Home Ministry finalising new Malaysia-Indonesia border crossing in Borneo

TUMPAT: The Home Ministry is finalising the new border crossing between Malaysia and Indonesia following the development of Indonesia’s new capital city, Nusantara, in Kalimantan.

Its minister, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, said the new border crossing is among the matters discussed by both countries under the Cross Border Agreement (CBA).

"Our prime minister has been to Indonesia. We will have a new border crossing with Nusantara.

"The Home Ministry will now be involved in finalising the CBA that we hope will be settled soon,” he told reporters after inspecting the Pengkalan Kubor Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex in Tumpat today.

During the visit, he also viewed the border controls along Sungai Golok which acts as the country’s border with neighbouring Thailand.

Saifuddin said three components would be finalised about the new border crossing.

"We will identify the ‘point to point’ crossing on our side and the Indonesian’s side, how wide an area we will cover under the agreement and the categories of residents (near the border crossing).

"In terms of the scheduling, tentatively, Indonesian president Jokowi’s (Joko Widodo) official visit to Malaysia this year will include the signing of the agreement,” he added.