Bigger Ambal fest on map for Asajaya – Abdul Karim

November 30, 2014

Abdul Karim (fourth left) bursting balloons as a symbolic launch for the Ambal Festival yesterday.

ASAJAYA: The annual Ambal Festival 2014 kicked off at the Asajaya new township, launched by its assemblyman Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah yesterday.

With the inclusion of the festival in the Sarawak Tourism Calendar, Asajaya is now on the map as the premier destination for ambal (bamboo clams) activities.

“Next year, this festival will be organised on a bigger scale to attract more visitors and tourists to this town,” said Abdul Karim, who is also Assistant Minister of Housing, during the launching assemblyman ceremony yesterday.

Being synonymous with ambal, he added, the seafood has since become the root of the two-day festival which in turn stimulates economic growth for the locals.

Home to more than 1,000 fishermen, ambal season in Asajaya also provides opportunities for them to diversify market profits.

He noted that Asajaya is the main supplier for ambal in Kuching as well as other parts of the state.

He said this will be spurred on with the completion of a new bridge across Sungai Samarahan linking the area with Kota Samarahan.

According to him, initial works for the construction of the bridge is still in progress, such as land compensation to those affected by the project.

“With the new bridge, road connectivity to Asajaya will stimulate the development projects here,” he added.

He said construction of the new bridge is slated to begin next year.

Meanwhile, the festival includes exhibitions and stalls selling dishes which revolve around ambal as the main ingredient.

Free medical health checks were also conducted by the Armed Forces (ATM) for the locals.