Long queues at control posts
By Rosli Abidin Yahya & Hj Mohd Said

Long queue at Kuala Lurah's control post. Pic: Muhd Faisal

Brunei's control posts in Kuala Lurah and Sungai Tujuh were subjected to long queue yesterday as people flocked to the border towns to make last minute purchases for the upcoming Hari Raya Aidil Adha celebration.

The rush could also be attributed to the release of annual bonuses to civil servants in the country.

The queue at Kuala Lurah's post started as early as 4.30 am even though the gate only opened at 6 am.

The queue was as long as two miles, up to the Badan Tanmiah Petrol Station and Trading. At noon, similar long queue was still observed.

The rush to the border towns commenced Thursday night as some locals decided to spend the night in the hotels to avoid the expected morning rush.

Eyewitnesses said Limbang town, a shopping paradise frequented by Bruneians during holidays, was packed.

Some locals, however, opted for Kota Kinabalu, which is a road journey of between four and six hours from Brunei.

The number of Bruneians visiting Sarawak is on the increase, with nearly a million people from the Sultanate making the trip down last year compared to 229,750 in 1993 and 294,849 in 1994.

Meanwhile, all roads to the commercial centres in Brunei were subjected to traffic jams due to back-to-school and year-end sales.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin