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Channel NewsAsia 23 May 08;
THE HAGUE: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague in the Netherlands has awarded sovereignty of Pedra Branca island to Singapore, while the sovereignty of Middle Rocks has been awarded to Malaysia.
The world court delivered the judgement on Friday, after several rounds of written and oral pleadings by disputing countries Singapore and Malaysia. The ICJ last heard arguments from both sides in November 2007.
For Pedra Branca, ICJ's 16-member bench voted 12-4 in favour of Singapore. Ownership of Middle Rocks, a maritime feature 0.6 nautical miles from Pedra Branca, was voted 15-1 to Malaysia.
As for South Ledge, Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh, the Acting President of International Court of Justice, said: "The Court has not been mandated by the parties to draw the line of delimitation with respect to the territorial waters of Malaysia and Singapore in the area in question. In these circumstances, the court concludes that for the reasons explained above, sovereignty over South Ledge, as a low tide elevation, belongs to the State in the territorial waters of which it is located."
The verdict brings to a close a 28-year row between the two neighbours. The dispute arose in 1980 when Singapore protested against a new Malaysian map of its maritime boundaries, which claimed the islet for itself.
Years of bilateral talks failed to resolve the matter and the parties agreed to seek the intervention of the UN court.
Pedra Branca, which Malaysia calls Pulau Batu Puteh, is located some 24 nautical miles to the east of Singapore and it commands the entire eastern approach to the Singapore Strait, through which almost 900 ships pass daily.
Pedra Branca also houses the Horsburgh Lighthouse, the oldest feature on the island which was built by the British between 1847 and 1851.
Leaders from both Singapore and Malaysia had said they would accept the ICJ's decision and stressed that whichever way it went, it would not affect bilateral ties.
Diplomat and Dean of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Barry Desker, said the judgement indicates that Southeast Asia is moving to accept the broader norms of international law.
He added that it augurs well for the dispute settlement mechanism of the ASEAN Charter and will set precedence for the way Singapore and Malaysia deal with their other outstanding bilateral issues.
Mr Desker said: "In the past, the tendency in ASEAN was to try and resolve issues purely by mediation or negotiations between two parties. The result was that issues or disputes between parties in the region tended to go on and on without completion, without successful negotiation.
"I think we are now moving in the direction of accepting a turn to international law – a willingness to accept international arbitration and this bodes well for issues in which there are bilateral differences."
Mr Desker also described the verdict as "win-win" for both sides because no party can claim it has won everything.
Moving forward, he said the technical committees of both countries will need to put into action the decision of the International Court of Justice. These include working out the necessary protocols to ensure the navigation safety of fishing vessels and pleasure crafts around Pedra Branca.- CNA
Foreign Ministry says ICJ's judgement on Pedra Branca brings closure
Channel NewsAsia 23 May 08;
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said it is pleased with the judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which awarded sovereignty of the Pedra Branca island to Singapore on Friday.
But the ministry said the judgement is not totally in Singapore's favour as the court has awarded Middle Rocks to Malaysia and has decided that South Ledge belongs to the country in whose territorial waters it is located.
Even though Singapore had argued that these features are part of Pedra Branca, MFA said it accepts the court's decision.
The Foreign Ministry added that the judgement brings closure to a longstanding territorial dispute between Malaysia and Singapore.
Both countries will discuss the steps and procedures to implement the court's decision. Officials from both sides had already been in discussion prior to the announcement of the judgement.
Responding to queries on the implications of the ICJ's decision regarding Singapore's entitlement to territorial maritime zones around Pedra Branca, an MFA spokesman said that the court was not asked to determine such questions of maritime space or boundary delimitation.
But Singapore's rights and interests on these matters will be pursued in accordance with international law.
A 1980 press statement from MFA had said that Singapore has an Exclusive Economic Zone and a territorial sea limit that extends up to a maximum of 12 nautical miles. This is consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982.
Singapore's Foreign Ministry said the precise coordinates of Singapore's territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone will be announced at an appropriate time.
Should the limits of its territorial sea or Exclusive Economic Zone overlap with claims of neighbouring countries, Singapore will negotiate with those countries with a view to arrive at agreed delimitations, in accordance with international law.- CNA/so
Singapore gets Pedra Branca
Rocky outcrops for Malaysia, ICJ rules
Derrick A Paulo, Today Online 24 May 08;
AS THE International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered on Friday a near two-hour verdict to end a three-decade dispute over Pedra Branca, it seemed for a time the decision would go to Malaysia.
But just as the ICJ concluded that sovereignty of Pedra Branca had passed to Singapore over time, the judgment presented in The Hague eventually swung the Republic's way.
At the end, 12 judges found in favour of Singapore, while four dissented.
They had heard arguments from both countries based on early 18th-century history to more recent times.
Six months after hearing the case, the ICJ distilled these arguments into an 84-page judgment, which its acting president presented to the two parties.
Malaysia had based its case on the weight of history, and Singapore on acts of sovereignty. Beginning as he did in chronological fashion, Judge Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh revealed that the former had made its case about its original title.
"Malaysia has established to the satisfaction of the Court that ... in 1844, this island was under the sovereignty of the Sultan of Johor," he said.
The argument was enough for Malaysia to get Middle Rocks, one of two nearby rocky outcrops that were also under contention, by a count of 15 to one. But the argument was not strong enough to win the case on Pedra Branca. Sovereignty of the latter hinged on what happened from 1953 onward, according to the ICJ judgment.
Going by correspondence between both countries over Pedra Branca, as well as the actions taken by Singapore on the granite rock and the general lack of response by Malaysia to those actions, the ICJ decided that sovereignty had passed to Singapore.
And Singapore is "pleased" with the judgment, even if it was "not totally in Singapore's favour", the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement.
At The Hague, Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar told reporters: "We would have been happier if the Court had awarded all the three features in Singapore's favour, and we have argued before the Court that all these other features were part of Pedra Branca, but the Court has found otherwise and we accept the judgment of the Court."
But Pedra Branca was the key feature in the dispute, noted Prof Jaya and the MFA.
Singapore Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh said that the ratio of
12 to four judges was a good one.
Judges Gonzalo Parra-Aranguren of Venezuela, Bruno Simma of
Germany, Ronny Abraham of France and John Dugard of South Africa, whom Malaysia had nomnated to sit on the panel, dissented.
Prof Koh declined to speculate on what could have swayed the ICJ in favour of Singapore, but he did admit that the "first one to one-and-a-half hours were a bit of a cliffhanger".
He added: "We have made a strong argument in favour of the view that in 1847, Pedra Branca and the two related features were terra nullius (no man's land). The Court found against us. That of course, was a great disappointment."
The ICJ had added to the nerves of the Singapore team - led by Prof Jaya, Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong and Prof Koh, who was serving as the Agent of Singapore to the ICJ for this case - by revealing that no conclusions about sovereignty could be drawn based on the construction and commissioning in the 19th century of the Horsburgh Lighthouse, which Singapore had used in its case.
"Fortunately, the rest of the judgment was in our favour," said Prof Koh.
In a media statement, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also welcomed the result. "I will be writing to (Malaysian Prime Minister) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to express my thanks to him that both our countries have been able to work together to resolve this problem, and we can now go on to develop our cooperation in many areas, such as the Iskandar Malaysia project.
"I am glad that this problem is now cleared."
There is one outstanding issue left to resolve, though.
Other than Middle Rocks, the ICJ ruled that South Ledge, an outcrop that is elevated above water only on low tide, belongs to the state whose territorial waters in which it is located. Both the waters of Pedra Branca and Middle Rocks overlap South Ledge.
According to the MFA, "the Court was not asked to determine such questions of maritime space or boundary delimitation. Singapore's rights and interests on these matters will be pursued in accordance with international law".
Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim, who was also at The Hague, told reporters that the Joint Technical Committee set up by both countries to implement the ICJ's verdict could "go through the judgment in detail and come up with suggestions".
Law academic Simon Tay said what was important now was for "the two governments need to sit down to ensure how the safety of the ships can be ensured. When that is figured out, the issue of South Ledge will not be so important".
Singapore gets sovereignty over Pedra Branca
Middle Rocks awarded to Malaysia in long awaited ICJ decision
Chuang Peck Ming, Business Times 24 May 08;
(SINGAPORE) A longstanding dispute between Singapore and Malaysia over Pedra Branca and its maritime outcrops has reached a final resolution.
In a judgment in The Hague yesterday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded sovereignty over Pedra Branca to Singapore and judged that the outcrops called Middle Rocks belong to Malaysia. As for a third maritime feature called South Ledge, the court held that it belongs to the country in whose territorial waters it is located.
In a statement last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore fully accepts the judgment and added that he was glad Malaysia 'has also consistently said that it will accept the judgment'.
'This is a good way for us to resolve disagreements or problems while maintaining good relations with each other,' Mr Lee said. 'I will be writing to (Malaysian) PM Abdullah to express my thanks to him that both our countries have been able to work together to resolve this problem, and we can now go on to develop our cooperation in many areas, such as the Iskandar Malaysia project.'
Both Singapore and Malaysia's leaders had previously said that they would accept the ICJ's decision and stressed that whichever way it went, it would not affect bilateral ties.
Yesterday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim told reporters at The Hague that the judgment 'is a win-win situation which both countries are happy about'.
