Sarawak has secured 153 business events this year, with a projected economic impact of RM641.5 million—but the bookings are not a count of events already held in 2026. The tourism minister told the State Legislative Assembly on Oct 20 that the secured portfolio had exceeded the annual target of 140 events. It is expected to draw 66,625 delegates, against a target of 49,207, and generate RM33.6 million in tax revenue. All three figures describe expectations for the secured events, not money already collected. The pipeline extends beyond this year. It includes the Asian Network for Quality Congress in 2027, an Asia-Pacific regional conference of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease in 2028, and the International Congress on Parasitology in 2030. Their expected delegate numbers are 1,000, 1,000 and 2,300 respectively. A different measure covers events taking place in Sarawak during 2026: 171 are scheduled, with projected economic impact of RM731.2 million. Of those, 125 had been hosted at the time of the update, attracting 52,332 delegates and an estimated RM470.2 million in economic impact, including RM26.1 million in tax revenue. For Kuching hotels, transport providers and food businesses, the useful distinction is between future bookings and delegates who have actually arrived. The two event totals describe different groups and should not be added together as separate wins. Even the impact reported for completed events remains an estimate, rather than a statement of individual businesses’ receipts.

Only three of Sarawak’s 40 sports and community facility projects under the 13th Malaysia Plan had been completed as of September, according to a ministerial update to the State Legislative Assembly on Oct 20. Another 18 were under construction and 19 remained at various planning stages. The portfolio is broader than 40 new sports venues: it comprises 16 new facilities, 19 upgrades to sports and social facilities, and five non-physical projects. Those categories matter when judging how much new space is actually becoming available to communities. The youth and sports ministry said its “One District, One Sports Complex” initiative is expected to bring sports-complex coverage to about 89 per cent of districts once the facilities are completed. That is a completion target, not the proportion of districts already served. Regional development agencies, including the Greater Kuching Coordinated Development Agency, are involved in the effort. Preparations for the 2027 SEA Games involve 11 facility upgrades. The ministry reported that eight were ahead of schedule, with completion work expected in the first two quarters of 2027. Sarawak Stadium, the planned opening-ceremony venue, is expected to be completed by January 2027. For Kuching spectators and regular facility users, these are work-completion targets rather than announcements that the upgraded venues are already open.

The useful detail at Miri Petroleum Museum is not just the tall red derrick. Look underneath it: four worker figures lean into a drilling tool. Before the hill becomes a panorama, that little group makes the story human-sized. I would start there, with the effort needed to get oil out of the ground, rather than rush straight to the city-view photograph. [image: 1792452893848-2.jpg] Pangalau / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2023-09-22 · resized, uncropped This is Canada Hill, also called Bukit Tenaga, above Miri in northern Sarawak. The Grand Old Lady beside the museum marks Oil Well No. 1, which produced from 1910 until 1972. The distinction matters: the tower is a record of an extraction site, not an operating well to watch at work. What is now a visitor stop once belonged to the industry that gave Miri its oil-town identity. Those six decades are a useful way to read the surroundings. Oil history here is not an isolated machine in a gallery: the well, the pumpjack and the city below belong in the same mental picture. The derrick shows the vertical business of drilling; the lower, rocking-arm pumpjack represents another stage in bringing oil to the surface. Taking a moment to distinguish the two gives the outdoor display more meaning than another photograph of a metal tower. [image: 1792452894012-6.jpg] Pangalau / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2023-09-22 · resized, uncropped The museum arrived much later. It opened on 20 May 2005 with support from Shell Malaysia and Petronas, the same day Miri became a city. That pairing is the story I would keep in mind on the way inside: a working industrial past being turned into a public explanation of how the city came to be. The attraction is strongest when the building and the old well are treated as one stop, not as competing places to tick off. Inside, the subject shifts from the people and machinery to the ground itself. Oil formation, extraction and the industry's development need more than a date on a sign. The rock and fossil displays give that story a slower timescale. A case of small fossil crabs, for example, is a reminder to look beyond the familiar tower silhouette and notice the museum's geological side. [image: 1792452894132-4.jpg] Pangalau / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2023-09-22 · resized, uncropped I would not sell this as a polished science centre. The exhibition is a better fit for someone who likes connecting industrial history with a real landscape than for a family expecting every interactive station to work. The older-style displays are worth approaching with modest expectations. A proposed exhibit upgrade was discussed in May 2026, but a proposal is not a finished attraction. Build the visit around the well and the history rather than a guaranteed turn on a simulator. That makes this a sensible short stop within a Miri stay, especially for an oil-and-gas enthusiast, a geology-minded traveller or children who enjoy asking what a machine actually does. Someone wanting a large, immersive museum could leave underwhelmed. I would allow roughly an hour for the museum and outdoor interpretation, with extra time only if the hilltop views are part of the plan. That is an itinerary allowance, not a tour duration you have to follow. [image: 1792452894250-8.jpg] Pangalau / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2023-09-22 · resized, uncropped The route works best with the museum first and the open-air viewpoint afterwards. Coming only at sunset can mean seeing the derrick but missing the galleries. From here, continue back down to central Miri for the rest of a city walk; this is not a day-trip detour from Kuching. If travelling with anyone who dislikes a hot uphill walk, a car or taxi to Jalan Oil Well No. 1 is the simpler choice. Keep the forest trails as a separate decision, with appropriate shoes and daylight, rather than assuming they are part of an easy museum visit. The museum's current visitor information lists free admission, Monday–Friday 9am–4.45pm and weekends/public holidays 10am–4pm, with specified festival and holiday closures. Wear modest clothing and check the day's notice before a special trip. The indoor timetable and the outdoor hill are different things: free entry does not mean the museum stays open for the evening view. Find Miri Petroleum Museum on Google Maps For me, the worthwhile sequence is simple: look at the workers under the derrick, understand the well's working life, then turn towards the city it helped shape. Which would keep you here longer—the machinery or the geology?

