KUCHING: The Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB) has been instructed to ensure that river travellers comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) enforced under the movement control order (MCO).
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing said while he was in Kapit for the last three days, he found out that river users had been flouting the MCO regulations.
“The police are doing their job in carrying out roadblocks to and out of Kapit town. They have been quite successful despite the various tricks motorists used to pass through the police roadblocks.
“However, the worst culprits who came in and out of Kapit town with impunity are those who use speedboats and longboats,” he said today (June 11).
The Baleh assemblyman explained that the police do not have the authority nor the means to stop these river users.
“As such, SRB should check all boat users to find out the reasons for their journey as the police do,” he said.
Masing said he was worried that they could be the spreader of Covid-19 into Kapit and the surrounding longhouses.
Under the current MCO period which runs until June 14, movement between districts are prohibited except for essential services and those with a police permit or letter from their respective employer.