After several rounds of written and oral pleadings by Singapore and Malaysia, with the last arguments from both sides made in November 2007, ICJ's 16-member bench voted 12-4 for Singapore to have sovereignty over Pedra Branca.
On Pedra Branca's two rocky outcrops, ICJ voted 15-1 in Malaysia's favour on the ownership of Middle Rocks which is 0.6 nautical miles from Pedra Branca.
As for South Ledge, Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh, the ICJ's Acting President, said that the Court had not been mandated by the parties to draw the line of delimitation with respect to the territorial waters of Malaysia and Singapore in the area in question.
Under these circumstances, the Court concluded that the sovereignty over South Ledge, as a low-tide elevation, belongs to the state in the territorial waters of which it is located.
Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar told reporters after the judgment in the Netherlands yesterday: 'We are pleased with the judgment because the Court has awarded sovereignty over Pedra Branca, which is the main feature in the dispute, to Singapore.'
'Of course, we would have been happier if the Court had awarded all the three features in Singapore's favour,' said Prof Jayakumar who was, until recently, also Singapore's Law Minister.
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement last night that Singapore will discuss with Malaysia the steps and procedures to implement the court's decision. It noted that officials on both sides had already started talking before the ICJ judgment.
Responding to media queries on the implications of the judgment on issues regarding Singapore's entitlement to territorial sea or maritime zones around Pedra Branca, an MFA spokesman said: 'The Court was not asked to determine such questions of maritime space or boundary delimitation. Singapore's rights and interest on these matters will be pursued in accordance with international law.'
Pedra Branca, which Malaysia calls Pulau Batu Puteh, is located some 24 nautical miles to the east of Singapore and it commands the eastern approach to the Singapore Strait, through which many ships pass daily. Yesterday's verdict brings to closure a sovereignty dispute of some 30 years between the two neighbours.
Pedra Branca also hosts the Horsburgh Lighthouse, the oldest feature on the island which was built by the British between 1847 and 1851.
Pedra Branca belongs to Singapore
World court ends 28-year dispute, declaring main island is Singapore's; Malaysia gets Middle Rocks
Lydia Lim, Straits Times 24 May 08;
AT THE HAGUE - A LONGSTANDING tussle for sovereignty over Pedra Branca and its outcrops came to an end yesterday when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded the main island to Singapore, and two smaller outcrops nearby to Malaysia.
The court did not make a definitive ruling on the third rock of contention, South Ledge, which is visible only at low tide. It belongs to whoever owns the territorial waters it sits in, said the court.
The judgment was telecast live in both countries, and when Judge Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh concluded his two-hour statement at 6pm, Singaporeans and Malaysians alike applauded the decision.
Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar told reporters at The Hague: 'We are pleased with the judgment because the court has awarded sovereignty over Pedra Branca, which is the main feature in dispute, to Singapore.'
Malaysia's Foreign Minister Rais Yatim described it as a 'win-win' judgment and said that both countries would 'forge ahead' in their bilateral relationship.
In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong declared that he was pleased with the result, saying that resorting to the ICJ was 'a good way for (the two countries) to resolve disagreements or problems while maintaining good relations with each other'.
In Malaysia, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak called it a 'balanced decision', with Malaysia 'partly successful' in its territorial claims.
The two hours at the ICJ were suspense-filled and had the Singapore delegation, led by Professor Jayakumar, on the edge of their seats for much of the time.
For the first hour, it actually seemed as if the court would find in Malaysia's favour.
Reasoning from various historical writings, treaties and letters relevant to the case, the court decided that these showed that the Sultanate of Johor possessed original title to the island, dating back to the 16th century.
This meant that the court rejected Singapore's argument that Pedra Branca was terra nullius, that is, belonged to no one, in 1847 when the British took ownership of it and built Horsburgh Lighthouse there.
But things started looking up in the second hour, when the focus shifted to the various activities that Singapore had carried out on the island in the latter half of the 20th century.
These included its investigation into marine accidents in the waters around Pedra Branca, control of visits to the island, plans to reclaim it and installation of military communications equipment there.
The court found that all these activities were carried out a titre de souverain, that is, in a manner that conferred title on the state responsible.
It also noted Malaysia's failure to protest against these acts, all of which - except for the installation of military equipment - it had noticed.
The court also highlighted as of 'major significance' a 1953 letter from the Johor Acting State Secretary informing the colonial authorities in Singapore that Johor did not claim ownership over Pedra Branca.
The reply made clear that in 1953, Johor understood that it did not have sovereignty over Pedra Branca.
That reply would also have left the authorities in Singapore with no reason to doubt that Britain had sovereignty over the island, the court concluded.
The court thus judged that although Johor had possessed an original title to Pedra Branca, that title subsequently passed to Singapore.
The dispute between Singapore and Malaysia over sovereignty of the island arose in February 1980, when Singapore protested against a 1979 Malaysian map that placed Pedra Branca within its territorial waters.
The court ruled that by that critical date, sovereignty over the island had already passed to Singapore.
'The court concludes that sovereignty over Pedra Branca belongs to Singapore.' As Judge Al-Khasawneh pronounced these words, smiles broke out on the Singapore side of the Peace Palace's Great Hall.
The 16 judges of the ICJ voted 12 to four in Singapore's favour.
On the issue of Middle Rocks, the court said that Malaysia's claim of original title still held, as there had been no activities on Singapore's side which made it pass to Singapore.
While the ICJ ruling has settled sovereignty issues, other issues remain.
For one thing, Singapore and Malaysia have to discuss how to delimit the territorial waters in the Pedra Branca and Middle Rocks area.
There will have to be 'sensitive management' of navigational rights, said Mr S. Kesavapany, a former Singapore high commissioner to Malaysia.
'For instance, both our navies will go through the waters, so you need clear understanding of the circumstances under which this can be done,' he said.
A joint technical committee is already in place to discuss these and related issues.
Satiman Jamin, New Straits Times 24 May 08;
KOTA TINGGI: The normally quiet fishing community in Sungai Rengit, Pengerang, 65km from here, became highly charged yesterday, as fishermen shook their heads in disbelief over the loss of Pulau Batu Puteh. The fishing community has a direct stake in the dispute as they have been at the receiving end of enforcement by Singapore's marine police guarding the tiny island, and being told to keep clear of the waters around it.
Pengerang Fishermen Association chairman Abu Bakar Mohamad said before the dispute over the ownership of the island, fishermen were free to fish there.
"The area around the island is a gold mine, abundant with marine life, both in quality and quantity.
"Although we really hoped for Malaysia to be declared the rightful owner of the island, we are also aware of the government's stand to accept the International Court of Justice's decision," he said.
Abu Bakar said he had informed all his 1,500 members to stay calm, regardless of the outcome of the arbitration.
A fisherman, Syed Ahmad Syed Yasin, 72, who had been fishing since 1957, said he was really disappointed with the judgment.
"How can we accept that, as it was much closer to us compared with Singapore," he said, pointing out that Pulau Batu Puteh is just 7.7 nautical miles from Tanjung Penyusuh, Pengerang, compared with the 25.5 nautical miles distance from Singapore.
He said in the 1970s, there was only a lighthouse on the island, but when living quarters and a helipad were added in the 1980s, fishermen became apprehensive that Singapore would lay claim to Pulau Batu Puteh.
Azizul Zaidi, 31, was more concerned with the long-term ramifications of the decision.
As the island is less than 12 nautical miles from the peninsula, Singapore could divide the waterways halfway as theirs, he said.
"I would understand if the dispute was between Indonesia and Malaysia, because as close as Pulau Batu Puteh is from our shores compared with Singapore, at four nautical miles, Sedona in Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia is the nearest shore to the island," Azizul Zaidi said. He said fishermen would not have any rich fishing ground in the area to earn a living.
"Where are we supposed to fish then, as the area around Tanjung Pengelih had been badly affected by the reclamation carried out by Singapore a few years ago?" Azizul Zaidi asked. He said they had sought refuge from storms in the waters around Pulau Batu Puteh as it was always calm there.
"This is a real blow to us," he said.
Three reasons why island went to Singapore
The Star 24 May 08;
PETALING JAYA: Failure to show ownership over Pulau Batu Puteh, maps that indicated Singapore's sovereignty over the island, and a reply from a Johor state official saying that the state did not have sovereignty over the island were some of the reasons why Malaysia lost its case.
International Court of Justice case acting president Judge Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh, when delivering the court's decision in The Hague yesterday, said Johor initially had sovereignty over the island.
However, Johor and subsequently Malaysia lost its ownership to Singapore because of those reasons.
“The Court recalls their (United Kingdom and Singapore) investigation of marine accidents, their control over visits, Singapore’s installation of naval communication equipment and its reclamation plans, all of which include acts à titre de souverain (acts consistent with sovereignty), the bulk of them after 1953,” said Awn Shawkat.
He said Malaysia did not respond to Singapore’s conduct on the island, including the flying of its ensign, except for the republic’s installation of naval communication equipment.
“Further, the Johor authorities and their successors took no action at all on Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh from June 1850 for the whole of the following century or more,” he said.
He also pointed out that Malaysia needed Singapore’s permission before any official visits to the island especially in the 1970s could be made.
