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Bintulu Port Holdings has launched a shared digital procurement marketplace connecting its subsidiaries with more than 250 suppliers. The platform replaces paper-based quotations with catalogue-based purchasing and links to the group's existing BePRO system. Buyers can compare prices and delivery lead times, while orders are tracked from purchase order through goods receipt to invoice. Under the arrangement reported by The Borneo Post on October 13, Koperasi Pelabuhan Bintulu Bhd (KOPELA) acts as the sole master vendor and Borong runs the technology. The contract lasts two years, with an option for a further year. Bintulu Port says the suppliers already onboarded include 99 existing registered bidders and 153 Sarawak-based vendors. For local businesses, the change is a digital catalogue channel to reach the group's buyers, not a promise that every registered supplier will receive an order. Specialised maritime services, including vessel supplies, bunkering and maintenance, are described as the next expansion step. They should not be mistaken for services already available on the new marketplace.

Sarawak has approved 143 hectares in Meradong for hybrid paddy cultivation through a 20-year collaboration with Onemas Agriculture Sdn Bhd. The land arrangement, involving the Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA), was reported on October 13 by DayakDaily, citing TVS. A sub-lease memorandum ceremony between LCDA Agri Business Sdn Bhd and Onemas Agriculture took place that day. The agreement is a step towards bringing the Meradong land into cultivation. A precise planting start date was not announced. The food industry minister said early hybrid-paddy trials showed yield potential of up to 11.08 tonnes per hectare, compared with about 1.5 tonnes under traditional planting methods. That is a trial-based projection, not a recorded commercial harvest from the newly approved land. Sarawak's stated rice self-sufficiency level is 21 per cent, against a target of at least 60 per cent by 2030. The Meradong land approval provides a specific site within that wider effort. Its contribution will depend on cultivation and actual harvests, not the acreage announcement alone.

Sarawak's UP-DLPS 6 assessment begins on October 14, with all marking moving online for the first time this year. Government primary-school pupils in Primary 6 will sit the English, Science and Mathematics assessment on October 14 and 15. The education ministry's statement, reported by DayakDaily on October 13, puts the expected results date at November 23. The change is to how answers are marked, not an announcement that pupils will take the assessment remotely. Families have two dates to keep separate: this week's assessment and the later release of results. The ministry says online marking should improve efficiency and transparency and allow more detailed analysis of pupils' strengths and areas for improvement. Those are the aims of the new system; its performance will become clearer when the first set of results is available.

A Bahasa Melayu pass is not a compulsory condition for UEC holders entering Sarawak's four participating institutions or qualifying for the Free Tertiary Education Scheme, Deputy Minister Annuar Rapaee said on October 13. The education, innovation and talent development deputy minister told the state assembly that applicants must still meet the academic and course-specific requirements set by their chosen institution. He described the general degree-entry requirement as five UEC Grade Bs, with extra prerequisite subjects for some programmes. The participating institutions are Swinburne Sarawak, University of Technology Sarawak, Curtin University Malaysia and i-CATS University College. This is not a blanket promise covering every university or every course: students must enter one of the 64 courses covered by FTES. Once admitted to an eligible course, UEC holders do not need a separate FTES application, he said. English remains important because it is the main teaching language for most programmes. Some institutions have their own English-proficiency requirements, including IELTS or CEFR-based criteria. Applicants should therefore check the exact programme requirements rather than assume that the clarification removes all language or subject conditions. As of June 30, the minister said 192 UEC students had tuition coverage under the scheme: 137 at Swinburne Sarawak, 33 at UTS, 21 at Curtin Malaysia and one at i-CATS.

Sarawak is assessing 1,059 applications to create community-leader and village-chief positions. The review includes requests from Lundu, but the applications have not yet been approved. Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier's Office (Law and Native Customs) Jefferson Jamit Unyat gave the update in the legislative assembly on October 13. The reply addressed a request submitted through the Lundu District Office in 2021 for an additional community-leader position in Sematan, where the existing Penghulu oversees a large number of villages. Sarawak currently has 7,710 official Community Leader and Village Chief positions, known collectively as KMKK: 671 community leaders and 7,039 village chiefs. Kuching Division accounts for 641 positions, including 129 in Lundu District. These are the existing posts, not jobs newly approved under the current review. Population growth, settlement patterns and the size of the area covered are among the factors assessed when creating posts. A village, longhouse or settlement needs at least 20 households to qualify for a village-chief position. For communities awaiting a decision, the update confirms that applications remain under scrutiny; it does not provide an approval date for the Sematan request or a timetable for the full batch.