Water-system verification must come before a land-development application is submitted for planning approval in Sarawak, Utility and Telecommunication Minister Julaihi Narawi said on October 19. The requirement applies to developments including residential, commercial, industrial and government premises. Developers must obtain verification from Sarawak’s Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) or Sarawak Water for their proposed system design and the suitability of sites reserved for its facilities. Speaking during his ministerial winding-up at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly, Julaihi said the system includes storage tanks, booster pumping stations and related facilities that meet technical requirements. Verification is needed before the application goes through the Land and Survey Department to the State Planning Authority, and before engineering plans reach the Engineering Plan Committee. For a developer or landowner planning a project in Kuching or elsewhere in the state, that places water capacity and facility sites at the planning stage, rather than leaving them until the building design is far advanced. This is a reminder of the required approval sequence, not an announcement that every existing property must submit a fresh development application. Existing private and commercial premises have a separate responsibility: Julaihi urged owners to keep rooftop or ground-level storage tanks maintained and working, particularly for peak demand or supply disruptions. A development’s water-system design and the upkeep of an occupied property’s tank are different tasks, but both affect whether usable water reaches the premises.

Fifty-four of the 140 dilapidated-school projects funded through Sarawak’s RM1 billion advance-payment allocation remain at different stages of implementation, Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Roland Sagah Wee Inn said on October 19. He told the Sarawak Legislative Assembly that 86 projects in that programme had been completed. In a separate group under Projek Rakyat Sarawak, six of 12 identified school projects were complete; the other six were either being implemented or still at the pre-construction stage. Sagah also welcomed the federal Budget 2027 allocation of RM1.3 billion for upgrading 682 dilapidated schools nationwide, with Sabah and Sarawak prioritised. That is a national allocation, not an amount already assigned wholly to Sarawak or to the 54 unfinished projects. He expressed hope that Sarawak would receive a substantial share. The October 19 report did not set out school-by-school completion dates or a final Sarawak share of that federal allocation.

The Education Ministry has given schools more time to enter assessment marks in MOEIS after haze disrupted classes and assessment activities in parts of the country. The new deadline for the End-of-Academic-Session Assessment (UASA) and End-of-Academic-Session Examinations (PAT/PASA) is November 28, replacing November 21. For the Physical, Sports and Co-curricular Assessment (PAJSK), the deadline moves from November 30 to December 5. The ministry announced the changes in an October 19 statement. They concern recording marks in the Integrated Education Management System, rather than a single new examination date for every school. The statement does not set out a replacement assessment timetable for individual schools. Parents and pupils should therefore use their school’s own assessment notices for sitting dates, not read the later marks-entry deadline as an automatic postponement of a test.

Sarawak’s Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) does not bind graduates to jobs in the state, Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Roland Sagah Wee Inn said on October 19. Speaking to reporters after his ministerial winding-up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly complex, he said recipients could pursue careers anywhere. The state hopes graduates will bring overseas experience home, but that hope is not an employment bond. For families weighing an FTES offer, the distinction matters: accepting the education support does not, under the policy he described, require a graduate to take a Sarawak job. It is not a promise of employment, at home or abroad. Sagah also told the assembly that 6,246 students had accepted FTES offers across four Sarawak-owned institutions as of September 30. They comprise 2,802 at Swinburne Sarawak, 2,031 at University of Technology Sarawak, 949 at Curtin Malaysia and 464 at i-CATS University College. Of the students who accepted offers, 3,195 qualify for the annual RM15,000 living and accommodation stipend for eligible lower-income households. That support is not an automatic payment to all 6,246 students. A separate intake figure tracks the 64 courses covered by the scheme: 3,491 new students in 2026, compared with 1,528 in 2025, an increase of 128.5 per cent. The course-intake total and the number accepting FTES offers measure different groups and should not be treated as interchangeable.