As for the Malaysian maps between 1962 and 1975 – which depicted that Pulau Batu Puteh belonged to Singapore, Awn Shawkat said Malaysia's assertion that the map had a disclaimer and did not create ownership of territory could not be accepted.
“The map still stands as a statement of geographical fact, especially when the State adversely affected has itself produced and disseminated it, even against its own interest,” he said.
He said the maps' assertions were consistent to the position of the acting state secretary of Johor in 1953 who said Johor did not claim ownership of Pulau Batu Puteh.
“That statement has major significance. The Court concludes, especially by reference to the conduct of Singapore and its predecessors as à titre de souverain, taken together with the conduct of Malaysia and its predecessors including their failure to respond to the conduct of Singapore and its predecessors, that by 1980 sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh had passed to Singapore,” he said.
ICJ Decision Shows Singapore Cannot Act Unilaterally
Bernama 23 May 08;
JOHOR BAHARU, May 23 (Bernama) -- The decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to give Malaysia sovereignty over Middle Rocks proves that Singapore cannot act unilaterally, including in activities involving land reclamation, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
"Basically, the ICJ's decision in giving Singapore sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh and Malaysia, sovereignty over Middle Rocks, is a balanced decision.
"Today's decision shows that we are partly successful in our territorial claims but failed in the other. Some people are viewing this as a win-win situation," he said when met by reporters at the Senai Airport here upon his arrival from Kuala Lumpur.
Najib said the ICJ's decision which favoured Malaysia in its claim over Middle Rocks was also important as the coral reefs defined the maritime area of the two countries. The ICJ's split decision delivered in The Hague on Friday brought to a close a 28-year-old territorial dispute between Malaysia and Singapore over Pulau Batu Puteh, which Singapore called Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks and South Ledge.
Najib said the decision had more impact on Malaysia as the ICJ had defined the status of Middle Rocks and Malaysia's sovereignty over the islands which previously were vague.
Pulau Batu Puteh, on the other hand, had for a long time been administered by Singapore, he said.
However, he added, the government understood how important, symbolically, was Pulau Batu Puteh to Malaysians, especially Johoreans, but the ICJ decision must be accepted in good faith by all.
"We are not entirely disappointed with the decision. When a country brings a dispute to an international court to be resolved, one party will succeed in its claim while the other will not.
"However, we had earlier stated that we would accept whatever decision made by the ICJ because Malaysia accepts international laws."
The deputy prime minister said the Technical Committees of both countries would study indepth the ICJ decision before making any move.
"Due to the legal implications, the government will take a few weeks to study the ICJ judgment," he said.
Also present at the news conference was Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.-- BERNAMA
Channel NewsAsia 23 May 08;
National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said: "When the Marina Barrage is completed some time later this year, we will be able to stabilise the water levels in Geylang River. Around the Geylang River area, we will be able to integrate very attractive public spaces, malls and so on. The plan is to realign the Geylang River so that it runs through the new commercial developments."
SINGAPORE : Kallang and Paya Lebar will be developed into new commercial hubs, just like the Jurong Lake District. This is part of the government's Draft Master Plan, which charts land use over the next 10 to 15 years.
Marina Bay and the city centre will continue to be the key commercial node in Singapore. New growth areas like Tanjong Pagar, Beach Road and the Ophir-Rochor corridor will also be developed.
However, more commercial hubs will be needed outside the city, to offer alternatives to businesses and bring jobs closer to homes.
One regional centre will be in Paya Lebar. About 12 hectares of land are available for development, and half a million square metres will be set aside for office, hotel and retail spaces.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said at least 1,400 hotel rooms can be built in the area. And in the near future, residents will be able to shop and dine by the Geylang riverfront.
National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said: "When the Marina Barrage is completed some time later this year, we will be able to stabilise the water levels in Geylang River.
"Around the Geylang River area, we will be able to integrate very attractive public spaces, malls and so on. The plan is to realign the Geylang River so that it runs through the new commercial developments."
The proposals will build on the area's distinctive Malay identity, so there will be a new Geylang Serai Market and Civic Centre. The Civic Centre will house a Community Club, community development offices and even a library.
More activities and bazaars can also be staged at a new plaza, next to the upcoming Paya Lebar MRT interchange.
As for Kallang Riverside, it has been earmarked as the next lifestyle precinct. Urban planners said new parks, waterfront residences and recreational spaces can be developed at the 64-hectare area.
About 600,000 square metres of land will also be devoted to commercial use, with 3,000 new hotel rooms in the pipeline.
About 4,000 waterfront homes have been planned for the area. And the new properties will have a variety of storey heights, stepping down towards the waterfront. This will allow those living further inland to also enjoy the views of the waterfront.
Parts of the historic Kallang Airport will also be conserved and redeveloped into a new entertainment and retail attraction. Also in the works are an integrated second-storey linkway to connect Kallang MRT station to the Old Airport Square and the future Sports Hub.
All in, URA said there are plans to add 327,200 new homes around the island over the next 15 years.
Members of the public can send their feedback on the Draft Master Plan to the URA website.
The Master Plan 2008 will be gazetted after incorporating views from the public at the Draft Master Plan exhibition at the URA Centre. - CNA/ms
Remaking Kallang
Loh Chee Kong, Today Online 24 May 08;
BEFORE Changi International Airport came along, there was Singapore's first civil airport that was hailed at its 1937 opening as the "best airport in the British Empire" — and went on to serve in World War II as the principal airfield for the Allies' fighter jets.
More than half a century on, the old Kallang Airport, which has since been converted into the People's Association's (PA) headquarters, is set to charm its way back into Singaporeans' hearts — complete with al fresco eateries and spa resorts, under the new name of Old Airport Square and retaining its Art Deco facade.
The PA will shift its HQ to Tyrwhitt Road next year. And come 2020, the former airport would be part of the new Kallang Riverside precinct, a key proposal in the Urban Redevelopment Authority's latest Draft Masterplan.
Unveiling the blueprint for Singapore's urban planning for the next 10 to 15 years, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said on Friday: "Together with the Sports Hub, Kallang Riverside will be a significant sports and lifestyle cluster with a slice of history, supported by beachfront hotels."
Bounded by Nicoll Highway, Kallang Road and Sims Way, Kallang Riverside would see 64 hectares of land developed into retail and food and beverage shops and a residential enclave flanking the Kallang River.
A network of walkways will serve the area, including an elevated pedestrian path linking Kallang MRT station to the Sportshub.
A new park connecting Lavender MRT station to the waterfront would also be developed.
Some 600,000 sq m of commercial space would be set aside for development, with 3,000 hotel rooms expected to be built. In addition, 4,000 new private waterfront homes would offer "more opportunities for Singaporeans to enjoy city living", said Mr Mah.
Developers gave the proposal the thumbs up with some describing it as the jewel in the latest Draft Masterplan, given its "great" potential.
Mr Simon Cheong, president of the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore, described the timing of the proposal as "fantastic", given that Singapore's waterways would be cleaned up by then with the construction of the Marina Barrage.
Housewife Molly Tan, who lives near the Indoor Stadium, said: "It's a bit too quiet and it's time we have a shopping mall or something."
However, Knight Frank's research director Nicholas Mak noted that it would take "at least five years" for Kallang Riverside developments to take shape — although a buzz would be generated in the next few years by the Youth Olympics.
Jones Lang Lasalle head of research Chua Yang Liang noted that the concept of urbanising Singapore's waterways has been "given a greater push" by the strong positive market response to similar developments in Sentosa.
Dr Chua felt that providing more waterfront homes would "greatly enhance social equity by making such homes more affordable".
The Draft Master Plan would be exhibited at the URA Centre from now until June 20.
Kallang to be turned into a lifestyle hub
Called Kallang Riverside, it will have new homes, hotels and offices
Emilyn Yap and Arthur Sim, Business Times 24 May 08;
THE spotlight has turned from Marina Bay to the greater surrounding district, as the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) lays out plans to turn Kallang into the next waterfront lifestyle precinct.
Called Kallang Riverside, the new growth area is planned as a 'lifestyle destination' and set amid parks and a beachfront promenade, revealed Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan.
Under the plan, the 64-hectare Kallang Riverside will also become the next commercial hub housing new residences, hotels and offices along the waterfront.
Speaking at the launch of the Draft Master Plan 2008 exhibition, Mr Mah said: 'Even as we plan for growth area, we are clear that economic growth should not be at the expense of the quality of our living environment.'
The Kallang River takes centre stage in the blueprint.
The west side of the river will become an enclave for 4,000 new homes. True to beachfront living, these homes will have a range of storey heights which step down to the waterfront for residents to enjoy scenic views. CB Richard Ellis Research executive director Li Hiaw Ho notes that plot ratios in this area range from 3.5 to 5.6.
There will also be a new linear park, Central Green, linking Lavender MRT station to the waterfront. New homes in the area may go 'fenceless' to blend in with the lush park setting.
Apart from residences, Kallang Riverside will welcome a mix of office, retail and entertainment developments as well as 3,000 hotel rooms. There are plans to upgrade the Kallang Riverside Park with beachside lagoons and recreational facilities.
URA will also conserve the historic Kallang Airport and adapt it to new uses.
In total, about 6.46 million square foot of commercial floor space will be available. Half will go to offices and the other half to hotel, retail and entertainment developments.
