BA KELALAN: The close relationship between the communities in Ba Kelalan and Keraian, East Kalimantan, Indonesia has made trading between the two border areas vibrant.
The Malaysian Armed Forces post at Ba Kelalan.
A notice informing visitors that they are entering Indonesian territory.
An arch welcoming visitors to Indonesia.
The Immigration Department post manned by three officers in Ba Kelalan.
Purait Gatum
According to the locals, the people from both areas enjoy close relationship among each other because they are from the same Lun Bawang community and many of them are related to one another.
Keraian has a population of about 10,000. The villages under the district include Long Bawan, Buduk Tumu, Long Api, Long Nawang, Berian, Terang Baru and Long Kerian.
The border between Ba Kelalan and Keraian is monitored by the Immigration and Armed Forces from both Malaysia and Indonesia, with each country manning a post there.
Purait Gatum, 44, who has been one of the leading suppliers of goods to Keraian for the past 12 years, said he would travel two to three times to Keraian in a month to send groceries to the traders there.
“We depend on each other in our businesses. The traders in Keraian require us to supply goods to them and our businesses survive because of their patronage.
“About 70 per cent of our businesses come from Keraian. We cannot depend just on the Ba Kelalan community because the demand here is still limited,” he told BAT IV yesterday.
Purait, who also owns a grocery shop and homestay in Ba Kelalan, said he would normally supply goods such as instant noodles, canned food and fish, apart from other necessities to traders in Keraian.
He would normally get his goods from Lawas and then deliver them to traders in Keraian when there is an order.
Purait said the traders in Keraian prefer to get their goods from Ba Kelalan because both areas are very close to one another apart from the competitive prices offered by the suppliers from Ba Kelalan.
“We certainly can offer more competitive prices to them because our transportation cost is cheaper than if the traders in Keraian were to buy them from neighbouring Tarakan or Nunukan.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the state Immigration Department post in Ba Kelalan said on average, the officers deal with about 80 people in a day, adding that the number of people crossing the border would decrease on Sundays.