Limbang is to get a new Road Transport Department (JPJ) complex backed by an approved RM28.7 million allocation, with construction scheduled to take 24 months. The project includes three blocks of staff quarters. Sarawak Tribune reported that the groundbreaking took place on Oct 28, marking the start of a new facilities project rather than the opening of a replacement service centre. The contractor has been urged to aim for 18 months without reducing specifications or quality. That is a request to accelerate delivery; the stated construction schedule remains 24 months. No exact opening date was given in the report. For residents of Limbang and nearby areas, the intended benefit is a more comfortable, customer-friendly place to handle JPJ matters, alongside improved working facilities for staff. The report does not announce a counter relocation or any immediate change to where motorists should go for services. A vehicle inspection centre at the site has also been suggested as a future addition. It is not presented as an approved part of the RM28.7 million project, so motorists should not read the groundbreaking as confirmation that inspection services will be available there.

If your Sibu itinerary already has a market breakfast and a walk by the Rajang, I would give Sungai Merah a different job: a short stop to understand how a riverside settlement became part of the town's story. Wong Nai Siong Memorial Garden is not a big landscaped attraction to spend half a day in. Its strongest feature is the connection between one man's memorial, a riverbank and the community around them. [image: 1793249839585-wong-photo-0.jpg] Google Map / Wong Nai Siong Memorial Park Start with the bust rather than a long checklist of photo spots. Behind it, the curved memorial wall carries Chinese writing; in front, shallow grass-covered tiers step down towards the paved space. The scale is useful. You can look at the figure and the surroundings together instead of treating the monument as an isolated object. I would pause here before walking towards the river, because the water gives the memorial its context. Wong Nai Siong led Foochow settlers from China to Sibu in 1901, and Sungai Merah is associated with that early settlement and landing. The garden was created in his honour. That relationship is the reason I would make this detour: the memorial is attached to a place in the migration story, not simply to a famous name placed in any available square. The bust identifies the person; the river helps explain why the settlement formed here. You do not need to turn the stop into a lecture. If you are travelling with family, a useful question is what the river meant before the road journey became the obvious way to think about getting here. Looking from the memorial towards the channel makes the settlement story easier to picture. It shifts the conversation away from collecting another landmark and towards the practical relationship between a river and a new community. [image: 1793249839704-wong-photo-3.jpg] Google Map / Wong Nai Siong Memorial Park The memorial wall and stepped lawn in a night-time photograph. The wall's form matters as much as the bust. It brings a line of writing into the same view as a small open public space. Rather than rushing to photograph every panel, I would choose one position where the wall, figure and riverbank make sense together. Visitors who enjoy local history will get more from that slow look than anyone expecting a large museum with a long indoor exhibition. This is an outdoor memorial garden, and I would plan it that way. A walk towards the riverside then changes the scale of the visit. Shopfronts and everyday activity sit close to the memorial precinct. That makes the stop more interesting to me than a monument cut off from the town: the history is surrounded by an inhabited neighbourhood. It also calls for a little restraint. Leave space for people going about their day, keep photography away from identifiable diners and do not treat neighbouring businesses as part of a free attraction. [image: 1793249839813-wong-photo-4.jpg] Google Map / Wong Nai Siong Memorial Park A night-time riverbank view beside the memorial precinct; lighting and conditions can change. For a first visit I would choose daylight, then keep the route short enough to fit around the rest of Sibu rather than build the whole day around it. Daylight makes the writing, the bust and the relationship with the river easier to follow. Bring ordinary sun and rain protection, take care at road crossings and the water's edge, and use the paths that are actually open when you arrive. A photograph of an illuminated riverbank is not a reason to assume a particular evening display will be operating. [image: 1793249839932-wong-photo-extra.jpg] Google Map / Wong Nai Siong Memorial Park A panoramic view of the memorial garden; the curved projection widens the scene. I would send a history-minded visitor here, especially someone curious about Sibu's Foochow roots. I would not sell it as a major theme park, a guaranteed night attraction or a substitute for the town's museums. The worthwhile part is smaller and more specific: spend time at the bust, turn towards Sungai Merah, and leave with a clearer relationship between a person, a settlement and a river. Wong Nai Siong Memorial Garden, Sungai Merah — Google Maps

