All primary and secondary schools under the Lubok Antu and Kanowit District Education Offices have been ordered to close temporarily as haze pushed API readings above 200. The Sarawak Education Department said the closure took effect immediately on Sept 21. Home-based teaching and learning will continue under Ministry of Education disaster-management guidance. Schools near districts with API readings above 200 may also consider PdPR, with pupils’ health and safety as the deciding factor. At 9am, Lubok Antu and Kanowit recorded API readings of 205 and 209. By 10am, the two readings had risen to 207 and 212, both in the very unhealthy range. The department said schools may prepare for reopening if the API trend falls below 200; no fixed reopening date was announced. Parents and students should follow the latest school or education-department notice before preparing to return.

Lubok Antu haze closes 30 schools on Aug 28 as the district’s API reaches 200. The Sarawak Education Department’s temporary closure covers 28 primary schools with 2,242 pupils and two secondary schools with 1,793 students. The API reading was 200 at 8pm on Thursday, after reaching 210 at 4pm. This is a Lubok Antu district order, not a closure of every school in Sarawak. JPN Sarawak told schools to monitor APIMS readings and follow haze-related safety procedures. Parents should check with their school or the district education office for any update because the notice does not give a reopening time. Location: Lubok Antu, Sarawak

13 people including two children and a local man have been detained at the Lubok Antu-Badau border area after police busted a migrant smuggling operation early Monday morning. [image: 1779757422939-lubok-antu-border.jpg] The General Operations Force (PGA) Battalion 10 Sibu Intelligence Unit conducted the raid around 3:30am along an ungazetted route in Ensawang, Lubok Antu. Among those held were 12 foreign nationals — including two children — and a 27-year-old local man believed to be acting as a 'land skipper' (tekong darat). Police tracked two vehicles used to transport the foreign nationals. The local man was driving a four-wheel-drive, while a second sedan was driven by a foreign national carrying others without valid travel documents. Authorities seized two vehicles, an outboard boat engine, and two mobile phones linked to the smuggling operation. The case is being investigated under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007 and the Immigration Act 1959/63. This latest operation highlights ongoing issues along Sarawak's border routes, where smugglers continue to use ungazetted pathways to bypass checkpoints. Location: Lubok Antu-Badau border, Sarawak Source: DayakDaily What do you think?