Best of our wild blogs: 5 Jan 15

10 Jan (Sat) evening: Free guided walk at the Pasir Ris mangroves
Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs and Sharing Pasir Ris Mangroves with families in our December walk

Red-legged Crake (Rallina fasciata) @ Mandai Lake Road
from Monday Morgue

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Malaysia sets new limits for controversial Johor Straits housing project

Today Online 5 Jan 15;

KUALA LUMPUR — China developer Country Gardens Holdings can only develop less than 1,000 acres or a quarter of its controversial 1,600 hectares Forest City project in the Johor Straits under new limits set by the Malaysian Department of Environment (DOE).

The Malaysian Insider has learnt that the DOE has verbally informed Country Garden Pacificview, a joint-venture unit of Country Gardens Holdings, of the new limits after complaints from locals and the Singapore government over reclamation works in the narrow waterway between Malaysia and the island state.

“The DOE has decided to limit the project to the first phase and wait for a few years to see the impact before looking at future phases,” a source told The Malaysian Insider.

“The DOE is expected to send an official letter about its decision soon to relevant parties,” he added.

Country Gardens Holdings is China’s seventh-largest property developer with a market capitalisation of HK$63 billion (S$10.8 billion) as of Dec 31 last year. Its financial revenue for the financial year ended June 30, 2014, was HK$38.3 billion with HK$5.5 billion net profit.

Another source said Malaysian environmental authorities made their decision after Singapore presented videos and documentary proof of continued reclamation works for the ambitious China-Malaysia joint-venture project.

It is understood that the evidence was presented at the last Malaysia-Singapore Joint Commission on Environment (MSJCE) which met last month.

Singapore had raised the issue of reclamation works near its sea border as it had effects on its coastal areas. The reclamation works had also affected Malaysia’s nearby key transhipment hub, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP).

Last September, the Johor government said it wanted Country Garden Pacificview, the developer of Forest City, to comply with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before developing the project at Tanjung Kupang, Gelang Patah.

Johor chief minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin had said it was important to ensure issues such as environment were given full attention and regulations were adhered to.

“We hope the developer complies with the requirement to submit an EIA report, which is very important for us to ensure all concerns, including from the environmental aspects, are given attention,” he said in Johor Bahru.

A public dialogue on Forest City’s Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) turned chaotic on September 2 last year, when the developer was confronted with all kind of enquiries from the residents in Kampung Pok affected by the project.

They expressed dissatisfaction for not being consulted before the implementation of the project, which involved the construction of a 1,600-hectare man-made island, which was seen as polluting the environment and jeopardising the area’s marine ecology.

The developers had reportedly voluntarily stopped sea reclamation to build the island, which was 30 per ccent completed, on June 15 last year, although there was no official DOE notice.

The Forest City project, which has gross development value (GDV) estimated at RM600 billion (S$226.7 billion) on reclaimed land, is a joint venture between KPRJ, a Johor state government owned subsidiary and Country Garden Holdings.

Country Gardens first entered Malaysia in 2011 in a joint-venture with Mayland Group to develop two parcels of land in Semenyih and Rawang.

The China developer ventured into Johor in 2012 when it acquired 22 hectares of waterfront and in Danga Bay for nearly RM1 billion. It launched Phase One of the Danga Pay project in 2013 where over 1,500 units were snapped up in three days.

It launched Phase Two of the Danga Bay project in 2014 which has sold over 6,000 units to date. Danga Bay is part of Malaysia’s ambitious Iskandar Region corridor to develop the southern state as the Shenzhen to Singapore. THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

Malaysia sets new development limits on Johor's Forest City project
Straits Times 5 Jan 15;

JOHOR BARU - China developer Country Gardens Holdings can only develop less than a quarter of its planned Forest City project in Johor Strait, under new limits set by Malaysia's Department of Environment.

The company was informed verbally about the new limits (405ha), Malaysian Insider has reported, after complaints from locals and the Singapore government over reclamation works in the narrow waterway between Malaysian and the city state.