Sarawak is taking over the upgrading projects at SMK Gedong and SK Sageng, Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg said on October 18. Speaking at the Satu Pemimpin, Satu Kampung programme in Gedong, he said the state would step in so pupils could continue to receive quality education and access to up-to-date knowledge, regardless of the funding source. The two projects sit within a wider school-upgrading commitment. In the Sarawak Budget 2027 tabled on October 12, an additional RM29 million was announced for urgent redevelopment or upgrading at SMK Gedong, SK Sageng, SJKC Tong Ah and SK Tupong. That figure covers four schools; it is not an allocation stated separately for each of the two takeover projects. For the affected school communities, the latest announcement identifies the state government’s role in carrying the work forward. It does not announce completed buildings or a date when pupils will move into upgraded facilities. Project-by-project costs and completion dates were not set out in the October 18 report.

Kuching, Samarahan and Serian are among the Sarawak areas forecast to have thunderstorms on Monday afternoon, October 19. MetMalaysia’s forecast issued on October 18 also puts rain in several areas during the morning, with Miri and Limbang the exceptions. For Kuching-area commuters, that means the possibility of wet weather is not confined to the afternoon journey home. The afternoon thunderstorm forecast covers Kuching, Serian, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu, Mukah, Kapit, Bintulu, Miri and Limbang. Temperatures across Sarawak are expected to range from 24°C to 34°C. Conditions are expected to differ at night. Rain is forecast for Sibu, Mukah, Kapit, Bintulu, Miri and Limbang, while none is forecast for Kuching, Serian, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong and Sarikei. This is the outlook for October 19, not a report of a storm already affecting every listed area or a flood alert.

At the corner of Jalan Bendahara, green roof tiles and curling dragons sit beside traffic lights rather than behind a museum lawn. That is where I would begin with Miri’s Tua Pek Kong Temple: not by counting the decorations, but by looking at how tightly a place of worship still fits into the old trading town. The fish market next door makes more sense of its position than a stand-alone photograph ever could. [image: 1792366598288-1.jpg] Pangalau / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 28 Oct 2023 · resized, not cropped The temple’s origin belongs to the unsettled early years of the oil town. Chinese workers and traders were among the people drawn to Miri as the petroleum industry expanded. The community’s founding story links the temple to an epidemic and a riverside ritual, followed by the establishment of a shrine in gratitude in 1913. I would read that as a record of how people sought protection and built solidarity in an unfamiliar town—not as a medical explanation for why an epidemic ended. The river mattered here before the street scene took its present form. Worship, landing fish and buying provisions were neighbours, not separate sightseeing categories. The temple beside the fish market lets you read those overlapping routines on foot. It is a better starting point for understanding old Miri than treating every historic building as an isolated monument. [image: 1792366598416-2.jpg] Pangalau / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 28 Oct 2023 · resized, not cropped Look upward, then back toward the compound. The tiled roofs belong to the smaller-scale temple, while a seven-metre Tua Pek Kong statue rises above it. That statue was installed in April 2023 as part of a much larger extension and beautification programme. The contrast is useful: the landmark is not simply an untouched piece of 1913. A major renovation in 1977 already marked an earlier round of renewal; generations of donations, repairs and new building have continued to reshape it. The older temple and the enlarged surroundings tell different chapters of the same community story. The photographs here were taken in 2023–24, during that changing phase; they are not a promise that today’s barriers or building works will look identical. In August 2025 a further RM500,000 restoration allocation was announced, with particular attention to traditional carving and architectural expertise. I would not assume every corner is accessible just because the temple remains a visitor landmark. Follow the current entrance and any on-site restrictions rather than stepping around works for a cleaner shot. [image: 1792366598522-4.jpg] Pangalau / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 16 Mar 2024 · resized, not cropped Nor is this only a story of stone, tiles and timber. In May 2026 the temple’s grand procession brought together more than 7,000 participants, including visiting groups and different cultural communities. An ordinary-day stop cannot reproduce that event, but it helps explain why the compound has grown beyond the scale of a small shrine. This is an organising place for living traditions, not a stage set left behind by the oil boom. For a first visit, I would give the roofline, wall decoration and the relationship between the hall and the much larger statue more attention than the number of photographs taken. Keep clear of people praying, ask before photographing worshippers, and let attendants indicate where visitors may stand. A working religious space is easier to appreciate when you do not expect it to behave like an exhibition. [image: 1792366598655-6.jpg] Pangalau / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 25 May 2024 · resized, not cropped I would combine this with a morning walk around the old fish market and nearby central-market streets, then stop for breakfast in the old town. That route is the attraction: the temple explains the neighbourhood, and the neighbourhood gives the temple a human scale. History-minded visitors already staying in Miri can make a worthwhile short detour; someone expecting an extensive museum, a full-day attraction or a guaranteed procession on arrival may be disappointed. It is not a sensible day trip from Kuching just for this one stop. Use Tua Pek Kong Temple, Miri on Google Maps, beside the old fish market at Jalan Bendahara. Choose daylight for reading the architectural details, check the day’s access with the attendant, and leave some room in the plan for the streets around it. Here, the most revealing view is often the one that keeps the market in the picture.

