from northern Sabah to Sarawak, there are more than 100 posts stationed along the border. The combined length of the border (in East Malaysia) stretches to approximately 2,500km.” - FMT

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