Located on the fringe of the CBD, Kallang Riverside does seem attractive.
Knight Frank director of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak also noted that property prices are lower in Kallang. However, he believes that prices will rise as Kallang Riverside develops, though it is too early to tell what the extent of the rise could be.
According to URA's website, the median price for The Riverine by the Park in Kallang reached $1,588 per square foot in July 2007, while that for One Shenton near Marina Bay was $2,007 psf.
As for the hotel cluster, what sort of potential would Kallang Riverside hold? Singapore Tourism Board deputy chairman and CEO Lim Neo Chian believes that sports tourism could develop in the area.
'The Boston Marathon, for instance, attracts thousands of people. We could have a similar marathon that includes Kallang and Marina Bay,' said Mr Lim. He added that STB was working with the Singapore Sports Council to create such events.
So far, most industry observers have reacted positively to the plans for Kallang Riverside. Jones Lang LaSalle head of research (South-east Asia) Chua Yang Liang said: 'The development plan to watch out for will be Kallang Riverside. This area has great potential.'
Savills Singapore director of marketing and development Ku Swee Yong believes that the extension of waterfront facilities to Kallang Riverside puts the Marina Barrage to efficient use - the barrage is expected to stabilise water levels in the Singapore River and also create more pristine water conditions at the Kallang River. Cushman and Wakefield managing director Donald Han said: 'It looks like where there is water, there is a concerted government effort to create nodes.'
Yet, with Paya Lebar Central coming up as a commercial hub as well, Dr Chua pointed out that 'the release of commercial sites will have to be carefully monitored to avoid siphoning the development energy out of Marina Bay'.
Shedding some light on the timeframe for site releases in Kallang Riverside and Paya Lebar Central, URA CEO Cheong Koon Hean said: 'Probably within the next one to two years, we should be developing infrastructure . . . and probably releasing the first site.'
Spotlight falls on Paya Lebar Central as suburban star
Emilyn Yap, Business Times 24 May 08;
PAYA Lebar Central is set to become the next suburban commercial hub under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) Draft Master Plan. And if market observers are right, the area may emerge as the newest hot spot for backroom operations and small and medium enterprises (SME).
Unveiled by Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan yesterday, the 2008 Draft Master Plan is an elaborate land use guide for Singapore in the next 10 to 15 years. To sustain economic growth and bring jobs closer to homes, the plan carves out Paya Lebar Central, Kallang Riverside and Jurong Lake District as the latest commercial and mixed-use hubs.
Paya Lebar Central will stand out as a commercial node with a unique cultural identity. The URA will set aside 12 hectares of land with about 5.32 million square feet of commercial floor space for development. Of this, office space will take up 3.16 million sq ft, while hotel and retail spaces will occupy another 2.15 million sq ft.
For new growth areas such as Paya Lebar, plot ratios may increase, said Mr Mah, who spoke to reporters after the launch of the Plan.
In terms of connectivity, Paya Lebar Central is a 10-minute drive from the Central Business District (CBD) and is linked to major expressways and roads. Come 2010, the area will become more accessible when the new Paya Lebar MRT interchange station for the Circle and East-West lines opens.
There are also plans to re-align a stretch of the Geylang River so that it runs through new commercial developments along Tanjong Katong Road. The riverbanks will be ideal for office, retail and hotel developments.
Real estate experts believe that Paya Lebar Central's proximity to town may draw backroom operations from banks and multinational corporations.
'Just six MRT stations from Raffles Place, Paya Lebar Central may be even more attractive ... compared with the Tampines Regional Centre or the Changi Business Park,' observed director of marketing and business development at Savills Singapore Ku Swee Yong.
Sharing this view was Colliers International's director of research and advisory Tay Huey Ying. Ms Tay also noted that 'Paya Lebar Central will be a suitable commercial hub for SMEs, especially for those which support light industries in the area'.
For these SMEs, deputy managing director of Knight Frank Danny Yeo said: 'Rental rates in the CBD may be too high, and some have set up offices in industrial buildings instead. Hence, the creation of a commercial hub at Paya Lebar Central will be helpful.'
According to Mr Yeo, office rents in the Paya Lebar region range broadly from $6 to $8 per sq ft per month currently. A Jones Lang LaSalle report in April noted that the CBD core Grade A gross effective office rent stood at $17.35 per sq ft per month in the first quarter.
Mr Mah reassured those who were worried about a potential excess of office space from the upcoming hubs. 'We can set land aside but it is the private investor who will make the final decision,' he said.
He also did not think there would be an oversupply of office space in the foreseeable future, up to 2010 or 2011. 'Based on projections ... we expect that all the supply that we have already put in place will be taken up.'
Beyond its business appeal, Paya Lebar Central will also charm with its distinctive Malay character. A new pedestrian mall will be created along Geylang Road to provide more space for stalls during the annual Hari Raya bazaar. The new Geylang Serai Market will also add to the local heritage when it is ready in 2009.
Next to the market, a new civic centre and plaza will become focal points for community facilities such as a library, and for events such as bazaars.
To make it easier for workers and shoppers to get around Paya Lebar Central, there will be more covered walkways, underground paths and overhead bridges in the area.
With upcoming commercial and cultural activities in Paya Lebar Central, market observers expect to see three- to four-star hotels coming up to cater to mid-tier tourists and business travellers. URA estimates that the area can accommodate 1,400 hotel rooms.
Kallang, Paya Lebar the new stars
Over 10 years they will become lifestyle and commercial hubs
Fiona Chan, Straits Times 24 May 08;
GOOD news, Kallang and Paya Lebar: It is your turn to shine.
The two sleepy industrial estates have been identified as Singapore's next big urban hotspots, as the nation's land planners draw up blueprints for the next 15 years.
Now colourless and underdeveloped, these towns will burst into full bloom over the next decade. Paya Lebar will be transformed into a thriving commercial and civic centre, while Kallang will become a residential and lifestyle hub with homes and offices set among green parks and sandy beaches.
They are the stars of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) highly anticipated Draft Master Plan, which was released by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan yesterday.
The Master Plan, which guides Singapore's land use over the next 10 to 15 years, is revised every five years to provide more housing and leisure options and ensure that sufficient space is set aside to support a growing population.
The plan also continues a sustained effort to decentralise and reduce congestion in the Central Business District by building offices all across the island, bringing jobs closer to homes.
Some of the plan's highlights, such as the new Jurong Lake District and the new MRT lines, have already been revealed.
Other plans were more fully fleshed out yesterday, such as the expansion of the city's commercial centre, which will double in size to include Marina Bay and Tanjong Pagar, as well as the Beach Road/Ophir-Rochor corridor.
The Government also announced that it has earmarked enough land for 328,200 new homes around the island. More than a third will be in the central region bordered by Bishan, Sentosa, Marine Parade and Queenstown.
'We have seen significant transformation of our city over the past 10 years,' said Mr Mah yesterday.
'The next 10 years can be just as exciting, if not more. Despite the current economic uncertainties, I am optimistic that we can grow from strength to strength.'
Property players were impressed by the new Master Plan, saying it proves Singapore can remain a sustainable global city and a promising investment destination.
Equally importantly, there is 'a piece of action for every developer, no matter what kind of homes or offices or hotels they build', said Mr Simon Cheong, chief of developer SC Global and president of the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore.
Live, Work, Play at a neighbourhood near you
With Draft Master Plan, ambitious concept is taken further afield to Kallang and Paya Lebar
Arthur Sim, Business Times 24 May 08;
(SINGAPORE) The Urban and Redevelopment Authority's (URA) Live, Work and Play mantra has been so successful in the Downtown Core precinct - as evidenced by the rapid development of offices, condos, hotels and leisure hotspots - that plans are now underway to export the concept to outlying districts in earnest.
The URA has already rolled out ambitious plans to transform Jurong East into a bustling sub-metropolitan hub of parks, offices, hotels, edutainment centres and homes.
Now, with the launch of the Draft Master Plan 2008 yesterday, it has included similar blueprints for Kallang and Paya Lebar as well.
The three new hubs - Jurong Lake District, Kallang Riverside, and Paya Lebar Central - all have one objective in common, and that is to balance the elements of Live, Work and Play.
Speaking at the launch of the Draft Master Plan 2008 exhibition at URA Centre yesterday, Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan highlighted three key objectives of the latest Master Plan. Of these, it was the need to 'enhance accessibility and reduce commuting by bringing jobs closer to home' that underscores the need for the three new hubs. Not surprisingly then, Mr Mah added that public transportation has been 'prioritised'.
The other two objectives are to 'ensure that we have enough land to support economic opportunity', and to 'provide quality housing and leisure options for our people'.
Currently, the three areas have the potential to be sub-metropolitan hubs as they are, or will be, transportation nodes with the completion of existing and future rail, bus and road networks.
However, looking at each area reveals that at least one of the three important ingredients of Live, Work and Play is missing.
In the current Jurong East, for instance, there lacks a central office zone even though it has a relatively large population catchment area. As such, URA has designated 500,000 square metres of office space, 250,000 sq m of retail and entertainment space, 2,800 hotel rooms, but just 1,000 units of new homes for Jurong Lake District.
Also bringing jobs closer to home is Paya Lebar Central, which is in the centre of another large population catchment area.
