S'pore seeking more information from KL on massive island below Second Link
The Sunday Times, 22 Jun 2014
The Sunday Times, 22 Jun 2014
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed yesterday that Singapore has asked for more information so it can study the possible impact on the Republic and the strait. "They have agreed to do so and we hope to receive the information soon," a spokesman said in response to media queries.
A report in the Malaysian daily The Star yesterday said that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has written to his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, about the project.
That was a follow-up to two diplomatic notes on the matter sent to Malaysia's Foreign Ministry last month, the paper said. A third note was handed to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Wahid Omar when he visited Singapore recently, it added.
The Star reported last Monday that China property developer Country Garden Holdings and a Johor government company, Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor, were planning the reclamation project called Forest City for luxury homes.
The idea to create a 2,000ha island - nearly three times the size of Ang Mo Kio estate - will take 30 years to complete, Mr Kayson Yuen, Country Garden's regional president for the project, told the paper. A project map showed part of the man-made island under the Second Link, which connects Tuas in Singapore to Johor.
The Edge Review online magazine reported last month that Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Ismail Sultan Iskandar was behind the project, which was being promoted actively by powerful Johor politicians.Mr Yuen told The Star that his Hong Kong-listed company had studied the project for more than a year before deciding to invest in it, and that an Australian consultant and local contractors had been hired for the reclamation works.
Singapore's MFA said yesterday: "Given Johor's close proximity to Singapore, we are naturally concerned about any possible transboundary impact on Singapore from property development projects that involve reclamation works in the Strait of Johor.
"There are also international obligations for both the Malaysian and Singapore authorities to work closely on such matters. We have asked the Malaysian authorities to provide more information, so that we can undertake a study as soon as possible on the impacts of these reclamation works on Singapore and the Strait. They have agreed to do so and we hope to receive the information soon."
The Star said yesterday there has been no indication that the parties behind the reclamation works submitted environment impact assessment reports to the government.
It noted, however, that reclamation works smaller than 50ha in land area need not submit environmental impact studies.
The Edge Review magazine had claimed in its report last month that the man-made island may be dissected by canals into smaller parcels to get around the legal need for environmental impact studies.
Chinese firms plan 39,000 homes in Johor
The Sunday Times, 22 Jun 2014
The Sunday Times, 22 Jun 2014
The biggest project with Chinese involvement is the raising of a 2,000-ha man-made island off Tuas - nearly three times the size of Ang Mo Kio. This area in the Johor Strait below the Second Link is now being reclaimed by Country Garden and a Johor government company, Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor.
The reclamation project is called Forest City, and The Edge Review online magazine reported last month that Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Ismail Sultan Iskandar is behind it, and that it is being actively promoted by powerful politicians in the state.
A project map published by The Star showed part of the island under the Second Link.
The projects said to be planned by the China players in Johor's development region called Iskandar are huge by local standards.
Hong Kong-listed Country Garden last year raised concern among Johor property players when it launched the sale of 9,000 residential units in Danga Bay, in state capital Johor Baru, worth RM18 billion (S$7 billion).
It said that 6,000 units were to be launched at the same time, the biggest single launch of any project in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Guangzhou-based R&F Property Co has plans to build 30,000 residential units over several years, The Star said. The location of the project was not identified.
Other players from China which have recently bought land banks in Iskandar are Shanghai-based Greenland Group, Singapore-based Hao Yuan Investment which is controlled by mainland shareholders, and Zhuoda Real Estate Group.
Some of the projects are being targeted at buyers from mainland China itself, the property company officials have said.
They also hope to leverage on Iskandar's proximity to Singapore, as high home prices in the Republic force cash-rich Singapore residents to look at Johor property instead.