Thousands head south for three-day getaway

IMMIGRATION control posts bordering between Brunei and Malaysia have been swamped with heavy traffic since early Thursday evening.

With a long holiday weekend finally in Brunei, border hopping became the choice for many as they took the opportunity to enjoy the vacation time with brief getaway to Miri with friends and family in tow.

Aside from the usual traffic of daily commuters, the Sungai Tujoh Control Post in Belait since Thursday evening has been busy with people who decided to spend their holidays in Miri.

Some are going on a shopping spree with their children in preparation for the new school year while others are going to celebrate the holidays with their friends and relatives.

Among the crowds of people heading out to Miri was Hj Masri Sulaiman and family who decided to go and visit relatives on the southern side of the border.

"We are also going for some shopping, especially for school supplies for my children," said Hj Masri while waiting patiently in line at the immigration checkpoint.

"We are lucky that we decided to go to Miri as the line at the immigration checkpoint is not as bad as it is in Kuala Lurah," he added.

"Here in Sg Tujoh, if you are lucky, the most time you will spend in line will be half an hour. You just have to watch out for the line on the Miri side as there is usually a long queue waiting at the Immigration Control Post there," said Hj Masri.

Reggie Siong who was with a group of friends waiting in line at the control post said that they had decided to celebrate Christmas and enjoy the holidays in Malaysia.

"We decided to go to Miri because even though it is just a short drive away we can experience the difference simply with a change of atmosphere," he said.

"In Miri, Christmas celebrations can be felt and seen everywhere which is also why we are going," he added.

The Brunei Times