KUCHING: The people of the coastal fishing village of Telaga Air seem thrilled that they now have access to a free wi-fi service which enables them to surf cyberspace.
The service was launched by Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar at the Telaga Air Waterfront yesterday.
Cafe owner Sulaiman Wen, 57, told The Borneo Post yesterday that the service would enable the people to become IT savvy, have quick access to the latest happenings in the world, and stay in touch with people outside the village.
He added that they could also use it to look for jobs and even leverage on the technology to promote Telaga Air to the whole world. This is useful because the village is popular for its homestay programme.
The wi-fi service here is part of the public library project near the waterfront. The project is about 70 per cent completed.
On Telaga Air in general, Sulaiman said he was very happy to note that the village had grown from a small village where fishermen used to stop by to refill their water supply from a well to become a popular tourist spot today.
“I was very optimistic about Telaga Air from day one, and that was why my family and I left my village of Siput Laut many years ago to have a better left here,” he related.
Although he now has a cafe which he runs with family members, he still goes out to the sea regularly as he said fishing is in his blood.
His fervent wish for Telaga Air now is to see a mosque built by the waterfront, similar to the one in Kuala Terengganu.
“If that happens, then this place would be very beautiful.”
Telaga Air is also an anglers’ haven, and is famous for a type of fish known locally as ‘Senagin’. The village is about a 45-minute drive from the city.