Here, URA is planning for 294,000 sq m of office space, 200,000 sq m of hotel and retail space, but no new housing.
Kallang Riverside, which is on the fringe of the city is, however, relatively under-populated and will have space for 4,000 new waterfront homes and 3,000 hotel rooms. Being a much larger area and close to the new Sports Hub, it will also have 300,000 sq m of office space and 300,000 sq m of hotel, retail and entertainment spaces.
So, will it work?
City Developments Ltd (CDL), which helped kick-start Marina Bay with The Sail, had initially planned the project as being half-commercial. Even then, many market watchers thought that only a complete office would work. Going against conventional wisdom of the time, it was eventually designed as two residential towers in 2003.
Looking back, CDL managing director Kwek Leng Joo, says: 'Ultimately, we strongly believed that developing the very first residential development in the vicinity - a truly iconic one for that matter, would be most synergistic and truly reflect the 'Live' component of URA's vision.'
That Marina South remains largely untouched in the Draft Master Plan 2008 suggests that there is more emphasis on decentralisation compared to the previous Master Plan which emphasised the Downtown Core.
Knight Frank managing director Tan Tiong Cheng said: 'With the new Master Plan, there is a drive to develop areas with potential that have not been previously emphasised.
'Marina South will be quite easy to roll out because it sits on vacant state land. And when sites are available, they should sell quite fast.'
URA's decentralisation strategy was first adopted in 1991, with the Concept Plan that maps out the long-term 40-50-year vision.
The Master Plan, which translates the Concept Plan strategies into detailed statutory land use plans to guide development over periods of 10-15 years, is reviewed every five years and may have different priorities.
The Master Plan 2008 also goes some way in addressing the widening gap between high-end and mass market homes.
Jones Lang LaSalle's head of research (South-east Asia), Chua Yang Liang, said: 'The strategy is really a bi-polar one.'
He explained that the Master Plan has to deal with planning issues that involve communities revolving around manufacturing in the north, and wealthier communities who are choosing to move downtown, especially to waterfront homes in the south. And recently, the disparity between high-end waterfront homes at Sentosa Cove and those in the heartlands has widened.
As such, Dr Chua notes that much of the new housing that has been highlighted in the outer regions all face the water.
'This emphasis on providing more waterfront homes would greatly enhance social equity by making such homes more affordable to the regular guy on the street and not limited to just the affluent,' he added.
If water is the new social glue, then the Rail Transit System (RTS) is its life blood.
Industry players are perhaps a little disappointed that not much has been done by way of increasing plot ratios, a move that usually adds zest to the property market.
But Savills Singapore director (marketing and development) Ku Swee Yong notes that property values, and possibly even plot ratios, tend to rise around new MRT stations.
And with the RTS already reported to be doubled from 138 km today to 278 km by 2020, with an addition of over 40 new stations, Mr Ku is hopeful that the next Master Plan review could see more plot ratio goodies. 'I think URA might just be waiting for the new infrastructure to be completed,' he added.
Business Times 24 May 08;
THERE are no major plot ratio revisions in the latest Draft Master Plan because there is no need.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Draft Master Plan (MP) 2008 exhibition, Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan said yesterday the intensity of plot ratios has to be, 'consistent with the land use'.
'You look at plot ratios when you want to accommodate a certain quantum of population. And if you add it all up and you find that it is sufficient for the population you are planning for, then there is no need to increase it,' he said.
Mr Mah's comments come at a time when many Singaporeans are still grappling with the figure of 6.5 million for the long-term projected population, announced last year.
However, looking at the figure for planned-for new housing in MP 2008, the increase in population does not seem to be expected any time soon.
MP 2008 allows for 327,200 new homes in Singapore. Interestingly, MP 2003, which was planned before the 6.5 million target was revealed, allowed for 371,000 homes, 13.4 per cent more than MP 2008.
Also, in 2003 the population was 4.1 million, of whom 700,000 were not Singaporean.
In 2008, the population increased to 4.6 million, of whom one million were not Singaporean.
Asked about the fall in the number of planned new homes, a spokesperson for the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said: 'The 5.5 million population in Concept Plan 2001 and 6.5 million population for the Mid-Term Concept Plan Review are planning parameters to ensure we have sufficient land for the long term.'
URA added: 'In the medium term, around 350,000 dwelling units is a comfortable, reasonable number for land safeguarding purposes, which still allows some flexibility to meet market demand. Both MP 2003 and MP 2008 have safeguarded about 350,000 dwelling units.'
An extra 900 hectares of land added for park space in MP 2008 suggests Singaporeans will not be crowded out soon.
Mr Mah added: 'Land scarcity is always an issue with Singapore. Yes, we are short of land, but, no, we are not short of space. By creative and innovative planning, we can make a lot of difference.'
Sheralyn Tay, Today Online 24 May 08;
THEY'RE all barking mad — about animals that is — and on Saturday, more than 300 animal lovers and activists will gather for the first Singapore Animal Welfare Symposium.
It's an "encouraging" response, said Mr Louis Ng, president and founder of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres). "We are already overbooked, so whoever comes on Saturday, we try to squeeze them in, " he told Weekend Today.
Calling it the first "national platform" for local animal groups, the symposium aims to share ideas, build partnerships and elevate awareness about animal rights and conservation. According to Mr Ng, about 15 local animal welfare organisations will be participating. There will be three main topics, on domestic animal welfare, leading a cruelty-free lifestyle, and wildlife protection.
And in another first, the symposium will also launch the Animal Protectors Grant. Funded by the Lee Foundation, it is the first national animal welfare grant that seeks to help fund projects related to animal welfare.
"Often, we have students or groups which want to start small initiatives, but have to raise funds on their own," explained Mr Ng. For example, a group of students from Raffles Institution have an idea for a book on the dolphin and turtle trade, he said. "They can tap on this fund as a starting point."
There will be six $1,500 grants awarded this year and any group of at least three individuals, with an idea that will have a "positive impact on animal welfare" here can apply. Interested parties can download the application from www.animalwelfare.sg starting from from May 31.
On Friday, Acres held a gala dinner, in celebration of seven years of wildlife protection in Singapore. According to Mr Ng, they hope to raise some $80,000 towards their wildlife protection programme.
Straits Times 24 May 08;
Scientists estimate millions of plant and animal species remain unknown, especially those in this region - with a vast number constantly being discovered. The National Parks Board and the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research reveal what they have uncovered here.
ALTHOUGH the Giant Mud Creeper is widespread in tropical Asia and the Pacific, it has never been found in Singapore or Peninsular Malaysia.
In South-east Asia, however, it has been found in Indonesia, the Philippines and southern Thailand.
Up to 19cm in length, the creeper is abundant and conspicuous in the mud of mangroves, and more generally in brackish coastal areas of the Indo-West Pacific. It is extensively collected for food in many places.
The discovery of the species in two of our southern islands - Pulau Semakau and Pulau Pawai - by a survey team from the National Parks Board (NParks) represents a new record for Singapore.
The team also found that the population of this species in these two islands is very small.
It is recommended for listing as an endangered species so as to guide conservation efforts.
CAI YIXIONG, SENIOR PROGRAMME OFFICER, NPARKS BIODIVERSITY CENTRE
Pot calling the kettle black
Letter from Tan Tuan Khoon, Straits Times Forum 24 May 08;
THE report on Tuesday, 'Jurong dogged by strays: Cat & dog lovers at odds', brings back the issue of who is responsible.
The AVA and town councils deal with strays, but they cannot be everywhere all the time. Fanatical cat or dog lovers should appreciate that it is more humane to cull them than to let them suffer and die a slow painful death.
I am an animal lover myself and I used to keep dogs and cats together with birds and rabbits when I was young, but gave them up when I could not find the time to take care of them any more.
I have been vilified for my views, but fanatical cat lovers have refused to acknowledge facts.
Am I or the public to be responsible for the various nuisances caused by cats or cat owners? Why must I close my doors and windows or spend time and money to install 'scare-crows', etc, to prevent cats from entering my home? Who is responsible for the cat's lice/fleas that once infested my home owing to kittens brought into the ceiling by the mother?
I believe that trapping and sending strays to the AVA for disposal is the most effective way for it reduces nuisance problems by at least 90 per cent.
Cats should be tagged with micro-chips like dogs. Not only will it bring disease under control, but cases of nuisance can be traced back to the owner. The Cat Welfare Society's 'vacuum effect theory' is not practical in our highly urbanised society. I know of cat lovers/owners who agree with me. Why are fanatical cat lovers against stray dogs and not cats? This is like the pot calling the kettle black.
Stray cats - SPCA replies
Straits Times Forum 24 May 08;
I REFER to the online letter by Mr Tan Tuan Khoon, 'Remarks light-hearted and responsible' (May 16), on the subject of stray cats in relation to recent comments made by radio DJs.
It is incorrect to assume that feeding stray cats is cruel: The real cruelty would be condoning the starvation of helpless animals. We may be living in a highly urbanised city but a solution to the problem of stray cats would not be found through starving them.
The writer does not appear to have a proper understanding of the issue and his erroneous statements seem to illustrate this. The SPCA thanks Ms Siau Li Chao for writing to the forum, 'To err is human, not animal' (Wednesday), to clarify and to put the debate in perspective.