"The DOE has decided to limit the project to the first phase and wait for a few years to see the impact before looking at future phases," the Malaysian Insider quoted a source as saying. An official letter about the decision will be sent to the relevant parties soon, the source said.

The ambitious 1,600ha project, a joint-venture by Country Gardens and a Johor development company, involved massive reclamation off Tuas in the next 30 years. The man-made island was going to measure nearly three times the size of Ang Mo Kio estate and was to offer luxury homes in the Johor Strait.

Singapore had raised the issue of reclamation works near its sea border which would effect its coastal areas. Evidence to the same, in the form of videos and documentary proof, was presented to the Malaysian environmental authorities during the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Commission on Environment (MSJCE) which met last month, another source told the Malaysian Insider.

The reclamation works had also affected Malaysia's nearby key transhipment hub, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas.

Last September, the Johor government said it wanted the developer to comply with the Environmental Impact Assessment. Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin had said it was important to ensure issues such as the environment were given full attention and regulations were adhered to.

A public dialogue on the detailed impact assessment of the City in September last year had turned chaotic, after the developers were bombarded with inquiries from locals who were worried about environment pollution and jeopardy to the area's marine ecology.

Country Gardens Holdings, the parent company of the developers, is China's seventh-largest property developer with a market capitalisation of HK$63 billion (S$10.8 billion) as of Dec 31, 2014.

KL limits Forest City project after concerns over its impact
Today Online 6 Jan 15;

KUALA LUMPUR — China developer Country Gardens Holdings can develop less than 405ha, or only a quarter, of its controversial 1,600ha Forest City project in the Johor Straits, under new limits set by Malaysia’s Department of Environment (DOE), a report yesterday showed.

The Malaysian Insider has learnt that the DOE has verbally informed Country Garden Pacific View, a joint-venture unit of Country Gardens Holdings, of the new limits after complaints from locals and the Singapore Government over reclamation work in the narrow waterway between Malaysia and the island state.

“The DOE has decided to limit the project to the first phase and wait for a few years to see the impact before looking at future phases,” a source told The Malaysian Insider.

“The DOE is expected to send an official letter about its decision soon to relevant parties,” he added.

The Forest City development in the Strait of Johor, near Singapore’s Second Link, involves creating a 1,817ha island almost three times the size of Ang Mo Kio and the construction of luxury homes. The project, which includes a 49ha tourist hub and recreational facilities, is expected to be completed in 30 years’ time.

The ambitious project involves massive land reclamation work. Singapore had previously expressed concern about the possible transboundary impact of the reclamation work near its sea border.

Another source said Malaysian environmental authorities made their decision after Singapore presented videos and documentary proof of continued reclamation work for the China-Malaysia joint-venture project.

It is understood that the evidence was presented at the last Malaysia-Singapore Joint Commission on Environment, which met last month.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not issue a response to TODAY’s request for comment.

Analysts said it was difficult to gauge how much interest the project has generated among Singaporeans, but that it was likely investors would have already been cautious about the mega-project because it was on reclaimed land.

“At this point, I think the news hasn’t reached the majority of their consumers,” said Mr Sean Tan, general manager of iProperty Singapore.

“And as a Singaporean investor, obviously they would have to relook how that would affect their investment overall. I think Singaporeans being Singaporean investors, they will have a wait-and-see attitude until the formal letters and legislation have been put through.”

The reclamation work had also affected Malaysia’s nearby key transshipment hub, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP).

Last September, the Johor government said it wanted Country Garden Pacificview, the developer of Forest City, to comply with an Environmental Impact Assessment study before developing the project.

Johor Chief Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin had said it was important to ensure issues such as the environment were given full attention and that regulations were adhered to.

A public dialogue on Forest City’s Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment turned chaotic on Sept 2 when the developer was confronted by locals affected by the project who were unhappy about not being consulted before its implementation, which was seen as polluting the environment and jeopardising the area’s marine ecology.

