Cross-border movement between Sarawak and Indonesia’s Kalimantan is surging as new road and cargo links rapidly expand
KUCHING: Cross-border movement between Sarawak and the Indonesian province of Kalimantan is growing at a remarkable pace, driven by the rapid expansion of land connectivity on the Indonesian side of Borneo Island — where the country’s new federal capital, Nusantara, is steadily taking shape.
Indonesian Consulate-General in Sarawak, Dr. Abdullah Zulkifli (pic), said both sides are witnessing a sharp rise in the movement of people and cargo across the shared border.
“We are seeing new transboundary land connections opening up very quickly. In terms of Indonesians coming into Sarawak, we have on record at least 150,000 Indonesian workers who are here legally,” he said, speaking at a Hari Raya open house held at the consulate office in Kuching.
He added that the number of undocumented workers who had crossed illegally from Kalimantan into Sarawak was believed to be substantial, contributing to a rise in deportation cases by immigration authorities.
“These are signs that a rapid border transformation is taking place along the Sarawak-Kalimantan area. The social and economic sectors there are developing fast,” Abdullah said.
He attributed much of the surge to the construction of new land links and planned enhancements to electricity supply connections between the two territories. Sarawak and Kalimantan share decades of bilateral ties, and Abdullah noted that the two sides remain close neighbours with much to gain from deeper integration.
On the infrastructure front, two major cross-border projects are currently in the pipeline. The first is a cross-border superhighway spanning the approximately 1,000-kilometre Sarawak-Kalimantan boundary, a project being planned jointly by the Sarawak state government and the Federal Government in Putrajaya.
The second is the Trans Borneo Railway — a mega infrastructure initiative that would link Sarawak, Sabah, and Kalimantan by rail. Bilateral talks between Malaysia and Indonesia on both projects are ongoing.
Nusantara, Indonesia’s new federal capital being built in East Kalimantan, is located approximately 400 kilometres south of Sarawak and is slated to be officially established as the country’s capital in 2028.
Its development is widely seen as a key catalyst for the accelerating economic activity along the Sarawak-Kalimantan corridor.