Kuching recorded an Air Pollutant Index of 52 at 8am on Thursday, Oct 29, placing it in the moderate category rather than the good category. Nearby stations did not all give the same picture. Samarahan registered 37 and Serian 50, both within the good range, while Lundu stood at 56, also moderate. The Borneo Post reported the figures from the Natural Resources and Environment Board’s Sarawak API status report. The boundary matters when comparing the numbers: readings from 0 to 50 are classified as good, and 51 to 100 as moderate. Kuching was therefore just above the good-air threshold; its reading should not be substituted for Samarahan’s or treated as a single measure for the whole area. Elsewhere in the state, Belaga recorded 33 and Samalaju 71. These figures describe the 8am monitoring snapshot, not conditions guaranteed for the rest of Thursday. Anyone following changes through the day should compare the relevant station and reporting time, rather than read the morning figure as an all-day forecast.

A 360-metre resurfacing job on Jalan Indah 3 in Miri’s Permai area has been completed, ahead of its original Nov 20 finishing target. See Hua Daily News reported on Oct 28 that the roughly RM300,000 project had reached 100 per cent completion after work began on Sept 21. Miri City Council officers accompanied an inspection of the finished section on Wednesday. The road is in an area affected by flooding earlier this year, but the completed surface is only one part of the infrastructure response. The report also described drain clearing and drainage improvements, including the removal of about 20 trees that had obstructed drainage or maintenance access. A separate RM3 million allocation has been approved for basic infrastructure and drainage improvements in communities previously hit by serious flooding. Those works were expected to begin progressively in the coming weeks; the report did not present them as already finished. For Permai residents, the distinction is between a specific road section now resurfaced and wider drainage work still to be delivered. Completion of the 360-metre job does not, on its own, establish that the surrounding flood problems have been resolved.

Sarawak is bringing artificial intelligence and digitalisation into teacher-training syllabuses, while acknowledging that the pool of teachers trained to use the technology is still insufficient. The state’s caretaker education, innovation and talent development minister outlined the move to reporters after opening the fourth International Conference on Educational Research and Innovation at Raia Hotel in Kuching, The Borneo Post reported on Oct 28. He said the subjects were being introduced across teacher-training institute syllabuses to help educators use the technology in their work. He also said the initiative was already being introduced in schools. The training shortfall is an important limit on what that announcement means for classrooms: inclusion in a syllabus and a teacher’s readiness to apply it are not the same milestone. The remarks did not set out how many teachers had completed training or a date by which all schools would have trained staff. For schools and families, this is a change in teacher preparation rather than an announcement of a new standalone AI examination for pupils. The immediate task described by the minister is to build educators’ capacity as technology is introduced, not to treat the rollout as already complete.

Sarawak Bumiputera businesses are among those expected to benefit from PUNB’s PROSPER GROW PLUS scheme, with financing of RM1 million to RM10 million planned from January 2027. The scheme was outlined at the Sarawak State Entrepreneurs Networking Programme in Kuching on Oct 28. The Borneo Post reported a flat profit rate of 3.5 per cent a year and a financing tenure of up to seven years. The intended uses include improving technical capability, adopting automation and meeting working-capital needs. PUNB wants local firms to progress into higher-value supply chains linked to energy, manufacturing and infrastructure, rather than remain confined to conventional subcontracting. For prospective applicants, January is the planned launch, not a claim that applications are already open. PUNB said further details and eligibility criteria would be announced at the launch; an announced financing range does not guarantee approval for an individual company. The corporation’s RM500 million allocation under Budget 2027 is a wider funding allocation, not a RM500 million grant reserved for Sarawak. Businesses can seek information from PUNB’s regional office at Wisma Wan Abu Bakar, Jalan Kulas in Kuching, or its Miri branch at Marina Parkcity, Miri Times Square.