There will always be insensitive remarks by those who have a dislike for stray cats, but these remarks are not constructive, nor do they contribute to solving the issue. Highlighting stray cats as a 'nuisance' problem and suggesting that people be fined for feeding strays will not foster good relations among the community. In light of the recent cases involving cat abuse where several cats were killed, it is not responsible to emphasise personal or biased views which influence the masses.
Only with the Government and community combining efforts to reduce the stray cat population, and using humane measures like sterilisation, can we hope to see a marked improvement.
Deirdre Moss (Ms)
Executive Officer
SPCA
Today Online 24 May 08;
HANOI — Vietnam has warned health officials nationwide to be on the lookout for an infectious disease that has killed 12 children in the country this year, a health official said on Friday.
So far, Vietnam has reported about 2,800 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), a common childhood illness that typically causes little more than a fever and rash, said Mr Nguyen Huy Nga, director of the Preventive Medicine Department, under Vietnam's Ministry of Health. Mr Nga did not give the number of cases from previous years.
About 400 of those cases have been blamed on enterovirus 71, or EV71, one of several viruses that cause the illness. EV71 can result in a more serious form of HFMD that can lead to paralysis, brain swelling or death.
Neighboring China has been particularly hard-hit by the virus this year, with more than 25,000 cases among children and 43 deaths.
In Vietnam, state media quoted Mr Trinh Quan Huan, vice minister of health, as saying the situation is becoming more complicated, with the virus spreading in the north of the country.
The disease is usually characterised by ulcers in the mouth, rash and blisters on hands and feet. Since it mostly sickens children and is easily spread, the ministry has ordered that kindergartens should be closed for two weeks if at least two cases are reported. — AP
...and damned if you don't, it would seem for 95,000 Vietnamese who must leave their lands and abandon their livelihoods to make way for the huge Son La Dam.
Straits Times 24 May 08;
Photojournalist Ashleigh Sim captures their sentiments
THE home of Cam Thi Sen, an ethnic Thai farmer, looks out over the lush valleys of north-western Vietnam. Her home is little more than a thatched straw roof on planks but generations of her ancestors have tilled this land.
This year, though, she will harvest her rice for the last time. The entire population of her village, Da Muong, is being moved 120km away to the town of Moc Chau.
Like tens of thousands of others, they are being forced to make way for Vietnam's biggest-ever hydroelectric power project, the controversial Son La Dam.
'When we move to the new location, we will not be able to grow rice any more,' said Madam Cam, 52. 'So we'll grow some other kinds of fruits and vegetables such as tea, corn, and cassava.'
Some 24,000ha - including 8,000ha of agricultural land and 3,000ha of rich forest - will be submerged to build it.
After 40 years of studies by the Vietnamese government, the project has finally taken off.
In 2005, the World Bank provided funding for the research, but decided not to lend its funds for the actual construction. It is now being funded by the local government.
By the time the project is completed in 2012, 100,000 people from twelve different ethnic minorities who thrive on subsistence farming along the fertile banks of the Black River will have been displaced.
Among the concerns about the project is the fact that the US$3.5billion (S$4.7billion) dam will be built in an earthquake-prone area.
If the walls of the dam crumbled, a massive wave would bulldoze its way down the Black River to Hoa Binh dam, near Hanoi, some 300km away.
That does not worry Madam Cam whose new home will be out of harm's way, but she has other concerns.
She will receive 12 million dong (S$1,000) in compensation for the move.
While that is a fair sum for her hut and small plot of land, she is afraid it will not be enough to support her in her new life.
Another worrying consequence of the dam project is the break-up of extended family groups which have traditionally lived in close-knit communities.
Madam Cam, for one, will miss one of her four children. A daughter married into a nearby village, which is in a different relocation plan: her new home is more than 100km away from her mother's.
Meanwhile, on a mountain ledge 15km away, construction of Ta Sai village is still ongoing after it was relocated three months ago.
With fences yet to be built, villagers' livestock wander freely and gather under stilt houses.
Nineteen-year-old Cam Thi Thuong - no relation to Madam Cam - has just returned from feeding the family's cows. They are still kept in her old village 3km downhill because there was not enough land to hold the animals until more land is cleared.
Her family can no longer grow rice and will now have to learn to grow hardier plants and trees as their food source.
Mr Pham Van Vien, head of the immigration displacement section of Muong La District, said in February: 'We have calculated very carefully how much land each family need to grow their food trees and we will support them to grow their trees.'
Indeed, an access road has yet to be constructed and electricity and running water have still not arrived. Yet Madam Cam's father-in-law, Mr Luong Van Dieu, one of the village headmen, still thinks his village was lucky.
'We only had to move a short distance, so we are still on our ancestral lands,' he said. 'Others have had to move far away. That is sad.'
Rice: Grains of hope
Alastair McIndoe, Straits Times 24 May 08;
MANILA - IN A patchwork of rice fields near an expressway on the outskirts of Manila's southern suburbs, billboards advertise a swish property development planned for the area.
It is an apt image of how urbanisation and industrialisation across Asia have cut deeply into farmland: Factories, housing estates - even golf courses - now sprawl across land that once grew rice, the region's staple food.
But the developers' bulldozers are just one of a confluence of factors that have caused global rice production to fall behind consumption over the past several years.
With global buffer stocks running down, and only 7 per cent of the world's rice output traded on the international market, fears of a shortage have driven prices through the roof and triggered food riots in some countries.
That should be a salutary lesson to governments for neglecting their agriculture economies in the rush to industrialise, say rice experts.
'Countries realise they really took their eye off the ball and are desperately trying to turn things around,' said Dr Robert Ziegler, director-general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which helped spur the 'green revolution' of the 1960s.
So what would it take to put global rice output back in kilter with consumption?
Asia's farmers produced around 90 per cent of the world's rice production of 645 million tonnes last year. China and India accounted for more than half of the total crop.
The IRRI reckons that by 2015, global output must rise to 700 million tonnes to keep up with expected consumption and population growth.
So much rice land has been lost to urbanisation that in most Asian countries, expanding the land for cultivation is no longer an option. In Bangladesh, for example, around 90,000ha a year of farmland are lost to developers.
The IRRI is proposing to the governments of rice-producing countries and multilateral agencies a nine-point plan (see box) to create a second green revolution and restore rice self-sufficiency in Asia.
Massive investments will be needed, particularly infrastructure such as roads and irrigation schemes.
The International Food Policy Research Institute estimates that to revitalise overall agriculture in the region, an additional US$15 billion (S$21 billion) to US$20 billion a year must be invested.
The good news is that the fundamentals underpinning rice production in Thailand and Vietnam - Asia's biggest rice exporters - look sound.
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) noted with approval that Thailand's rice lands are expanding, and yields have been rising at a rate of 2 per cent a year since 1988.
'I see no reason why Thailand should not continue to be a major rice exporter for at least the next five to 10 years,' said Mr Sumiter Singh Broca of the FAO's Asia-Pacific office.
Unlike many of Asia's rice-producing countries, Vietnam has not suffered heavy padi losses from urbanisation or younger members of farming families moving to the cities on a level that could affect production. That is a major problem in rural China.
'Our last harvest was a very good one. The productivity was quite high per hectare. So there will be no rice shortages in Vietnam in the foreseeable future,' said Mr Huynh Cong Thanh, deputy chief executive of the Food Company of Ho Chi Minh City, one of the country's largest dealers.
There is plenty of scope to increase production in India, said the father of the country's 'green revolution', Dr Norman Borlaug.
'The only thing that has held back higher grain production is complacency. New techniques and technology are available to increase food production,' he told the Times of India.
To provide rice security for a population set to reach 1.5 billion by 2025, India's per hectare yields must rise by 50 per cent, and the area of irrigated fields increase 25 per cent from the present 18 million ha, according to government projections.
Improving the livelihoods of Asia's rice farmers will be essential to boosting production in the long term and stopping the drift to cultivating more lucrative cash crops.
In China, where rice production is not keeping pace with population growth, farm incomes - based on 2006 data - are falling.
Studies have shown that in a two-crop year, many small farmers in Asia earn little more than US$1,000 from a hectare of land.
Rice prices have soared - but so have fertiliser and fuel costs. The windfall of higher prices is mainly being reaped by millers and traders.
'The net economic benefit for farmers out of all this has been relatively small,' said IRRI research head Achim Dobermann.
As one Indian politician put it bluntly: 'Padi is poverty.'
Additional reporting by Nirmal Ghosh in Bangkok, P. Jayaram in New Delhi, Roger Mitton in Vietnam, Chow Kum Hor in Kuala Lumpur and Vince Chong in Beijing.
Getting to the root of woes
Alastair McIndoe, Straits Times 24 May 08;
THE International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has drawn up a nine-point action plan for governments and international agencies to boost global rice production.
Some measures deal with the immediate crisis, others are long-term solutions to prevent future emergencies. They include:
# Boosting rice yields through better crop management techniques, particularly in irrigated paddies. This could raise per- hectare yields by one to two tonnes.
# Reducing post-harvest losses suffered by most Asian farmers from poor storage, drying and processing of rice.
# Speeding up the introduction and adoption of higher-yield rice varieties.
# Increasing funding for rice research programmes. Another US$17 million (S$23 million) a year over a decade has to be invested in global rice research above current US$40 million level.