Being able to find an archive entry online is not the same as being able to read the document. That distinction was raised in Sarawak's legislative assembly on October 13. Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong called for a public-friendly platform that lets students, researchers and residents explore historical records without having to visit the library in person. She was debating the Sarawak State Library (Amendment) Bill 2026. Her proposals go beyond scanning: records should be accurately catalogued, kept in formats that remain readable, securely backed up and covered by disaster-recovery arrangements. She also sought priorities, targets and timelines for digitising historical documents, photographs and publications. Yong acknowledged the existing Sarawakiana digital collection and Records and Archives Reference Service, but asked how readily people can access the contents rather than just catalogue descriptions. Copyright, personal information, ownership and legitimate confidentiality restrictions would still need to be respected. These are proposals raised in the debate, not an announcement that a new access platform or recovery system has already been launched. For readers outside Kuching, the practical issue is whether more records can eventually be studied remotely, subject to those legal limits.

Night-time drivers on the Kuching–Samarahan Expressway face temporary road closures near the Sarawak Heart Centre roundabout during ART station bridge works. Sarawak Metro's notice, reported on October 13, covers two overnight work periods from October 12 to 14. Work runs from 10pm to 3am the following morning, meaning the second period falls on Tuesday night, October 13, into Wednesday, October 14. The operation is to install a fascia truss at the pedestrian link bridge for the Sarawak Heart Centre ART station. The restriction concerns sections near the roundabout, rather than a reported all-day closure of the entire expressway. Drivers using this stretch late tonight should follow the temporary traffic-management arrangements, signs and posted speed limits. For clarification before travelling, the KUTS hotline is 1300-88-5887 during office hours.

Three more private hospitals are planned for Kuching, representing about RM1.45 billion in committed private healthcare investment, the tourism ministry says. Kuching currently has five private hospitals. The additional three were described as expected market entrants in a ministerial speech at the Borneo Global MediTourism Congress and Expo at BCCK on October 12, according to DayakDaily. The report does not give their opening dates or identify the sites, so the planned expansion should not be read as three new hospitals already accepting patients. The ministry reported RM109.9 million in Sarawak healthcare-traveller revenue for January to June 2026, against RM90.6 million in the same period last year. Traveller numbers rose from 46,793 to 48,480. These are statewide figures, not revenue or visitor totals for Kuching alone. The local business opportunity extends beyond treatment. The speech highlighted accommodation, transport, food and tourism services used by patients and accompanying family members. Opening schedules and actual hospital capacity will determine when the planned investment becomes additional services on the ground.

SALCRA's headquarters in Kota Samarahan is now named Menara Alfred Jabu, honouring the former deputy chief minister who helped establish the land-development authority. Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg announced the change at SALCRA's Golden Jubilee Dinner at Imperial Hotel on October 12, DayakDaily reported. The building being renamed is Wisma SALCRA in Kota Samarahan, not the hotel where the announcement was made. The citation presented at the dinner says the State Cabinet approved the name on September 24. Alfred Jabu Numpang moved the Bill to establish the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority in the state assembly on March 24, 1976; the authority was established on May 1 that year. For anyone dealing with SALCRA, Menara Alfred Jabu is the new name of its existing Samarahan headquarters. The announcement concerns a change of name, not a newly opened office or a move to another town.

A school-cleaning task became the basis of SMK Long Bedian's winning national STEM project: a camera identifies waste, then opens the bin for the appropriate category. The Baram school took first place at the Petrosains Tech4All 2026 National Level Competition in Kuala Lumpur on October 12, DayakDaily reported from the organiser's release. The competition was held at Petrosains, The Discovery Centre—not at the school in Sarawak. Called S.O.R.T., the project combines Arduino coding, a camera and AI tools including Teachable Machine to distinguish cans, plastic and paper. Its stated purpose is to make sorting easier for the school's cleaner while helping students practise waste separation. That is a practical school prototype, not evidence that an automated recycling system has been rolled out across Baram. The report gives no tested accuracy rate or wider deployment plan, so the award should not be read as a claim that the system can identify every type of rubbish. The national competition brought together 40 students and 20 teachers from ten schools across six states. For Sarawak's STEM learning, the distinctive result is the use of coding and image recognition on a familiar local task, rather than technology presented only as a classroom exercise.

