Lawas
| Lawas | |
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Aerial view of Lawas town.
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 Lawas
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| Coordinates: 4°50′0″N 115°24′0″E / 4.83333°N 115.40000°ECoordinates: 4°50′0″N 115°24′0″E / 4.83333°N 115.40000°E | |
| Country |
 Malaysia
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| State |
 Sarawak
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| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 35,300 |
Lawas is a small town and the capital of the Lawas District in Limbang Division of northern Sarawak, eastern Malaysia on the island of Borneo. This district area is 3,811.9 square kilometres, and population (year 2000 census) was 35,300. It is 1200 km from the state capital, Kuching and 200 km from the capital city of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu.
From the 1970s up until the early 1990s, Lawas and nearby Limbang were notorious for being the sin capitals of Sarawak. Prostitution, massage parlours, sleazy pubs and rundown motels were common in both towns.
Both towns have since undergone a complete transformation following major urban redevelopment in the last decade. New residential areas, shops, shopping centres, agriculture projects and roads have been constructed with the investment of millions of ringgit.
Rundown motels have been refurbished into tourist level hotels with adequate facilities.
Planned:
Proposed:
As with Limbang, the town is a busy transit point between Sarawak, Sabah, and Brunei. Timber and agriculture are the mainstays of the economy. The highland area known as Ba'Kelalan has been experimenting with the cultivation of apples. In addition, the tourism industry is being developed in Ba'Kelalan. However, these plans have been met with controversy due to the probable effects on several traditional tribal villages. Plans to develop small and middle scale industries in Lawas have been proposed by the state government. At this time much of the land in Lawas, Sundar and Trusan has been transformed from padi fields into oil palm plantations. Lawas is also known as the producer of smoked fish called 'Tahai' in local dialect. One of the villages that produces 'Tahai' commercially is Kampung Awat-Awat in the Sundar sub-district.
A government hospital was proposed to be built for the town under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. As of May 2016, the hospital is scheduled to be completed in 36 months.
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Wikipedia