# Accelerating research on the world's thousands of rice varieties, some of which hold the genetic keys to help research better varieties.
# Training a new generation of rice scientists and researchers.
# Increasing public spending in agricultural infrastructure, critical for raising productivity growth in rice, such as roads and irrigation systems.
# Improving market systems to give rice farmers an incentive to increase production. In developing countries, higher rice prices are not always reflected in farm-gate prices.
# Strengthening food safety nets for the poor.
Rising prices but farmers still poor
Nirmal Ghosh, Straits Times 24 May 08;
BANGKOK - MR VICHAI Sriprasert, 65, is one of the 30-odd traders through whom Thailand routes its rice exports.
A generation ago, in the family's fields by the Chao Phraya river, his father would watch the water level for an indication of whether the rains would come; if the river rose, that meant it was raining in the north.
The price of rice was thus directly related to the level of the water.
Today as a trader, Mr Vichai should be laughing his way to the bank on the back of record rice prices. But it is not quite that simple, he told The Straits Times.
Farmers are currently making huge profits on their rice production, he said - but the irony is that they remain poor.
'The cost of production is around 6,000 baht (S$255) per tonne of dry paddy,' Mr Vichai said.
'Farmers can now sell at between 12,000 and 16,000 baht a tonne. But they are still poor because the average landholding is 15 rai (six acres).'
The yield from this is 15 tonnes on average. Assuming that farmers can make 10,000 baht on each tonne, that will bring 150,000 baht per year - with the possibility of doubling it (with a second crop) to 300,000 baht.
'But divide that between a family of five, and that is only 60,000 baht per person per year,' said Mr Vichai. That does not place farmers in the wealthy category.'
As for major rice exporters like himself: 'We handle 10 million tonnes. Our margins are small, and it is divided between 30 families.'
Farm subsidies spur production
Vince Chong, Straits Times 24 May 08;
BEIJING - MR CUI ZHUSONG was left counting what could have been, after selling all his rice just days before a price surge.
He usually sells his stock before February to avoid mould during the rainy season. It was the same again this year. He sold some 80,000kg of unprocessed rice for 1.4 yuan (27 Singapore cents) per kg - right before prices surged to 2 yuan per kg in March.
'I have never seen prices rise so rapidly in such a short time,' the farmer in Inner Mongolia told The Straits Times over the telephone.
The 37-year-old, who has been growing rice for 13 years, made a 'small profit' from his stock, and is determined to grow more rice this year to make the most of the price hike.
He is expecting state farm subsidies of 40 to 50 yuan per mu this year - up from 17 yuan per mu in 2005 - as officials seek to encourage production. One mu is about 670 sq m.
Rice demand is increasingly outstripping supply in a country where farmland is losing ground to economic development, and more people are leaving the countryside for better pay and conditions in the cities.
In addition to doling out subsidies, China has upped state purchase prices for grains, and released supplies from emergency stockpiles in a bid to balance the inequality.
This seems to be working. Officials announced recently that domestic rice supply is stable, though analysts believe more has to be done to cope with the growing structural imbalance caused by issues like demographic changes.
Plateful of policies to ease shortage
Alastair McIndoe, Straits Times 24 May 08;
MANILA - THE top agriculture official in the Philippines recently suggested that fast-food chains serve smaller portions of rice with their burgers and fried chicken to encourage customers to waste less.
In other times, this would have been merely sensible advice. But in these days of surging rice prices and shortage fears, governments across the region, anxious to avoid protests from consumers, are rushing through measures to keep rice supplies flowing and tamp down inflation.
Crackdowns on traders hoarding rice, ration cards, subsidies, raising government stockpiles and pleas for shipments to rice-rich neighbours are just some of the responses from Asian countries which are wholly or partially reliant on rice imports.
The crisis has badly jangled the nerves of the major rice producers, which have reacted with export restrictions to boost their buffer stocks.
Along with several other big rice- producing nations, Vietnam responded with export restrictions, lowering its ceiling on shipments by 500,000 tonnes for this year. Cambodia halted rice exports last month, as did India on non-basmati rice.
Not surprisingly, achieving self-sufficiency in rice production is now on the front burner in several Asian countries.
Malaysia plans to grow rice on a massive scale in Sarawak, turning its largest state into a 'rice bowl' in a RM4 billion (S$1.7 billion) project. Malaysia now produces enough rice to meet 65 to 70 per cent of its domestic demand.
Plans are also under way to subsidise locally grown rice and set up a food stockpile to stabilise prices.
The Philippines is spending an additional S$1.4 billion to boost rice production and become self-sufficient by 2011. A big chunk of the cash will go to loans for rice farmers who modernise their practices.
China is worried that social unrest could break out over rising food prices in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics in August. So its government has raised farm subsidies and released stockpiled rice to boost rice production and supply.
Along with many developing economies in Asia, China's spending on agriculture - as a percentage of total public expenditure - has fallen. It was 6.5 per cent in 2004, down from 10 per cent in 1990, according to the International Rice Research Institute.
Some politicians, unwisely in some cases, have urged their country folk to eat less rice and use other foods.
The food minister in India's southern Kerala state, where rice prices have risen 40per cent over the past 12 months, caused a furore when he told consumers to consume more chicken, eggs and milk instead.
He was not the first politician to make a 'let them eat cake' gaffe over this crisis.
But international concern is mounting over the fallout on Asia's poor from high prices for rice and other staple foods, and its long-term impact on efforts to reduce extreme poverty.
Additional reporting by Chow Kum Hor in Kuala Lumpur, Vince Chong in Beijing, P. Jayaram in New Delhi, Roger Mitton in Vietnam and Nirmal Ghosh in Bangkok
This being the International Year of the Reef, a group of volunteers is surveying the reefs on several islands in Malaysia under the Sustainable Island Programme.
Revathi Murugappan, The Star 24 May 08;
Time and time again, we read articles on the problems plaguing our diverse marine life – overfishing, global warming, blasting, unchecked tourism, pollution, etc. Coral reefs around the world have been in crisis for some time now.
But is anyone listening?
The statistics are alarming with 30% of the world’s coral reefs severely threatened, 15% lost over the last decade, and many fish stocks becoming extinct. The first step towards a solution?
Reef check surveys.
Three organisations have teamed up to run the Sustainable Island Programme (SIP), which will see reef checks and island assessments being carried out to gauge reef health around the islands of Redang, Tenggol, Tioman and Perhentian. It’s a collaborative project between Sime Plantations, Reef Check Malaysia and Wild Asia.
Reef check is a way of measuring the health of coral reefs by collecting data on selected fish, invertebrates and corals. The surveys are conducted by a group of volunteers who have been certified EcoDivers.
The survey is pretty simple. It entails the EcoDivers swimming along a 100m transect line and counting the relevant organisms along the way as well as noting down the damage to the reef caused by bleaching, anchoring, destructive fishing and pollution.
In 2007, Reef Check Malaysia conducted 33 surveys covering 21 sites around four East Coast islands in Peninsula Malaysia and discovered that they were facing various pressures.
“Although some survey work was carried out in previous years, there is insufficient data to accurately identify trends in the status of coral reefs on these islands,” said Wild Asia’s sustainability advisor Shafinaz Suhaimi.
Since the health of coral reefs is an indicator of the state of our oceans, the SIP aims to combine reef survey data with land data to come up with a comprehensive action plan that can be undertaken by government authorities, scientists and conservationists.
In addition, there will be workshops by Wild Asia together with the resorts and dive operators to introduce the concept of Responsible Tourism.
Originally, Shafinaz said, they wanted to certify up to 40 recreational divers and marine scientists as EcoDivers but so far, only 26 have been given the thumbs-up. The majority of them come from Malaysian Underwater, the largest local online diving community.
“It’s purely on a voluntary basis as the certification fee is RM750. But, once they are certified, the carrot we dangle is for them to participate in the SIP surveys and have their dives and accommodation fully sponsored.
“That way, they get to dive for free and do their bit for the environment,” she added.
Getting involved is easy. All you need is a valid scuba diving licence, good buoyancy skills, a keen eye for detail and a passion for the environment.
Over the past few weeks, the certification process, which included six dives and identification tests, saw many diving enthusiasts, from beginners to dive masters, taking part in the 3D/2N weekend courses.
In Pulau Tioman last month, 11 divers enrolled and emerged enlightened at the end of it. One of them was engineer Goh Shu Wei, 37, who has been diving for the last two years. He said he found the certification process educational.
“I’m also a marine aquarist – as in I used to buy marine life from others and put it in my tank in the office. Before, I used to go near the reef just to see how I could redesign it for my hobby and, sometimes, I ended up destroying the reef but not intentionally.”
When his fish tank cracked one day, Goh took it as an omen to stop his hobby. He decided it was “pay back” time and signed up to become an EcoDiver.
“I now realise how important it is not to damage corals and to ensure that they are there for future generations to see. I’d like to participate in as many surveys as possible,” he said.
For freelance photographer Emran Taib, 31, the course was an eye-opener as he now viewed things differently and can tell straightaway if a reef is healthy or not.
“However, I need to improve on my buoyancy. I have no problems in mid-water but to hover over a reef is a humbling experience!” he said, shaking his head.
