SRI AMAN: Starting today, the name of Sri Aman town will be reverted to its original name, Simanggang, while the name of the division remains as Sri Aman Division, announced Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said this followed the recent name-revert application made by Well-Being and Community Assistant Minister Datuk Francis Hardin, who is also Simanggang assemblyman, to the state Cabinet.
“Following discussion, we finally agreed that the name of the town will be reverted to Simanggang, while the division will still be known as Sri Aman.
“So, the name of the town is now Simanggang, and the name of the entire division remains as Sri Aman,” he said in his speech at the launch of Pesta Benak Sri Aman (Tidal Bore Festival) 2019 here yesterday.
The chief minister added that the application was considered rational to enable the young generation to learn the history of the town.
On the future planning for Sri Aman, Abang Johari said he was confident that the various ongoing infrastructural projects, including coastal road, Pan Borneo Highway, and the proposed construction of two new bridges linking Sri Aman to Batang Lupar, will turn Sri Aman into a strategic location that provides access to other divisions, hence bring about positive impact to local development.
At the event, the chief minister also announced the construction of a new civic hall for Sri Aman with allocation to be channelled under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
The name of the town, Simanggang, was changed to Sri Aman in 1974 in conjunction with signing of the Sri Aman Peace Agreement in the same year, which put an end to the communist insurgency in Sarawak.
The agreement was inked by the then Chief Minister Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub and the leader of the Sarawak Communist Organisation, Bong Kee Chok, following a series of peace talks held in Simanggang. – Bernama
