Lundu, Sarawak


Lundu is a town located in the northwest of Kuching Division of Sarawak, Malaysia, and borders the Indonesian Province of West Kalimantan.

History

Little is known about the history of Lundu. The lands around Lundu were empty of people until relatively recently. The main river is called Batang Kayan, "the Kayan river", but there is no evidence that any Kayan people ever lived there. In the mid-eighteenth century a group of Bidayuh people from near Bau migrated and settled on the west bank of the Batang Kayan, where Kampong Stunggang Melayu now stands. They came to be called the Dayak Lundu, and though the last member of the tribe died in the 1960s, you can still see the grove of durian trees they planted. The name "Lundu" itself is taken from a small catfish that abounds in the Sungai Lundu which flows down from Gunung Gading.
Lundu is currently under constant development, with more and more public infrastructures and other being built and proposed.

Politics

In state and federal Constituencies, Lundu area is represented by Barisan Nasional:
Lundu District Office is the nerve center of the administration of the District. The first district officer was appointed in 1877 and the current district officer is the 44th. The district officer has wide statutory powers, to enable him to function effectively.
The district officer is also chairman of the Lundu District Council, that provides municipal services. It was first established in 1953, as Lundu District Authority. In 1957,it was restructured and known as Lundu District Council until today. The chairman is assisted by 21 councillors appointed by the government. The secretary to the Council is the CEO.

Transportation

Lundu is located 100 km from Kuching City, 70 km from Bau Town, 28 km from Sematan Bazzar, 26 km from Biawak Bazzar,18 km from Kampong Sebako and 10 km from Pandan Beach. It is accessible by road. In the mid- to late-2000s, Batang Kayan Bridge was officially opened to traffic, ending the ferry services to and from Lundu through Batang Kayan. Lundu was previously connected by air, and there are remains of the former airstrip in Lundu. Part of the runway of the old airstrip is now used as a road.
Biawak which is near the Indonesia-Malaysia border is the location of one of three land border crossings into Indonesia. The Malaysian checkpoint is called the Biawak Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Checkpoint while the Indonesian checkpoint is called the Aruk Border Crossing Checkpoint. The nearest towns to Aruk are Sambas town about 93m away, and Singkawang about 160km away. Both towns are in West Kalimantan.

Education

Primary schools