Sarawak recorded 22.7 million domestic visitors in 2025, up from 19.6 million in 2024, Tourism Malaysia's domestic and events division senior director Mohd Roslan Abdullah said at a Kuching travel carnival on October 31. The Borneo Post reported the increase as 15.8%. The figures concern domestic visitors in 2025, not international arrivals or a count for 2026. Nationwide domestic visitor numbers for the first half of 2026 were separately put at 151.6 million, compared with 143.5 million a year earlier. For Sarawak businesses, the figures provide context for demand across food, transport and accommodation, but they do not show how spending was distributed among individual districts. The statistics were presented at the carnival in Plaza Merdeka; its Kuching edition ends on November 1.

Landas 3 Sarawak Energy won the Petronas Cup men's 25-paddler Perahu Bidar race at Sarawak Regatta 2026, recording a time of six minutes and 59 seconds, TVS reported. The result is for the Petronas Cup category, not a confirmation of the separate Raja Sungai title. Landas Sarawak deputy chairman Roslan Putit said the latter was the team's main target, while the cup win was a bonus. The regatta runs from October 23 to November 1 along the Sarawak River waterfront in Kuching. The result gives local followers a specific race outcome as the waterfront programme draws to a close; the report did not provide finishing times for the other crews.

Visitors to Bukit Lima Nature Reserve in Sibu must stay off the damaged old trail, even though upgraded routes elsewhere in the reserve are already available. DayakDaily’s Oct 25 report quotes Sarawak Forestry Corporation as saying the affected section has been closed for several months, with notices prohibiting entry for safety reasons. SFC has instructed park management to tighten measures against unauthorised access. The distinction matters for anyone planning a walk: the reported damage concerns the closed old network, not a declaration that every trail in the reserve is shut. Phase 1 facilities, officially opened in July 2026, include a new 600-metre route, an improved two-kilometre route linking the southern and northern entrances, and a One Stop Centre. Visitors should follow the on-site notices and use only designated routes that remain open. A RM38 million allocation covers Phase 2 development, including construction and upgrading of walking trails and replacement of the damaged section. Work is expected to begin in early 2027. That is a projected start, not a reopening promise; no completion date for the old trail was given in the clarification.

The 2.24km tunnel at Bukit Pagon in Lawas is taking shape under the Sarawak–Sabah Link Road Phase 2 project. It is construction progress, not an announcement that a new driving route is open. The Borneo Post reported on Oct 24 that Sarawak JKR described the tunnel as a milestone in crossing the mountainous terrain. The wider SSLR2 scheme covers a 335.54km road network in northern Sarawak, connecting areas including Miri, Limbang, Lawas and Ba’Kelalan. For people travelling between Sarawak and Sabah, the important eventual change is an alternative route that does not pass through Brunei. Interior communities that have relied on logging roads are also expected to gain better access. Those are intended benefits of the completed network, not services motorists should assume are available now. SSLR2 was launched in September 2025, carries an estimated RM7.6 billion cost and is scheduled for completion in 2029, with Sarawak JKR as implementing agency. The RM7.6 billion figure is for the overall road project, not the 2.24km tunnel alone; the reported 2029 target likewise should not be read as a separate confirmed tunnel-opening date.

SK Nanga Temalat in Song has received completed facilities under a RM10 million reconstruction project, moving this part of Sarawak’s dilapidated-school programme from construction to delivery. DayakDaily’s Oct 25 report, citing Sarawak JKR, identifies a four-storey administration block, hostel facilities for boys and girls, and a pump house among the works. The facilities support both the school’s day-to-day operations and pupils’ accommodation, rather than just adding an administrative building. The project was officially launched on Oct 25. It falls under Phase 2, Package 10 of the RM1 billion allocation for rebuilding dilapidated schools in Sarawak. RM10 million refers to this school’s reconstruction; RM1 billion is the wider programme allocation, not the amount spent at SK Nanga Temalat.

A study covering nine Sarawak river basins, including the Batang Rajang, is expected to finish in August 2027 before its findings shape an action plan for managing the state’s rivers. Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Fadillah Yusof outlined the work at the national World Rivers Day celebration in Sibu on Oct 24, The Star reported on Oct 25. The Irrigation and Drainage Department is carrying out the integrated river basin management study. The purpose is to bring water-resource protection, flood-risk reduction and development planning into a more coordinated system. The next concrete milestone is completion of the study, followed by the action plan—not an assurance that flood-control works in all nine basins are already finished. Fadillah also said RM7.4 billion had been allocated for 46 water-related projects in Sarawak under Rolling Plan 1 of the 13th Malaysia Plan: 33 continuing projects and 13 new ones. RM5.8 billion is for department-led work including flood mitigation, river conservation and coastal erosion protection. Those are state-wide project allocations. The figures should not be read as the price of the nine-basin study, or as a single water-supply project for Sibu merely because the announcement was made there.