Sarawak police have asked Bukit Aman for 889 additional officers and personnel for the coming state election, while keeping a separate contingent on regular policing duties. Acting Sarawak Police Commissioner DCP Saifullizan Ishak said at an Oct 28 press conference in Kuching that the request had already been submitted. Reinforcements could come from Sabah, but he described that as a possibility rather than a confirmed deployment. The request concerns the staffing needed to run election security alongside everyday public-safety work. Saifullizan said regular policing would continue; assigning personnel to the election does not mean all officers will leave their normal duties. Police are also preparing logistics around the Northeast Monsoon. That places transport and deployment readiness alongside headcount in their election preparations, particularly for a state with widely dispersed communities. The immediate next step is Bukit Aman’s arrangement of additional personnel. The request itself does not establish that Sabah reinforcements have been approved or have arrived.

Sarawak is developing the idea of a shared environmental education module for schools and communities, with an emphasis on putting lessons into practice rather than adding classroom knowledge alone. At the Environmental Education Conference in Kuching on Oct 27, the proposed module was described as a way to bring existing education efforts together and make learning materials more accessible and relevant. DayakDaily reported that the Natural Resources and Environment Board Sarawak, or NREB, identified it as one of the conference’s key outcomes. The proposal also calls for local environmental knowledge to sit alongside international perspectives. Rural and remote communities were specifically included in the discussion, so the intended audience is wider than schools in the main towns. NREB said its Kelab Pencinta Alam Sekitar, known as PALS Club, had grown from 74 schools when introduced in 1999 to 1,011 schools. It is targeting another 455 schools for registration by the end of 2027. That is an expansion target, not a count of schools already enrolled. The conference opening took place at Imperial Hotel Kuching. A common module remains a development proposal: the report did not set a school rollout date or describe a new compulsory subject. For schools and community groups, the concrete distinction is between the existing PALS network and the learning materials still being developed.

Sarawak has asked airlines and express bus operators to prepare additional services around the coming state election, but travellers still need to check operators’ confirmed schedules before booking. The Ministry of Transport Sarawak said in an Oct 27 statement that it had written to operators to explore extra capacity for people returning to their registered constituencies. Bernama reported the statement on Wednesday morning. For flights, the requested increase covers the week before polling day and the week after it, allowing for both the journey home and the return trip. For express buses within Sarawak, the ministry encouraged more departures from three days before polling until three days afterwards. The two windows are different: the broader air-travel request is intended to help Sarawakians working in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Sabah, while the bus request concerns onward and inter-town travel within Sarawak. These are requests to operators, not an announced package of guaranteed extra seats or fixed fares. The ministry urged travellers to plan early and use operators’ official channels for schedules, prices and reservations. Anyone arranging a journey involving both a flight and a bus should check each leg against the services actually offered, rather than treating the proposed increase as a confirmed timetable.

Ten students from SMK Chung Hua (CF) Miri have earned the opportunity to represent Malaysia in Houston after Team REFINITY won the overall title at FIRST LEGO League Malaysia 2026. The next destination is the FIRST LEGO League World Festival, part of the FIRST Championship 2027, scheduled for April 28 to May 1 in Houston, Texas. The result is a national championship and a place on the international stage, not a world title already won. DayakDaily reported that the Malaysian competition was held on Oct 25 at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology in Kuala Lumpur. Organised by Sasbadi Holdings Berhad, its 17th edition brought together 920 young participants, including a team from Hong Kong. This year’s UNEARTHED theme asked teams to tackle archaeology-related challenges through science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Work involved robot design and programming alongside scientific investigation and creative problem-solving. For Sarawak’s school robotics community, REFINITY’s result also illustrates the breadth of the contest: communication, collaboration and critical thinking were assessed alongside technical performance. The Miri team was supported by a local coach and accompanying schoolteachers. With the Malaysian title secured, preparation now turns to the 2027 World Festival. The national win establishes the opportunity to compete; it does not determine the outcome in Houston.