Most participants felt buoyancy was an issue and something they needed to work on. Many of the divers noticed the dearth of invertebrates like the banded coral shrimp and lobsters, while there was an abundance of urchins, signifying excessive pollution.
Civil servant Mohd Fairul Zahari, 29, felt the crash course was gruelling as he found it difficult to digest some of the information. He opined that all divers should go for the basic course so that they would be more aware of the threats to marine life.
CIMB financial executive Ummi Haslinda Mohd Rosli, 29, felt more practical sessions could have been incorporated to make the species identification portion easier.
She said, “I signed up to increase my awareness on the subject and learn different terminology. When I go for my next leisure dive, I’ll look out for the groupers!”
After attending the course, student Mohd Najib Zulkifli, 22, was singing praises.
“As a student, I have no money so I go for the best deal. Here, I get a two-in-one – the certification and the dive trip. And, I have finally figured out how the ecosystem works!” laughed the Business Information Systems major.
Now that the EcoDiver certification process has been completed for the year, the actual reef surveys will begin next week. Six surveys are being planned, and once the data is collected, it will be compiled into an annual report, together with other reef check surveys around the world.
Only then will we know the true health of the world’s reefs and find ways to nurse them back to health.
If you’re interested in becoming an EcoDiver, contact Reef Check Malaysia at wecare@reefcheck.org.my or surf for more information at www.reefcheck.org
AFP 24 May 08;
SAN JOSE (AFP) — Nearly 900 endangered leatherback turtles were born at the Junquillal beach on Costa Rica's Pacific coastline in recent months thanks to community workers that scare off poachers and protect the eggs, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature said Thursday.
The leatherbacks are giant migratory turtles that swim great distances to nesting spots in the tropics. Their main nesting area in Central America is Playa Grande, also in Costa Rica, which is a protected zone.
Junquillal is an important leatherback nesting area but it is not formally protected.
However during this nesting season Junquillal "has probably become the second most important beach for leatherback turtles to nest in Central America, due to not only the number of nests but also the success in the number of birth of young turtles," said Gabriel Francia, who coordinates the WWF's Pacific leatherback turtle conservation project.
Taking much of the credit are six young area residents that patrol the nearly six-kilometer (four mile) long stretch of beach each night looking for leatherbacks that have come ashore to lay eggs.
Team members will take note of the time the turtles crawl out of the ocean as well as the weather conditions and the tide. The team members then take the eggs from the beach nest after the mother turtle has returned to the ocean and move them to a secured hatchery.
The leatherback turtle (dermochelys coriacea) measures nearly two meters (6.5 feet) long and can weigh up to 650 kilos (1,430 pounds), making it the largest turtle species in the world.
Yahoo News 23 May 08;
Mangroves and other natural barriers must be urgently restored in cyclone-stricken Myanmar to bolster flood defences against any future catastrophe, environmental group IUCN warned Friday.
"Destruction of coastal systems, especially mangrove forests in Myanmar, left coastal areas exposed in the devastating force of the cyclone," said Aban Kabraji, Asian regional director for the Switzerland-based IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature).
"Especially in the river deltas, mangroves prevent waves from damaging the more productive land that are further inland from the sea. Restoring mangroves should be a priority for all involved," she said in a statement.
Her comments echoed those of Surin Pitsuwan, secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to which military-ruled Myanmar belongs.
"Why the impact is so severe is because of the increase of the population," Pitsuwan said in a speech in Singapore on May 6.
This has led to an "encroachment into the mangrove forests which used to serve as buffer between the rising tide, between big waves and storms and the residential area," he said.
Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar on May 2-3, has left at least 133,000 people dead or missing and around 2.5 million more in need of immediate aid.
The IUCN said that flooding is inevitable in open delta flood plains, but that the buffering effect of healthy ecosystems disappears when natural barriers such as mangroves, lagoons, coral reefs, beaches and strand forests are destroyed or degraded.
The group said it is "fully aware that the first priority must be to get emergency help to those in need."
"Once this is done, however, the government and international aid agencies should give priority to restoring healthy mangrove forests in the Irrawaddy Delta."
The Irrawaddy is one of the most heavily silted rivers in the world because of deforestation and intensive agriculture along its banks, the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation said on its website.
It said land outside the reserved forests has been converted for agricultural use and mangrove forests within the reserve "are now disappearing at a rapid rate."
Yahoo News 23 May 08;
Sun screen lotions used by beach-going tourists worldwide are a major cause of coral bleaching, according to a new study commissioned by the European Commission.
In experiments, the cream-based ultra-violet (UV) filters -- used to protect skin from the harmful effects of sun exposure -- caused bleaching of coral reefs even in small quantities, the study found.
Coral reefs are among the most biologically productive and diverse of ecosystems, and directly sustain half a billion people. But some 60 percent of these reef systems are threatened by a deadly combination of climate change, industrial pollution and excess UV radiation.
The new study, published in US journal Environmental Health Perspectives, has now added sun screens to the list of damaging agents, and estimates that up to 10 per cent of the world's reefs are at risk of sunscreen-induced coral bleaching.
Chemical compounds in sunscreen and other personal skin care products have been detected near both sea and freshwater tourist areas. Previous research has shown that these chemicals can accumulate in aquatic animals, and biodegrade into toxic by-products.
Researchers led by Roberto Danovaro at the University of Pisa in Italy added controlled amounts of three brands of sunscreen to seawater surrounding coral reefs in Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand and Egypt.
Even small doses provoked large discharges of coral mucous -- a clear sign of environmental stress -- within 18 to 48 hours. Within 96 hours complete bleaching of corals had occurred.
Virus levels in seawater surrounding coral branches increased to 15 times the level found in control samples, suggesting that sunscreens might stimulate latent viral infections, the study found.
Pesticides, hydrocarbons and other contaminants have also been found to induce algae or coral to release viruses, hastening the bleaching process.
According to the World Trade Organisation, around 10 per cent of tourism takes place in tropical areas, with 78 million tourists visiting coral reefs each year.
An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 tonnes of sunscreen are released annually in reef areas, with 25 per cent of the sunscreen ingredients on skin released into water over the course of a 20 minute submersion.
Sunscreens are made of around 20 compounds acting as UV filters and preservatives. Seven were tested for the study, including parabens, cinnamates, benzophenones and camphor derivatives.
Alister Doyle and Gerard Wynn, Reuters 23 May 08;
OSLO/LONDON (Reuters) - Greenhouse gas emissions by all the Group of Eight industrial nations except Russia fell in 2006 in the broadest dip since the world started trying to slow climate change in 1990, a Reuters survey showed on Friday.
Rising oil prices, some measures to curb global warming and a milder winter in the United States in 2006 that depressed energy demand for heating all contributed to an overall 0.6 percent dip in G8 emissions in 2006 from 2005.
"It is an encouraging sign that emissions decreased in 2006 in some major developed economies," said Michael Raupach, leader of the Earth Observation Centre in Canberra, Australia.
"However, we have scarcely begun," he said, adding that the world would need far tougher action to stabilize emissions at levels to avert "dangerous" climate changes of ever more heatwaves, food shortages, floods, droughts and rising seas.
Emissions by the United States, Japan, Germany, Canada, France, Britain, and Italy were all down in 2006 -- by between 2.5 percent for France and just 0.02 percent for Germany.
Russia's emissions, which fell sharply after the collapse of the Soviet Union's smokestack industries, went against the trend with a gain of 3.1 percent in line with strong economic growth.
Emissions by so many nations in the G8 have not previously fallen together any year since 1990, the U.N. benchmark for efforts to combat climate change including the Kyoto Protocol.
Overall, emissions by the G8 fell to 14.04 billion tonnes in 2006 from 14.12 billion in 2005, according to a Reuters calculations based on submissions to the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat.
G8 environment ministers meet in Kobe, Japan, from May 24-26 to prepare a July summit meant to map out future actions to curb warming.
MILD WINTER
Some experts said the 0.6 percent decline was not a sign that G8 nations were really getting to grips with the problem.
"One would expect higher oil prices to reduce demand for oil ... and a relatively mild winter would reduce power consumption and hence emissions from power stations," said Knut Alfsen, research director of the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo.
"Unfortunately, it is difficult to discover policy actions in any of these countries that would explain the reduced emissions," he said. "I'm fairly pessimistic with regard to whether the countries are 'starting to get to grips' with the climate change challenge."
He said it would be interesting to see if heightened awareness among many people about climate change in 2007, linked to factors such as a movie by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and reports by the U.N. Climate Panel, would curb emissions.
Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth", looks at scientific evidence on the causes and likely impact of a warming world.
"It's hard to generalize across all the economies," said Jennifer Morgan, a director of the E3G think-tank in London.
"In the United States it doesn't have a lot to do with climate factors, it has more to do with other factors such as the winter weather," she said. The United States is outside the Kyoto Protocol, embraced by all other G8 nations.
Still, the fall in emissions came despite 2006 economic growth of an average of 3.0 percent for advanced economies, estimated by the International Monetary Fund. That may mark progress at least in decoupling emissions from growth.
Overall, G8 emissions were down 2.6 percent since 1990.
But almost of that overall decline was due to a sharp fall in Russian emissions after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Emissions overall in the other seven nations are up, led by Canada, the United States and Italy.
(Editing by Richard Balmforth)
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