Erwin (front, left) assists Ting in releasing the birds to mark the start of the bird-singing competition.

MIRI: Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture supports Kelab Pencinta Burung Kicau Miri (Pekicau Miri)’s effort to attract more foreign entries for its bird-singing competition here.

Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Sebastian Ting says the club has been successful in holding this kind of competition, which has also been attracting entries from Brunei and Indonesia.

“A competition like this is good for tourism growth in Miri. I hope that this event could be one of the signature events in the tourism calendar of Miri,” he sais in his opening remarks for the bird-singing competition at Kampung Piasau Utara here yesterday.

In response to the bird licensing issue faced by the club, Ting called upon the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) to expedite the approval of new and renewal licensing applications of club members and other bird owners.

It was mentioned that for the competition yesterday, 62 participants from Brunei were unable to join due to certain permit issues.

Any owner who wants to import or export bird species must apply for a permit and the bird must also have a health certificate issued by the Department of Veterinary Services.

In this respect Ting, who is Piasau assemblyman, hoped that SFC together with the relevant authorities would work closely with the club in assisting the Bruneian participants.

Later at the function, the assistant minister announced an allocation of RM5,000 from his Minor Rural Project (MRP) grant for Pekicau Miri’s activities.

Earlier, organising chairman Erwin Geoffry Ussan said the competition themed ‘Valentine Bon’, had 400 birds competing in various categories.

Also present were club chairman Mohd Azahar Bujang and SFC Miri enforcement officer Andrias Anyie.