New Straits Times 25 Jun 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has assured Singapore that it remains committed to international law amid concerns over possible massive land reclamation in southern Johor.
Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Malaysia
had been engaging Singapore through the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE).
“The Federal Government, led by the Department of Environment (DoE), has close consultation with the Johor government and the project developers.
“The ministry and other relevant agencies are also engaged in the consultation,” he said in a statement in response to Singapore’s concerns yesterday.
The joint committee is co-chaired by the DoE director-general and the chief executive of the National Environment Agency of Singapore (NEA).
On Saturday, Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, in a statement, said it was concerned about possible transboundary impact from the property development projects that involved reclamation works in the Straits of Johor.
“There are also international obligations for both Malaysia and Singapore authorities to work closely on such matters,” the statement said.
The statement also mentioned that Singapore requested for more information so that it could undertake a study on the impact of the reclamation works.
The Forest City project in Johor would see massive land reclamation work near the Second Link and this has raised concerns across the Causeway.
The project was said to involve several connected islands with a total land size of about 2,000ha — bigger than Pangkor island.
Anifah said the government was committed to fulfilling its obligations under general principles of international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He said the government also took cognisance of the provisions of the 2005 Settlement Agreement between Malaysia and Singapore for the exchange of information and discussions on matters affecting their respective environments in the Straits of Johor.
In Johor Baru, the state government has clarified that the Forest City development project
has stopped for the past week, but were done in stages by developers so as not to jeopardise works in the area.
Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said the state government would not interfere in the matter and would leave it to the DoE and the project developer.
Malaysia in discussion with Singapore over land reclamation work in Johor
rahmah ghazali The Star 24 Jun 14;
PETALING JAYA: The Federal Government has assured its counterparts in Singapore that it remains committed to international law amid concerns over possible massive land reclamation work in southern Johor.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Malaysia has been engaging Singapore on this issue through the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE).
"The Government of Malaysia remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under the general principles of international law and in particular, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," he said on Tuesday.
He added the Government takes cognisance of the provisions of the 2005 Settlement Agreement between Malaysia and Singapore for the exchange of information and discussions on matters affecting the environment of the two countries over the Straits of Johor.
It was reported on Saturday that a project called Forest City would see massive land reclamation work near the Second Link and this has raised eyebrows across the Causeway.
The project is said to involve several connected islands with a total land size of about 2,000ha - bigger than Pangkor island - which could have potential transboundary effects.
Hanifah said the Federal Government, led by the Department of Environment (DOE), is having a close consultation with the Johor state government and project developers.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry and other relevant agencies are also engaged in the consultation.
The MSJCE is co-chaired by the DOE’s Director-General and the Chief Executive of the National Environment Agency of Singapore.
Singapore started voicing its concern after a report appeared in The Star in March on the project by China's Country Garden Holdings Co Ltd and Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor.
The project will involve land reclamation to build luxury homes on man-made islands off Pendas in southern Johor.
