What's happening around Tanjung Aru
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Two China nationals fined RM1,800 each over fake boarding passes at KKIA
Two Chinese nationals were fined RM1,800 each, or seven months' jail in default, by the Magistrate's Court in Kota Kinabalu for using fake boarding passes to exit the domestic arrival hall at Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Wei Zhan and Nong Chunzhao pleaded guilty to using forged AirAsia and Batik Air Malaysia e-boarding passes for a Tawau-Kota Kinabalu route on Sept 2, with checks showing they were not recorded as passengers on those flights.
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Safma urges Todak Night Market traders to widen menus, get licences
Safma chairman Datuk Mohammad Mohamarin urged seafood traders at Todak Night Market in Kota Kinabalu to offer more varied menus to draw tourists. He said Safma will work with authorities on the issue of traders operating without licences there.
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Tamu Besar Kota Belud 2026 expected to draw 50,000 visitors
Tamu Besar Kota Belud 2026 will run from Oct 10 to 18 in Kota Belud, Sabah, targeting about 50,000 visitors. Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick said the Head of State will launch the event, with the Chief Minister attending on Oct 17, and it will feature buffalo and cattle races at Padang Kota Belud plus a Tamu Geopark Kinabalu spotlighting Mount Kinabalu.
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Borneo Adventure Hunt launched in Kota Kinabalu, named global finalist at Auggie Awards
A Sabah-developed digital tourism campaign combining augmented reality, gamification and location-based exploration was launched at the Digital and IoT Sandbox in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday. Borneo Adventure Hunt, built by Jalin Creative Sdn Bhd and Reviewbah Sdn Bhd, was named a Top 6 global finalist in the Best Location-Based Entertainment category at the Auggie Awards 2026 in Long Beach, California.
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Anwar arrives at SICC Kota Kinabalu to chair MTPMA63 meeting
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) in Kota Kinabalu at 8.16am to chair the 2026 Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) meeting. He arrived with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, and Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg was also present. The meeting discusses the implementation of MA63 matters concerning Sabah and Sarawak.
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Sabah-level Malaysia Day celebration moved to SICC due to haze
The Sabah-level Malaysia Day celebration on Sept 16 has been moved to the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) in Kota Kinabalu because of haze. State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said the change was agreed by the State Cabinet to ensure the event proceeds, and it will start at 8pm simultaneously with the national celebration in Kuching, Sarawak.
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Anwar arrives in Kota Kinabalu for two-day Sabah visit, to chair MA63 meeting tomorrow
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 6.45pm today for a two-day official visit to Sabah. Tomorrow he is scheduled to chair the 2026 Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) meeting at the Sabah International Convention Centre, focusing on MA63 implementation and the interests of Sabah and Sarawak. The visit also includes Friday prayers at Masjid Jamek Kampung Likas and a stop at the temporary relief centre for Kampung Numbak fire victims at Dewan Serbaguna Damai.
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Asian Pac denies swapping residents' parking bays in Kota Kinabalu
Asian Pac Holdings has denied residents' claims that parking bays at a residential complex next to a shopping mall in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah were moved without discussion. Its chief operating officer said the allocated bays are unchanged and the temporary closure of Levels 1 to 3 is only for upgrading works.
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Abang Johari arrives in Kota Kinabalu for MA63 meeting chaired by Anwar
Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah today for programmes tied to the MA63 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) Meeting No. 1 of 2026. He is due at a dinner with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Sabah leaders at The Magellan Sutera Resort tonight, and at the MTPMA63 meeting tomorrow at the Sabah International Convention Centre, chaired by Anwar. Sabah will be represented by Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.
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Document examiner stands by findings on Zara Qairina's handwriting at Sabah inquest
At the Coroner's Court in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday, document examiner Nurul Atiqah Mohd Noh maintained that her conclusion the questioned writings belonged to the late Zara Qairina Mahathir is unchanged, even after hearing the testimony of another forensic handwriting expert, Dr Linthini Gannetion. She said minor scribbles, amendments and different writing instruments do not overturn the finding, and that another expert's inability to conclude does not mean someone else wrote them. The inquest into the 13-year-old student's death resumes in October.
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Mutiara GRS visits COTI patient in Kg Tanjung Aru Lama, gives RM3,000 and equipment
Datin Seri Juliah Salag, wife of the Sabah Chief Minister and president of Mutiara GRS, visited the home of a Care of the Terminally Ill (COTI) patient at Kg Tanjung Aru Lama on Tuesday under the Santunan Kasih Mutiara GRS Sabah programme. She presented a RM3,000 cheque, two electric hospital beds and two heavy-duty reclining wheelchairs to the Women's Affairs Committee of Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, plus cash, food baskets and necessities to COTI patients in Tanjung Aru.
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CHERY Borneo Drive 2.0 takes TIGGO PHEV across Sabah
CHERY Borneo Drive 2.0 saw TIGGO PHEV models travel over 734 km from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau over three days from 29 to 31 July 2026. The journey through Kundasang, Sandakan and Lahad Datu highlighted the plug-in hybrid technology's capabilities in various road conditions. Participants also visited the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre and attended technology talks in several towns.
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Labourer gets nine months for disposing of stolen Proton rims in Penampang
A 29-year-old labourer was jailed nine months by the Magistrate's Court in Kota Kinabalu after pleading guilty to helping dispose of three stolen Proton Saga rims worth RM300. The rims were taken from a roadside along the Pan Borneo Highway at Kampung Mansiang in Manggatal, and the man led police to a scrap metal shop in Penampang where they were sold. In a separate case, a woman was fined RM2,000 for failing to comply with a Consumer Claims Tribunal award.
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Keras badminton tournament draws Sabah artistes to Putatan
Kelab Rekreasi Artis Sabah held its Closed Badminton Tournament 2026 at Dewan Ketiau in Putatan on Sept 5, drawing members of the state's entertainment community for a day of sport and fellowship. Shuttle Striker took the overall title, with Smash Squad second and Court Crasher third across women's, men's and mixed doubles. The club said the event aimed to promote healthy living and strengthen ties among Sabah artistes.
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23 Sabah entrepreneurs get RM230,000 in SME-Up packaging grants
Twenty-three local entrepreneurs in Sabah have received SME-Up grants totalling RM230,000 to upgrade their product packaging and labelling. Each recipient got RM10,000 under the state government initiative, presented in Kota Kinabalu by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick.
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Jafry: Sabah Malaysia Day celebration to reflect on nation's formation
Sabah's state-level Malaysia Day celebration will be a platform to reflect on the formation of Malaysia and strengthen unity, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin. He said this after leading a courtesy call on Sabah Head of State Tun Musa Aman at Istana Seri Kinabalu in Kota Kinabalu on Wednesday to brief the Governor on preparations.
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Sabah JSPT: road condition a factor in some fatal crashes
At a forum at the Sabah International Convention Centre in Kota Kinabalu, a Sabah traffic police investigation officer said road users are not always solely to blame for accidents, citing road condition, lighting and signage as contributing factors. He said Sabah recorded 21,249 road accidents in 2025 with 348 deaths, and 14,566 accidents so far in 2026 with 232 deaths, and that findings are shared with JKR to identify problem locations.
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Sabah's Malaysia Day 2026 celebration set for Sept 16 at SICC
Sabah's state-level 63rd Malaysia Day celebration will be held at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) in Kota Kinabalu on Sept 16 at 8pm. Committee chairman Datuk Jafry Ariffin announced the finalized plans after a courtesy call on the state's head of state, Tun Musa Haji Aman.
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Ten Vietnamese women fined in Kota Kinabalu court for immigration offences
Ten Vietnamese women were fined by the Sessions Court in Kota Kinabalu for various immigration offences. Five were fined RM4,000 each for entering Malaysia without valid documents, while the others were fined for overstaying or having irregular passes. All were ordered to be referred to the Immigration Department after settling their fines or serving their jail terms.
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Sabah man jailed for not carrying IC; another fined for stolen goods
A 51-year-old man was sentenced to six months in jail by the Kota Kinabalu Magistrate's Court for failing to produce his identity card during a police raid in Penampang. In a separate case, a 28-year-old driver was fined RM3,000 for retaining stolen welding equipment in Putatan.
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Psychiatrist defends diary assessment in Zara Qairina inquest
At the Coroner's Court in Kota Kinabalu, forensic psychiatrist Dr Chua Sze Hung testified that he also considered positive aspects in the diary of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir. He explained that numerical scoring is not helpful in psychological assessment and stressed the importance of understanding contextual details. Dr Chua also acknowledged that it is impossible to eliminate 100 percent of bias in witness testimony.
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Chinese Culture Grand Garden closes in Kota Kinabalu, drawing 400 students
The 2026 Chinese Culture Grand Garden programme concluded at Kian Kok Middle School in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, with a closing ceremony. The event, which attracted nearly 400 students from various parts of Sabah, featured activities such as calligraphy, lantern-making, and martial arts. Organizers donated teaching materials to the school for future cultural education.
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Fire destroys non-permanent house in Kampung Contoh Petagas, Putatan
A non-permanent house at Kampung Contoh Petagas in Putatan was destroyed in an early morning fire on Wednesday. The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department received the alert at 4.56am and brought the blaze under control within six minutes. No casualties were reported.
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Kota Kinabalu residents seek dialogue with developer over parking lot relocation
Residents of a residential complex in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, are appealing to the developer, Asian Pac Holdings Berhad, for a dialogue over the relocation of their parking lots to the 5th floor of an adjacent shopping mall, effective 1 June. The residents claim the decision was made without prior discussion. The group chairman has said he will review the complaint letter.