Putrajaya assures Singapore no reclamation work taking place in 2 Johor projects

Putrajaya has given Singapore the assurance that no reclamation work is currently taking place on two controversial projects in the southern state of Johor, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

Singapore Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli said in Parliament on Wednesday that Putrajaya had responded on June 30 to Singapore's request for information on both projects.

"Malaysia has stated that no reclamation works are currently being undertaken on these projects and that it remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under international law and will take all necessary measures to avoid any adverse transboundary impact," the report quoted Masagos as saying in his reply to questions on the projects from Singapore's elected representatives.

The ST report said Masagos confirmed that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke and wrote to Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the matter, and said National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who co-chairs the Malaysia-Singapore joint ministerial committee for Iskandar Malaysia, also wrote to his Malaysian counterpart.

The Malaysian Insider had previously reported that despite the absence of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and a call for intervention by Singapore, two massive reclamation projects are well underway in the Johor straits that separate Malaysia and the island republic.

The coastal reclamation work has also raised concerns over the effect the project will have on the coastal eco-system and the livelihood of fishermen in the area apart from Malaysia's transhipment hub in the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP).

A source had said that the most worrying of all was the coastal reclamation work stretching over 1,817ha by Country Garden Pacific View, dubbed the Forest City.

The plot near the second link crossing to Singapore has also been given a lot number, Lot PTD 4071, Mukim Tanjung Kupang, Daerah Johor Baru.

A company search in February revealed that one of the directors of Country Garden Pacific View is Datuk Daing A. Malek Daing A. Rahaman, who is believed to be a long-time friend of the Sultan of Johor and is a member of the council of the Royal Court of Advisers to the Sultan.

China's Country Garden Holdings Co Ltd had undertaken its first project in Danga Bay, which covers 20ha of land – for which it paid RM900 million several years ago.

It was reported that Country Garden Holdings and Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor are jointly undertaking the new Forest City project, which is poised to become a tourism hub.

The other reclamation project covering 1,410ha near Tanjung Piai, which is the southern most tip of continental Asia, is being undertaken by Benalec Holdings for the purpose of an industrial oil and gas hub.

The Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Idris Sultan Ibrahim and Daing A. Malek are directors of Spektrum Kukuh, which partnered Benalec in the Tanjung Piai reclamation project.

"There are serious environmental concerns here because the area is surrounded by fishing villages, given the rich sea grass and marine diversity,” the source said of the projects.

"Their livelihoods will be affected by the coastal reclamation.”

The Department of Environment subsequently issued a temporary stop work order on coastal land reclamation works for the massive tourism project off Tanjung Kupang, pending a detailed study.

The ST report said Putrajaya had also given some preliminary general information on the projects and has promised to share all other information with Singapore, including the environmental impact assessments on the projects, once they are ready, he added.

Singapore had registered its concerns with Malaysia through a number of diplomatic channels and requested all relevant information on the works, including environmental impact study reports.

It also requested that Malaysia suspend reclamation works until it received and studied all the relevant information.

It is concerned that the reclamation projects "could affect the safety of navigation in the Straits of Johor as well as increased erosion to the seabed and foreshore defences that support the infrastructure of the Second Link and Singapore's shoreline," said Masagos.

They could also result in changes in the morphology and water quality in the Johor Straits, which would directly affect Singapore's marine and coastal environment and fish farms nearby.

Countries are obligated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and general international law not to cause harm or permit activities within their jurisdiction to cause transboundary harm to their neighbours, said Masagos.

This includes Malaysia "not permitting reclamation activities of this scale and nature to take place so close to Singapore without first conducting an environmental impact assessment". If damage to the environment has been caused or is imminent, Malaysia has a duty to immediately notify Singapore, he said.

Furthermore, under a settlement agreement between Malaysia and Singapore following a 2005 reclamation case, both countries are obliged to monitor their respective environments in the Straits of Johor, share information and address any adverse impacts if necessary, the ST report said. – July 12, 2014.