Eligible Sarawak students studying in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah or Labuan will continue to have i-GPS support for trips home in 2027, with claims capped at RM300 per trip and two trips a year. The state budget tabled on October 12 sets aside RM8 million for Graduan Pulang Sarawak, according to DayakDaily. The cap matters for family travel planning: it is a subsidy towards an eligible trip, not a promise to pay the entire ticket price or cover unlimited journeys. A separate RM50 million allocation continues the RM1,200 Special Pocket Money assistance for Sarawakian students in diploma and degree programmes at recognised higher-learning institutions across Malaysia. Its purpose is daily essentials such as food, rather than flight costs. The two programmes serve different needs and should not be treated as one combined payment. The report announces their continuation and funding for next year but does not provide the 2027 claim window, payment dates or full application requirements. A budget announcement is therefore not, by itself, notice that applications have opened. Scholarships and study loans also receive separate funding: RM18.5 million under the state government's named scholarship schemes, with a further RM206 million to be provided by Yayasan Sarawak.

Sarawak's 2027 water programme separates pipeline replacement from new capacity: RM255 million is set aside for replacing pipes, while RM454 million covers facilities including treatment-plant expansion. A further RM183 million goes to the Sarawak Water Supply Grid, bringing the water-infrastructure allocation to RM892 million. DayakDaily reported the figures from the state budget tabled on October 12. Statewide water coverage was given as 86.1 per cent. These are infrastructure funds, not household water-bill rebates or a promise that an individual neighbourhood's pressure problems have already been resolved. The report does not give a project-by-project list or completion timetable, so the allocation alone cannot establish when a particular home will gain a connection. Electricity support sits in separate programmes: RM50 million for ongoing Rural Electrification Scheme work, and RM63.5 million for SARES solar-battery replacement and grid extension. Rural electricity coverage was reported at 99.3 per cent; maintaining existing off-grid equipment remains part of the spending, alongside wider access. For low-income urban households, RM6 million is allocated to help with electricity connection charges, targeting 3,000 households. That is connection-cost assistance, rather than a reduction in everyone's monthly electricity bill.

Kuching South ratepayers will have two extra weekend counter sessions to settle their second-half 2026 assessment bills before the October 31 deadline. MBKS says its One-Stop Service Centre at Jalan Padungan will open from 8am to 4pm on Saturday, October 24, and from 8am to noon on Sunday, October 25. These sessions are for assessment payments only, not the full range of council services. Late payment attracts a surcharge of 1 per cent per month or part of a month. The council says not receiving a bill will not be accepted as a reason to waive that charge. Anyone still missing a bill can request a copy at the ground-floor One-Stop Service Counter at MBKS headquarters or the UTC counter on Level 1 at Jalan Bukit Mata, or subscribe to e-billing. A trip to the special weekend counter is not the only way to pay. MBKS also lists Sarawak Pay, JomPAY, internet banking, PayBills Malaysia and the Sarawak government services portal among its payment options. Credit cards are accepted at MBKS payment counters.

New registrations of potentially affected Chery Omoda 5 models and variants are being put on hold while JPJ investigates safety risks. The Road Transport Department’s October 11 statement sets out a temporary suspension of the relevant Vehicle Type Approval. It describes a targeted measure, not a finding that every Chery vehicle has the same defect. The registration hold is relevant to buyers awaiting delivery in Sarawak as well as elsewhere in Malaysia. Chery Malaysia must identify potentially affected vehicles using component part numbers, production batches, Vehicle Identification Numbers and other technical information. Vehicles identified as being at risk must be recalled for inspection and corrective work. Existing owners therefore need a vehicle-specific check with Chery, rather than assuming that a model name alone establishes whether their car is affected. JPJ will also audit production and assembly processes and the relevant axle supplier, including quality control and weld inspections. The suspension will be lifted only after corrective and preventive work is completed and JPJ gives technical confirmation that the safety risks have been addressed. No end date or complete affected-VIN list is set out in the statement.

Kuching recorded an Air Pollutant Index of 82 and Miri 96 at 6pm on October 11, both in the moderate category. The Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment Board's evening table lists moderate air quality at all 20 stations with available readings. Nearby Samarahan was at 74 and Serian at 70. Bintulu and Samalaju each recorded 93, while Lundu was at 92. Betong's station was marked as having no latest data, so it is not included in that count. The evening snapshot is lower than the 3pm readings of 85 in Kuching and 98 in Miri reported by The Borneo Post. Miri had briefly reached an unhealthy 104 at noon before returning to the moderate category at 1pm. That noon reading should not be mistaken for the city's evening status. These are readings for a stated hour, not a forecast for the rest of the night or a decision on tomorrow's school arrangements. Residents checking conditions for their own area should use the latest local station reading on the Department of Environment's APIMS portal rather than an earlier haze alert.

