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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. 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.
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.
Sources:
Wikipedia
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