Fifteen mission schools in the Tarat constituency have received RM1.7 million under the Sarawak Mission Schools Fund 2026, with spending restricted to the purposes approved for each school. The assistance is intended to improve educational facilities and meet learning needs. Cheques were presented at the Tarat Service Centre in Tapah on Saturday, according to The Borneo Post’s Oct 25 report, which cited the Sarawak Public Communication Unit. Eight recipient schools fall under the Catholic Archdiocese of Kuching and seven under the Anglican Diocese of Kuching. These are the schools’ administering dioceses; the recipients identified in this funding round are in Tarat, not a list of schools in Kuching city. The state education minister described the assistance as part of this year’s first phase, channelled through the Unit for Other Religions, or Unifor. He called on headmasters and school board chairpersons to manage the money transparently and ensure it directly benefits pupils. For school communities, the cheque presentation marks funding reaching the recipient schools. It does not establish that repairs or new facilities have already been completed. The report did not give an individual school allocation breakdown or a works timetable.

The seven-storey pagoda makes Sibu's Eng Ann Teng Tua Pek Kong Temple easy to pick out. I would resist treating it as the whole attraction. Look lower first: the curved rooflines of the entrance, the dragons above the tiles, and the much smaller worship space beside the tower. They belong to different chapters of a riverside institution that has been rebuilt rather than preserved unchanged. [image: 1792971534627-extra0.jpg] Wee Hong · 2023 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized, uncropped At Jalan Temple, the river is part of the explanation, not just a backdrop. Sibu's waterfront puts worship, shopfronts and river traffic close together. I would start at street level, take in the temple frontage, then turn toward the Rajang before deciding whether to go inside. That short change of direction helps place the building in a working town rather than isolate it as a colourful monument. There was a small wooden Chinese temple here by the time it appeared in the Sarawak government's 1871 report. A rebuilding in 1897 brought a tiled roof and stone floor, with a specially sculpted Tua Pek Kong statue imported from China. The useful distinction is between the age of the institution and the age of the walls: this is a long-lived place of worship, but not one untouched building from the nineteenth century. Its survival story has two very different turns. The fire that devastated much of Sibu on 8 March 1928 left the temple unscathed. Wartime bombardment in 1945 did damage it; the deity statue survived, and the wooden structure was rebuilt after the war. I would not fold those events into a vague tale that the entire temple survived everything. The interruptions matter. They show how a community kept returning to a place even when its fabric had to be replaced. [image: 1792971534797-1.jpg] Wee Hong · 2023 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized, uncropped The present appearance makes more sense with that rebuilding in mind. In 1957 the temple was reconstructed in concrete. Another renovation in 1979 replaced the belian roof with a concrete roof and introduced dragon and phoenix decoration. Looking at the roofline is therefore a way of reading adaptation, not simply admiring something assumed to be ancient. The ornamental figures and colourful tiles carry a continuing architectural language across changes in materials. The pagoda adds another layer. In 1987 the rear section was replaced by a seven-storey tower dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. It is younger than the temple's history and serves a distinct devotional purpose. From the entrance, compare the broad, low roofs with the tower's repeated balconies and upward-curving eaves. That contrast tells a clearer story than a single photograph labelled “old Chinese temple”: the complex grew to accommodate more than one focus of worship. [image: 1792971534958-4.jpg] Wee Hong · 2023 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized, uncropped The relationship with the river is changing again. In July 2026, plans for an expanded waterfront precinct and a decorative gateway were announced, with unused pontoons and a gangway to be relocated before expansion could proceed. These are development plans, not a finished attraction to add to your checklist. Keep away from any fenced works or closed landing areas, and do not expect the waterfront to match older photographs exactly. [image: 1792971535068-2.jpg] Cerevisae · 2017 riverfront view, before the 2026 expansion plans · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized, uncropped I would use the older river view above to understand the setting, not to find a present-day boarding point. Its boats and landing structures explain how tightly the temple sits against Sibu's riverfront life; the photograph is from 2017, before the 2026 expansion plans. The point of looking toward the water today is to understand that connection, not to recreate an old camera angle or enter a restricted jetty. For a first Sibu visit, this is a worthwhile stop if you enjoy the relationship between architecture, community memory and a town's geography. It may feel too small if you want a large museum, an organised show or a guaranteed tower climb. I would allow roughly half an hour for the frontage, accessible worship areas and nearby riverfront; that is a suggested pace, not an official tour duration. Do not make a pagoda ascent the condition of a successful visit: interior and upper-level access depend on the temple's arrangements on the day. Combine it with Sibu Central Market and the old-town streets rather than driving across town for a single photograph. The market is only a short walk away, and the pairing lets you see everyday trade alongside a place of worship that has endured repeated rebuilding. From Kuching, I would include the temple in an overnight Sibu trip, not make the long journey just for this stop. Find it on Jalan Temple, Sibu: Eng Ann Teng Tua Pek Kong Temple on Google Maps. Plan a daylight visit, dress respectfully, give worshippers space and ask before photographing ritual activity. Follow the entrance notices and check with the caretaker before going upstairs; this guide does not promise fixed tower hours or access through construction areas. I would leave looking back at the low roofs as well as the tower. The interesting part is not just how high the pagoda rises, but how many times the town has chosen to keep this place going.

Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) plans 10 exploratory oil and gas wells across nine promising onshore areas, with an estimated investment of RM500 million. Balingian, Limbang-Lawas, Marudi and Niah are the named drilling areas. The programme was outlined in the Sarawak Ministry of International Trade, Industry and Investment’s winding-up at the State Legislative Assembly on Oct 21, DayakDaily reported. It is intended to identify new reserves using advanced technology. The nine areas and 10 wells describe an exploration programme, not nine confirmed discoveries or 10 producing wells. Likewise, RM500 million is the estimated investment attached to the plan, rather than a reported sum already spent. The state also identified Miri, Samalaju, Bintulu and Kuching as gas-development hubs. That is a separate geographical list: Kuching’s inclusion as a hub does not put one of the announced onshore drilling areas in the city. For Sarawak engineering, fabrication, maintenance and logistics firms, the ministry linked wider oil and gas development to potential work opportunities and local participation. Those prospects remain different from contracts already awarded; the update did not set out individual well start dates or tender openings.

Start with the low tiled roof and the pond, not the medical instruments. At Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum in Sibu, the surviving hospital frontage sits against much larger modern buildings. I would give that contrast a moment before going inside: this is a small piece of a healthcare campus that once served a much wider river town, not a complete hospital frozen in time. [image: 1792712225333-p14-0-im0.jpg] Catherine Mei Min Woo, 2023 · Fig. 10 · CC BY 4.0 · unaltered The hospital’s name is a useful first question. Lau King Howe came to Sibu in 1916 and ran a rubber plantation. In 1930, he offered his property to help establish a modern hospital for a town whose earlier, small hospital could no longer keep up. Construction began in 1931; the new hospital was completed in 1936. Lau died in 1932, before he could see it finished. That gap between giving and completion makes the name above the entrance more than a donor’s label: it belongs to a public service he helped make possible but never saw operating. For a visitor trying to understand Sibu beyond trade and the waterfront, this is the interesting change of scale. A plantation fortune became beds, treatment rooms and a place where families sought care. The hospital’s reach extended beyond the town itself into central Sarawak’s communities. Its story sits alongside the region’s river connections, not apart from them. I would look for the campus model before trying to take in every display. Its roofs and labels make the old layout legible: outpatient services, pharmacy and casualty were parts of a working system. Compare that spread with the compact museum around you. Much of the hospital campus has gone; the model helps explain what the present building alone cannot show. [image: 1792712225444-p12-1-im1.jpg] Catherine Mei Min Woo, 2023 · Fig. 7 · CC BY 4.0 · unaltered The big transition came with the opening of the new Sibu Hospital in 1994. Services shifted away, while local associations, medical professionals and tourism representatives worked to preserve the old institution’s memory. The memorial museum opened in 1996, using adapted outpatient/specialist-clinic premises. It was a community preservation project, not simply a collection of equipment left behind after a move. That is how I would approach the surgical display. The lamp, trolley and equipment are worth examining, but the question is not just whether they look old. Ask how a small hospital organised the practical work of caring for a growing population. The museum’s artefacts include donations from former doctors, nurses, pharmacists and administrators; the objects are also traces of their working lives. [image: 1792712225524-surgical-display.jpg] Catherine Mei Min Woo, 2023 · Fig. 6 · CC BY 4.0 · cropped from the original photo panel The pharmacy exhibits offer a quieter way into the same story. Books, containers and dispensing equipment show another side of hospital work: keeping track, preparing medicines and getting them to the right place. Rather than treating every cabinet as a technical test, I would pick one familiar activity—collecting medicine, waiting for a consultation, accompanying a relative—and follow how the exhibits make its earlier form visible. You do not need a medical background to recognise how much ordinary life passed through this institution. [image: 1792712225609-pharmacy-display.jpg] Catherine Mei Min Woo, 2023 · Fig. 6 · CC BY 4.0 · cropped from the original photo panel I would recommend this stop to readers interested in Sibu’s community history, healthcare workers, and families with a connection to the old hospital. Someone expecting a large interactive science museum may find it too small and text-led. Allowing roughly 45 minutes is my planning suggestion, not a fixed tour duration; leave more time if the photographs and displays connect with your own family’s story. From Kuching, I would include it in an overnight Sibu trip rather than make the long journey for this museum alone. Within Sibu, combine it with the town-square and waterfront area, then leave time for the Central Market or Heritage Centre on their own opening schedules. The museum adds the healthcare chapter that a market-and-river walk would otherwise miss. The address is Jalan Lau King Howe, 96000 Sibu. Admission is free, with donations welcome. Posted visiting hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 9am–5pm; it closes on Mondays and public holidays. For a group visit or a date near a holiday, call +60 84-338070 before setting out. Find Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum on Google Maps. I would leave with the campus model in mind: a small surviving place makes much more sense once you have seen the larger network of care it represents.

Heritage assessment should come before major development decisions in Sarawak, rather than after plans have already been settled, Deputy Minister Len Talif Salleh said at a Kuching gathering on Oct 21. His call places the focus on when a site is assessed, not simply whether its buildings or landscape are discussed later. The assessment he described would identify a site’s heritage value, its significance to the community and the likely effect of a proposed development. DayakDaily reported his remarks from the Sarawak Public Communication Unit. He was speaking at the ICOMOS gathering at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching. Len Talif, the deputy minister responsible for urban planning, land administration and environment, also called for closer work between heritage bodies, planners, environmental institutions, councils, researchers and community leaders. For owners and communities facing future proposals, the distinction is between considering heritage while choices remain open and trying to protect it only after key decisions. These remarks set out a planning approach; the reported speech did not announce a new statutory approval rule or a specific project restriction.

Sarawak state civil servants are to receive two months of basic salary before the end of 2026, while federal officers serving in the state will get a separate RM700 payment in the first quarter of 2027. The different payment windows are central to the Oct 21 announcement: the RM700 for federal staff is not scheduled alongside the state-service payment this year. Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg announced the Special Financial Assistance during his winding-up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly, DayakDaily reported. The state payment will be calculated using the last basic salary for November 2026. It is expected to cover about 19,851 employees and cost RM144 million. For federal personnel serving in Sarawak, the one-off RM700 assistance is expected to reach about 132,347 people, including teachers, healthcare workers and security personnel, with an estimated allocation of RM93 million. For households in Kuching and elsewhere in Sarawak, these are two different entitlements and calendars: a salary-based amount for state staff, and a fixed amount for federal staff. The announcement gives broad payment periods, not an exact bank-credit date.