Kuching’s Air Pollutant Index (API) rose to 71 at 4pm on Oct 17, from 65 at noon, while all 21 monitoring stations in Sarawak were in the moderate band. The Borneo Post reported the readings from the Natural Resources and Environment Board’s Sarawak API update. Nearby readings at 4pm included Serian at 79, Samarahan at 77 and Lundu at 73. Betong recorded 84, the highest figure in the report. The statewide moderate classification did not mean every location was improving. Kuching and Samarahan rose during the afternoon, while Miri eased from 71 to 69 and Limbang from 52 to 51. Kapit moved from the good band at noon, with 49, to moderate at 53 by 4pm. API readings of 51–100 fall in the moderate category; 0–50 is good. These figures describe the Oct 17 afternoon observation, not a forecast for the night or the following morning. Anyone checking conditions for a later journey or outdoor activity should use a newer official reading rather than treat this snapshot as live.

Drivers heading into central Kuching on Sunday, October 18, should allow for partial road closures between 6pm and 9pm. The affected roads are Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, Jalan Barrack, Jalan Pearl, Jalan McDougall, Wayang Street and Main Bazaar. The restrictions are linked to a 3.8km Eucharistic procession starting from St Joseph's Cathedral. Police and Rela personnel will help regulate traffic. The notice describes partial closures during that three-hour period, rather than a full-day shutdown of every road on the list. For a Sunday evening pickup, delivery or trip through the city centre, check whether the route crosses these streets and leave extra time. Follow directions at the roadblocks; a familiar approach to Main Bazaar or Wayang Street may not be available throughout the procession.

Twelve Kuching landmarks have been turned into three-dimensional paper scenes in a locally designed heritage guidebook, pairing a city map with history and illustrations. The Heritage Pop-Up Guidebook introduces sites including the Borneo Cultures Museum, Sarawak Museum, Fort Margherita, Old Court House, Kuching General Post Office and the Padungan Great White Cat Statue. A map links the featured places, making the book a way to connect individual buildings with the wider city. An October 15 report describes the designer's work from prototype and hand-cut paper components through printing and assembly. The publication was presented to the Sarawak Museum Department, with a focus on making local history more engaging, especially for younger readers. For families or teachers, the format offers a visual starting point for learning about Kuching before looking at the buildings themselves. It is a heritage publication, rather than a notice that the landmarks have changed their visitor arrangements. A second, simpler guidebook is being developed with short introductions and room for stamps, sketches and notes. Its release is still forthcoming; the existing pop-up edition and the planned follow-up are separate publications.

A water sample from Curtin Malaysia's Miri campus has yielded DNA from the non-native common green iguana, giving researchers a lead for biodiversity monitoring rather than a confirmed count of live animals. The result was reported on October 15 as part of the 2026 Curtin Global BioBlitz. More than 100 students and researchers took part across Miri, Perth and Singapore. Across the survey, 26,572 distinct DNA sequences were analysed and 572 species identified; those totals are not a species count for the Miri campus alone. Environmental DNA comes from genetic material organisms leave in their surroundings. It can flag a species without researchers seeing an animal, but the iguana signal does not establish where the material came from or whether live iguanas remain on campus. For Sarawak's environmental monitoring, the useful next step is follow-up checking of the signal, not treating a positive sample as proof of an established population. Results can be explored through Curtin's eDNA Viewer, while the university plans to extend the initiative to all six global campuses for longer-term comparisons.

