Indonesia intends to establish close cooperation with Sarawak main cities, says its consul general

SIBU, Jan 21 (Bernama): Indonesia has expressed its intention to establish close cooperation between East and West Kalimantan with the main cities of Sarawak.

Consul-General of the Republic of Indonesia in Kuching, Raden Sigit Witjaksono, said the cooperation included the field of transport, business and higher education.

He explained that closer cooperation between Sarawak and Indonesia, especially Kalimantan, is crucial to ensure the economic growth of both areas.

"There is a need to establish cooperation in terms of transport to connect Kalimantan with Sarawak better.

"So far, there is a daily bus service from Kuching to Pontianak. So in addition to finding more bus services to reach other parts of Kalimantan, we are looking at potential cooperation in terms of aviation,” he told reporters after a working visit to the Sibu Central Prison and meeting with Sibu plantation workers here today.

Elaborating, Raden Sigit said, during his visit to Sibu last year, he had visited the Sibu Municipal Council, the Sibu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the University of Technology Sarawak (UTS).

He described the city as unique, adding that there are many potential areas for cooperation, including with UTS.

"Currently, many students from West Kalimantan are studying at higher learning institutions such as Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Swinburne University in Kuching.

"So why don’t they go further like UTS, for example? I believe it will benefit not only Indonesian students but also UTS itself,” he said. - Bernama