Sarawak could get more dedicated air-quality monitoring stations under a federal effort to improve coverage, especially during transboundary haze. Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup told the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 22 that areas without their own stations currently rely on regional data from the nearest station. For communities outside the existing network, that distinction matters: a nearby reading gives a regional picture, rather than a measurement taken in their own neighbourhood. TVS reported that the Department of Environment has 68 monitoring stations nationwide. That is the Malaysian total, not the number in Sarawak. The minister did not give a number, location list or installation timetable for additional Sarawak stations in the reported reply. He also said MetMalaysia had developed MyCMAQ, an air-quality modelling platform able to forecast potential pollution and haze up to five days ahead across Malaysia and Southeast Asia. The two tools serve different purposes: station readings describe monitored conditions, while MyCMAQ provides an advance indication of what may develop. A five-day forecast is not a guarantee that haze will occur at a particular Kuching address.

Sarawak has provided RM30,000 to train people with disabilities in four skills categories as they seek places at the 2027 International Abilympics in Finland. The grant goes through the Social Welfare Department to the Sarawak OKU Skills Development Association, known as Sosda. It supports training rather than confirming that everyone in the programme has secured a place on Malaysia’s team. The Borneo Post reported that training covers floral arrangement, poster design, reflexology and photography. Pretty Petals is involved in floral arrangement, GiatMara Stampin in poster design and Centexs Santubong in photography, giving the programme a direct link to skills providers in the Kuching area. Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Fatimah Abdullah described the support at a press conference at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly Complex on Oct 21. The emphasis was on skills that can also support employment and independent income, not only competition results. The association reported that one Sarawak participant had qualified in floral arrangement, while it was working to help others qualify. Training across four categories therefore should not be mistaken for four confirmed national-team entries.

Lawas town’s RM29.5 million Type 3 health clinic is expected to begin operating in early 2027, while the separate RM8.21 million replacement clinic at Kuala Lawas has a January 2028 completion target. The two schedules describe different facilities. The Lawas clinic is expected to be handed over by Sarawak’s Public Works Department to the Health Ministry this December; a handover target is not the same as an opening date. Deputy Health Minister Hanifah Hajar Taib outlined the projects in a Dewan Rakyat reply on Oct 21, The Borneo Post reported. The planned additional services at the Lawas facility include radiology, dental care, rehabilitation, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, alongside four staff quarters. Kuala Lawas is replacing existing clinic infrastructure. Construction began in July 2026, with an 18-month programme and expected completion in January 2028. Its stated facilities include an emergency room, three treatment rooms and four staff quarters. For families following healthcare access in the district, the immediate milestone is the planned December handover at Lawas, followed by the proposed start of services early next year. Neither that timetable nor Kuala Lawas’s later construction target should be read as confirmation that the new facilities are already open.

Kuching recorded an Air Pollutant Index of 65 at 8am on Oct 22, within the moderate band. None of the 21 Sarawak locations in the morning update was in the unhealthy category. The Borneo Post’s report of the Natural Resources and Environment Board readings put nearby Samarahan at 71, Serian and Tebedu at 68, and Lundu at 65. These are readings for Thursday morning, not a forecast for the rest of the day. Only three locations were in the good band: Lawas at 29, Bario at 33 and Limbang at 35. The other 18 were moderate, with Betong recording the highest figure at 84, followed by Sri Aman at 83. For Kuching readers, the distinction is that local air was moderate, not good, even though all stations were below the unhealthy band. The stated classifications put readings of 0–50 in the good category and 51–100 in moderate. The 8am snapshot gives a dated reference for comparing later updates; it does not establish that haze has ended or that conditions will remain unchanged.