Fourteen licensed park guides have completed a five-day course on Lambir Hills National Park, combining biodiversity knowledge with safer trail navigation. Held from October 9 to 13, the training brought together experienced guides from Mulu and Miri and newly graduated guides from Niah National Park. Sarawak Forestry Corporation reported the completion on October 15. The programme covered Lambir's geology, forest vegetation, birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians, alongside incident prevention. The mix is relevant to visitors who want more than a walk between scenic stops: a guide can help explain the forest while navigating its terrain. Participants also explored the possibility of guided night walks under strict safety procedures. This was a training component, not a confirmed public booking launch. Visitors interested in a guided trip can ask the park about available licensed guides and current permitted activities before arranging their visit, especially if they are considering an after-dark outing.

Bintulu has been identified as one of Sarawak's three planned landing points for the Madani Submarine Cable project, adding a proposed new connection for the port and surrounding businesses. The Salam network is planned with 10 landing points nationwide: three in Sarawak, five in Sabah and two in Peninsular Malaysia. The other two Sarawak locations are still under study, with Buntal and Matu among the places being considered. The October 15 update put the expected start of work at late 2026 or early 2027, followed by an estimated two to three years to complete the project. Salam is intended to complement the existing SKR1M system with extra capacity and connection options. That makes it a telecommunications project, distinct from undersea electricity export links. For households and firms planning around better connectivity, the remaining Sarawak site selections and the eventual construction schedule are the next milestones. The landing-point announcement does not itself change current broadband packages or put the new cable into service.

A proposed upgrade of the Biawak border checkpoint is being assessed under Sarawak's border development master plan, with the study expected to finish by the end of 2026. An October 15 assembly reply placed improvements to the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security complex alongside wider infrastructure and socioeconomic proposals for the Biawak area. Projects would be selected for phased implementation after the findings are reviewed. Priorities, readiness, funding and the required approvals will determine which works can proceed; a construction start date for the checkpoint upgrade was not set in the reply. For travellers and businesses using the Biawak crossing, the immediate point is that planning work is advancing, while any change to facilities still depends on that later project decision. A separate RM3 million scheme covers monuments at five border locations, including Biawak, and is at final design stage. That allocation should not be confused with funding to rebuild the checkpoint itself.

Two newly issued forest carbon licences cover 31,141.2 hectares in Tanjung Manis, Kuala Rajang and Ulu Baram. The licences allow approved projects to be developed, but do not automatically create carbon credits for sale. The October 15 presentation involved a 4,788.2-hectare project held by Lembaga Amanah Kebajikan Islam Kuala Rajang and the 26,353-hectare Jalin Forest Carbon Area held by Shin Yang. The former concerns mangrove blue carbon; the latter focuses on forest management and conservation. The presentation took place at the assembly complex in Kuching. The project land is elsewhere, not around the ceremony venue. Projects still have to satisfy the relevant standards, including validation and verification by recognised bodies, before credits may be issued or traded. An approved area is therefore different from a verified volume of carbon or a confirmed sales return. For communities and businesses following the sector, the practical checkpoints are the approved project boundaries, regulatory compliance and independently validated results. The new licences alone establish neither a household payment entitlement nor an investment return.

Sarawak's tourism ministry is overseeing 33 development projects valued at RM486.39 million, but the total is a portfolio figure—not an announcement that 33 new attractions are ready to open. An October 15 update to the State Legislative Assembly divided the work into 21 state-funded projects worth RM408.38 million, one RM52 million Projek Rakyat project and 11 federal projects worth RM26.01 million. Delivery is spread across agencies including JKR, LCDA, Sarawak Forestry Corporation, SEDC and local councils. The projects are statewide; the fact that the update was delivered in Kuching does not place them all in the city. Proposals are assessed for readiness, value for money, sustainability and their expected contribution to tourism and local communities. The assessment also considers associated costs and engagement with utilities and other agencies. For residents and tourism operators, the next useful information is project-by-project progress, location and service availability. The aggregate value alone cannot establish an opening date, a local job offer or an attraction that visitors can use now.

Firefighters extinguished an early-morning fire at Cheng Sian Tong temple in Lorong Bukit Hantu, Westwood, on October 16. About 20 per cent of the building was damaged, Bomba said. The Batu Lintang fire station received the distress call at 3.03am. People at the temple had tried three dry-powder extinguishers before firefighters took over. Crews opened part of the ceiling to check for hidden embers and ended the operation at 4.15am. The published account describes an extinguished fire, not an ongoing emergency at the site. The cause remains under investigation. There is no basis in the report to attribute it to wiring, candles or any particular person. The account also does not establish when normal access or repairs will resume; anyone with plans at the temple should confirm arrangements with its management rather than assume the building is ready for use.