A group of 150 existing welfare recipients received RM100 each and a hamper at a reception in Kuching on October 11. The Borneo Post reported that the distribution took place at the high-tea reception for the Sarawak Head of State's 80th birthday. The recipients included older people, single mothers and children, with 124 women and 26 men among the group. The cash came from the Astana. DayakDaily reported that PETROS and Bintulu Port Holdings supplied rice and hampers, adding material assistance to the cash contribution. These recipients already receive monthly assistance from the Sarawak Social Welfare Department. The October 11 distribution was additional help for this group at the reception, not an announcement that every monthly welfare payment would rise by RM100. Neither report sets out a new public application round.

The Sarawak Teachers' Union is asking the state government to consider at least RM2,000 in special financial assistance for federal civil servants serving in Sarawak under the State Budget 2027. The union's request also sets out a one-month salary bonus for state civil servants as an alternative proposal. Neither figure is an approved payment announced by the government. For staff in Kuching and other Sarawak districts, the distinction is between a union's budget request and an entitlement they can already claim. In its account published on October 10, the union said the request was intended to recognise federal employees' contribution to the state's development. It recalled that state civil servants received a two-month salary bonus last year, while federal civil servants received RM700 in special assistance. Those earlier amounts are background to the request, not confirmation of this year's payment. The proposal covers federal civil servants serving in Sarawak, not teachers alone. Any payment amount, eligibility and disbursement date would still depend on a state government decision; the request itself provides no application window or payment timetable.

PTPTN borrowers who repay regularly and have no arrears are to receive a 10 per cent discount from 2027, the corporation said on October 11. The National Higher Education Fund Corporation outlined the incentive alongside income-based repayment measures announced in Budget 2027. For graduates in Kuching and elsewhere in Sarawak, these are different forms of help: the discount rewards a clean repayment record, while deferment is intended for borrowers on lower incomes. The budget provides for repayment deferment for borrowers earning below RM2,500 a month. Those earning between RM2,500 and RM3,000 are to make a minimum monthly repayment of RM50. PTPTN says implementation will involve income checks against Inland Revenue Board records. Deferment postpones repayment; it is not the cancellation of a study loan. Nor does the announcement give every borrower an immediate 10 per cent reduction: regular repayments and the absence of arrears are explicit conditions. The reported statement does not set out the discount calculation or application procedure, so the 2027 measures should not be treated as permission to stop current payments. Employers who repay employees' PTPTN loans are also to receive a tax deduction for payments made from January 2027 to December 2028. That is an employer incentive, separate from the borrower's repayment discount.

The personal income tax relief limit is to rise from RM9,000 to RM12,000 under Budget 2027, alongside lower rates for two taxable-income bands. The Finance Minister announced the changes in the Dewan Rakyat on October 9. The rate for taxable income between RM70,000 and RM100,000 is to become 18 per cent; the RM100,000 to RM150,000 band is to carry a 24 per cent rate. Both represent a one-percentage-point reduction. For Kuching taxpayers, the extra RM3,000 in personal relief is not a RM3,000 cash payment or an automatic RM3,000 reduction in tax payable. Relief reduces the income subject to tax; the actual saving depends on the person's taxable income and applicable rates. Likewise, the two announced band rates should not be read as a flat tax on everyone's entire salary. The budget also widens several expense categories: sports equipment relief is to include sports shoes, while education and skills-training relief is to include children's tuition fees. Lifestyle relief is to cover AI subscriptions, vaccination costs and pet adoption from registered centres. The government estimated that the package could provide up to RM1,600 in additional disposable income for about five million taxpayers nationwide. That is an upper estimate, not a guaranteed rebate for every filer. The report did not specify the assessment year or detailed claim conditions, so taxpayers will need the Inland Revenue Board's implementation guidance before applying the new categories to a return.

Sarawak needs RM8.9 billion to address dilapidated clinics and hospitals, Deputy Premier Dr Sim Kui Hian said on October 11—but that figure is a stated need, not an announced allocation. In his response to the federal Budget 2027, Sim said the details must be examined to establish how much funding is for new projects and how much continues existing work. That distinction matters to communities waiting for improvements: a broad budget total does not show which clinic or hospital will receive a new project. He also identified a regional blood bank and a central laboratory as facilities Sarawak needs, while describing the introduction of specialist dental clinics as a useful start. His statement did not give locations, funding approvals or construction dates for the blood bank and laboratory. For patients and families, the next concrete information is the facility-by-facility project list and delivery schedule. The RM8.9 billion estimate alone does not establish when repairs will start, or change the current operating arrangements at any named clinic.