Form Six students are to receive a total RM2,500 living allowance across three semesters, with payments starting in the first semester of 2027 after registration is completed. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek gave the timing in Nibong Tebal on Oct 25, according to a Bernama report carried by DayakDaily. She said the assistance announced in Budget 2027 would be paid in stages, describing the amount per semester as approximately RM800. For Sarawak families weighing the cost of the Form Six route, the distinction is between the overall allowance and each instalment. RM2,500 is not the amount promised for every semester, and the announcement is not an immediate payment notice for today’s students. The reported sequence is registration first, followed by disbursement in the first semester next year. The minister’s rounded RM800 description is not an exact three-payment schedule; families should not assume three identical RM800 instalments settle the full RM2,500 total.

Families in Tebedu should prepare for home-based learning on Monday, Oct 26: 27 schools will close because of haze, while face-to-face classes for SPM candidates will continue with masks. The Sarawak Education Department’s Oct 25 statement, reported by Bernama, covers one secondary and 26 primary schools. Teachers and support staff may work from home during the closure. The instruction also extends to primary and secondary schools in districts recording Air Pollutant Index readings above 200 after the statement. It is not a blanket closure of every school in Sarawak. Institutions are to monitor readings through the Department of Environment’s APIMS portal. Parents who are concerned about the haze may keep their children at home, provided they inform the school. For families with SPM candidates, the continued face-to-face arrangement is the important exception to check with their school. Schools can prepare to reopen when readings show a downward trend below 200. That condition is not an announcement that Tebedu schools will automatically reopen on Tuesday.

Manufacturers’ calls for wider SME tax concessions are proposals for the government to consider—not new tax relief that firms can already claim. In an Oct 25 statement reported by The Borneo Post, the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturing asked for a further review of SME corporate tax rates and wider income bands qualifying for preferential treatment. It also sought the removal of the RM2.5 million paid-up capital criterion for SME tax treatment. For growing manufacturers, including those in Sarawak, the issue is whether increasing capital or expanding operations causes support to fall away before a company can comfortably fund its next stage. FMM wants a revised manufacturing SME definition covering turnover of up to RM100 million or up to 300 employees, paired with graduated support beyond SME status. The federation also reiterated a proposed RM1.5 billion smart manufacturing package for 2027–2030: RM500 million for automation, RM750 million for digitalisation and RM250 million for artificial intelligence adoption. These figures describe its requested package, not an approved funding allocation. The distinction for business planning is important: a proposed wider definition or tax band does not itself change eligibility. FMM said it would continue engaging the government on the National Budget 2027 initiatives.

Sarawak had seven critically delayed infrastructure projects as of September, compared with 98 in June 2022, according to Deputy Premier Douglas Uggah Embas. The reduction is about 93 per cent, but it is a change in the number classified as critically delayed—not a statement that 91 projects have all been completed. Uggah gave the figures in his Oct 21 ministerial winding-up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly, DayakDaily reported. He linked the improvement to closer monitoring, earlier intervention and changes within the Public Works Department. Three regional offices were dissolved and their responsibilities consolidated under divisional offices, with additional staff and resources. For residents seeking a project update, that restructuring is intended to give the public and elected representatives a single divisional point of reference, rather than overlapping regional responsibilities. JKR’s One-Month Pledge also focuses on checking contractors’ readiness and progress early enough to intervene before delays deepen. The statewide figure is dated September, not a live count for Oct 23. The report does not identify the remaining seven projects or give their individual recovery dates, so it cannot establish whether a particular local road or facility is back on schedule.

Four crocodiles were caught at Sungai Beluru Bakong in a Monday-to-Tuesday operation, but the animal residents specifically wanted removed was not among them, according to the team involved. The Borneo Post reported on Oct 23 that the Joran Jerikan team worked with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation from about 4pm on Monday until around 10am on Tuesday. The largest of the four measured 15 feet, or about 4.57 metres. This was an earlier operation, not a capture taking place today. Team member Balan Lawai told the newspaper that residents had asked for help because of crocodiles in the river. He said the 12-member team used fishing hooks and comprised licensed crocodile hunters. The team may return following further requests from the village head and residents. Balan said a particular crocodile identified by residents had not yet been caught. For communities along the Bakong river, the four captures should not be read as an all-clear: the report records a limited operation and an unresolved target, not confirmation that the river is free of crocodiles. No date for a return operation was given.

