BERNAMA – Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah arrived in Tawau, Sabah yesterday to begin their first ever ‘Kembara Kenali Borneo’ tour.
The tour, which will end in Telok Melano, Sarawak, involved a distance of 2,154 kilometres via the Pan Borneo Highway which connects Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.
The aircraft carrying Their Majesties departed from the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Subang, Selangor and touched down at the Tawau Airport at 1.50pm.
Before leaving Tawau Airport in a vehicle driven by the King himself, Their Majesties took pictures with 40 children from Tadika Kemas and Perpaduan who were dressed in various traditional costumes.
Their Majesties also shook hands, took wefies and mingled with the crowd who were waiting for their arrival at the airport. Their Majesties attended the tour launch and a dinner with the people at the Tawau Community Hall.
Tawau was vibrant and lively with the installation of Jalur Gemilang and Sabah flags to welcome the arrival of the royal couple who are known for their humble and down-to-earth attitude.
Tawau, known as the ‘Land of Farmers’, is located on the east coast of Sabah which is about 500 kilometres from the state capital Kota Kinabalu and is the third largest town, after Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan.
According to data from the Malaysian Department of Statistics, in 2020 Tawau district encompasses a total area of 196 square kilometres with 372,462 residents.
The population in Tawau make up a great number of the Bajau, Suluk, Ida’an, Tidong, Cocos, Murut and Lun Bawang community. A large part of the land area of Tawau district is a plantation area where oil palm and cocoa are grown, where most of the people work in plantations.
In addition to Tawau, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permaisuri Agong are scheduled to stopover in Lahad Datu, Sandakan, Telupid, Ranau, Kundasang, Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Sipitang.