Sarawak’s Legislative Assembly will be dissolved on Monday, Oct 26, starting the constitutional timetable for a state election—not voting itself. Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg announced the decision at a press conference in Kuching on Oct 23 after obtaining the Governor’s consent, DayakDaily and The Star reported. The Election Commission will set and announce nomination and polling dates. The distinction matters for voters making travel or leave arrangements: Oct 26 is the dissolution date, not an announced polling day. Under the constitutional timetable described by the Premier, the election must be held within 60 days of dissolution. The new Assembly must be summoned to meet within 120 days. The state government will serve in a caretaker capacity during the election period. Abang Johari said public administration and essential services would continue, so the dissolution does not mean a shutdown of government services. The current Assembly first met on Feb 14, 2022. The announcement brings its term to an early end; the next practical milestone for voters is the Election Commission’s election timetable.

Sarawak’s urban water coverage has passed 99 per cent, but the rural figure stands at 72 per cent, leaving a substantial gap behind the statewide infrastructure spending totals. Deputy Premier Douglas Uggah Embas gave the figures during his ministerial winding-up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly on Oct 21, DayakDaily reported. He said RM3.231 billion had been spent as of September under the Water Supply Grid Programme for Stressed Areas, which involves overall investment of about RM4 billion. A further RM1.085 billion allocation was identified for replacing ageing pipes, with 237.68 kilometres already replaced. That is a separate progress measure from coverage: the length of pipe renewed does not say which remaining communities have gained a connection. Uggah also reported 99.7 per cent electricity coverage statewide and 99.3 per cent in rural areas under the Rural Electrification Scheme. Spending under that scheme had reached RM2.178 billion by the third quarter of 2026. The two utility figures show that rural electricity coverage and water coverage are at very different stages. For rural households, the water figure is a coverage benchmark, not a promise of a connection date or uninterrupted supply at a particular address. The update did not set out a village-by-village timetable for closing the remaining gap.

Nearly half of school-going children in Sarawak’s first Child Wellbeing Index study lacked adequate access to learning devices, even as 95.5 per cent of the children surveyed said they enjoyed learning. The preliminary findings put access and actual skills alongside school participation. More than one in three children fell below the study’s benchmark for mathematical proficiency, while one in four did not meet its literacy benchmark. These are findings about the children surveyed, not a count of every child in Sarawak. Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Fatimah Abdullah presented the findings at a press conference in Kuching on Oct 22. UNICEF’s survey involved 3,124 children and examined seven dimensions of wellbeing, covering matters such as economic circumstances, education, family relationships and access to information technology. The device gap was particularly apparent among older adolescents and children in Sri Aman and Serian, Suara Sarawak reported. That gives education planners a more specific challenge than simply getting children into classrooms: whether they have the tools and foundational skills to use learning opportunities. Fatimah said the findings would help agencies identify needs by area and plan more targeted interventions. The results remain preliminary; the briefing was about planning policy and programmes, not the launch of an individual device-grant application scheme.

RM2.6 million has been allocated to the federal Youth and Sports Ministry for sports-facility upgrades in Sarawak in 2027, but that is not a confirmed RM2.6 million project award for Julau. TVS reported the allocation following a Dewan Rakyat reply on Oct 22. Proposals to build or upgrade facilities in the Julau parliamentary constituency must first be coordinated with the Sarawak Youth and Sports Department and the state government before the ministry considers them. For owners of existing facilities, the next step is a formal application with supporting details: the site’s ownership status, a report on its current condition, the proposed work and an estimated cost. The ministry also assesses local need, the people using the facility, site suitability and who can manage and maintain it after completion. That maintenance test matters for community courts and grounds: the assessment is not just about paying for construction, but whether the facility can remain usable afterwards. It is the owning agency that must submit the application; the reply does not announce a cash-grant application for individual residents. Larger development proposals require state-level coordination and prioritisation before going through the Youth and Sports Ministry to the Economy Ministry. The parliamentary answer sets out that route, rather than a final list of Sarawak sites or a construction start date.

Sarawak now has a Platinum-rated product under Malaysia Tourism Quality Assurance, with Borneo Empurau Farm & Resort becoming the state’s first recipient of the programme’s highest tier. DayakDaily’s Oct 22 report puts the result in a wider picture: 116 tourism products nationwide have MyTQA recognition, including 10 in Sarawak. Thirty across Malaysia have attained Platinum. Those figures describe recognised tourism products—not the total number of resorts or attractions operating in the state. Two other Sarawak recipients were Lambir Hills National Park and Loagan Bunut National Park in Miri. Both received Silver recognition following reassessment and are managed by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation. Their recognition is a separate result from the resort’s Platinum award. MyTQA is run by the federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. It has Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers, with assessments covering product quality, facilities and service standards. That gives visitors a clearer basis for understanding what the label refers to, rather than reading Platinum as a description of every service or attraction in Sarawak. The recognition ceremony took place on Oct 22. Operators were urged to keep improving their standards after receiving an award, making continued service quality—not just the presentation ceremony—the longer-term test.

A completed feasibility study for the proposed New Kuching International Airport is part of the backdrop to fresh transport discussions between Sarawak and the Netherlands—not an announcement that airport construction has begun. DayakDaily reported on Oct 22 that Netherlands Airport Consultants, or NACO, completed the study in the first quarter of 2026. The report places that earlier work alongside talks on aviation, airport development and green hydrogen during a Dutch ambassadorial visit to the Sarawak Ministry for Transport. Sarawak is interested in experience from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and its surrounding aerotropolis, where airport activity connects with wider business development. The Netherlands also outlined a three-year industry cooperation programme involving companies and relevant agencies, aimed at technical exchanges, business participation and investment opportunities. For Kuching, the other link is the Kuching Urban Transportation System. The discussion included its hydrogen-powered Autonomous Rapid Transit vehicles and supporting hydrogen feeder buses, alongside sustainable public transport, ports and emerging transport technology. These are cooperation discussions. A feasibility study, an industry programme and a construction award are different stages; the reported visit does not announce a new airport opening date or a newly awarded building contract. The practical outcome to follow is which of these exchanges leads to a defined project or agreement.

Retired Sarawak State civil servants are to receive a one-off RM500 payment, with about 10,141 retirees expected to benefit. A separate RM700 incentive has been announced for private media practitioners registered with six media associations in Sarawak. Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg announced both measures in his Oct 21 winding-up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly. The retirees’ assistance is estimated to cost RM5.1 million and recognises their years of State service. The media incentive is RM700 per person, but the announced scope is not everyone working in communications or publishing: it refers specifically to private media practitioners registered with the six associations. The report does not name those associations or set out an application procedure. Neither measure came with a stated payment date in this announcement. For prospective recipients, the confirmed details are the one-off amounts and the groups covered, rather than an immediate credit or a newly opened application window.

Sarawak Energy’s electric boat is headed for operational work at the Batang Ai reservoir, including dam safety inspections, environmental monitoring and transporting personnel. Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin attended the Oct 21 handover of the Boat Licence and River Transport Permit at Pangkalan Sapi. The solar-supplemented vessel will also support visits to the floating solar farm, according to the announcement reported by DayakDaily. The 10-metre fibreglass boat has twin 40 kW electric outboard motors, a 92 kWh battery and 3.6 kWp of rooftop solar panels. Its reported operating estimates are 40–50 kilometres of range and roughly three to four hours of use, with a maximum speed of 25 km/h. Registered passenger capacity is 12. These are vessel specifications and estimates, not a published passenger-service timetable. Lee said range, charging facilities, river conditions, safety and cost-effectiveness would need evaluation before wider adoption. Batang Ai will provide experience with operational reliability, charging and maintenance. The immediate development is a licensed boat for reservoir duties; other electric-vessel applications across Sarawak remain under study.

Sarawak has completed 39 of the 135 minor bridges in a RM400 million upgrading and replacement programme, while most of the remaining bridges have yet to reach construction. Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas outlined the position at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly on Oct 21. Another 31 bridges are under construction, 17 are at tender stage and 48 are at the pre-contract stage. The programme targets rural connections, particularly minor bridges along former logging and timber roads. Its scope is upgrading or replacing those crossings, rather than a single new highway or one large river bridge. The figures account for all 135 bridges: 39 completed and 96 in the remaining stages. Of those 96, 65 are still at tender or pre-contract stage. That distinction matters for communities waiting for better access: a bridge in the programme is not necessarily already being built. The update does not provide individual crossing locations or a completion date for each of the remaining bridges.