The developers had reportedly voluntarily stopped sea reclamation to build the island, which was 30 per cent completed, on June 15 last year, although there was no official DOE notice.

The Forest City project, which has gross development value (GDV) estimated at RM600 billion (S$225 billion) on reclaimed land, is a joint venture between KPRJ, a Johor state government owned subsidiary, and Country Garden Holdings.

The China developer ventured into Johor in 2012 when it acquired 22ha of waterfront land in Danga Bay for nearly RM1 billion. It launched Phase One of the Danga Bay project in 2013, when more than 1,500 units were snapped up in three days.

It launched Phase Two of the Danga Bay project last year, selling more than 6,000 units to date. Danga Bay is part of Malaysia’s ambitious Iskandar Region corridor, a project to develop the southern state as a special development and economic zone that would attract foreign investors.

Country Gardens Holdings is China’s seventh-largest property developer with a market capitalisation of HK$63 billion (S$10.8 billion) as of Dec 31 last year. Agencies, with additional reporting by Laura Philomin

Malaysia sets new limits on Forest City project
The Straits Times AsiaOne 6 Jan 14;

JOHOR BARU - China developer Country Gardens Holdings can develop only less than a quarter of its planned Forest City project in the Strait of Johor, under new limits set by Malaysia's Department of Environment.

The company was informed verbally about the new limits of 405ha, The Malaysian Insider has reported, after complaints from locals and the Singapore government over reclamation works in the narrow waterway between Malaysia and the city-state.

"The Department of Environment has decided to limit the project to the first phase and wait for a few years to see the impact before looking at future phases," The Malaysian Insider quoted a source as saying. An official letter about the decision will be sent to the relevant parties soon, the source said.

The ambitious 1,600ha project, a joint-venture by Country Gardens and a Johor development company, would have involved massive reclamation off Tuas in the next 30 years. The man-made island was going to measure nearly three times the size of Ang Mo Kio estate, and was to offer luxury homes in the Strait of Johor.

Singapore had raised the issue of reclamation works near its sea border, which would affect its coastal areas. Evidence to the same, in the form of videos and documentary proof, was presented to the Malaysian environmental authorities during the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Commission on Environment, which met last month, another source told The Malaysian Insider.





The reclamation works had also affected Malaysia's nearby key transhipment hub, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas.

Last September, the Johor government said that it wanted the developer to comply with the Environmental Impact Assessment. Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin had said that it was important to ensure issues such as the environment were given full attention and regulations were adhered to.

A public dialogue on the detailed impact assessment of the City in September last year had turned chaotic, after the developers were bombarded with inquiries from locals who were worried about environmental pollution and jeopardy to the area's marine ecology.

Country Gardens Holdings, the parent company of the developers, is China's seventh-largest property developer with a market capitalisation of HK$63 billion (S$10.8 billion) as of Dec 31.

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Sembawang poll on stray cats sparks concern

Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 5 Jan 15;
The fate of a group of stray cats in Sembawang remains up in the air, with the authorities refuting online reports that the animals will be removed and likely culled.

On Thursday, a group of cat feeders taking care of the strays in Jalan Lengkok Sembawang wrote to the MP for the area, Ms Lee Bee Wah, and others to ask that the cats be spared from culling.

The feeders said the authorities had conducted a survey asking residents whether they wanted the cats to be removed.

"Our concern is that... community cats that are caught will have to be sent to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, where they are likely to be culled," the cat feeders said in their letter.

But when asked, Ms Lee said that "while a survey has been done, we intend to ask the Cat Welfare Society and a group of animal lovers to consider what possible solutions there are".

"A decision will be taken only after they look at the situation and make suggestions," said Ms Lee.

She did not respond to queries about the nature of the complaints in Jalan Lengkok Sembawang, or about the survey.

The Straits Times understands, however, that the same poll was done in Yishun last month.

The Straits Times obtained a copy of that survey, which started with a paragraph noting residents' feedback about hygiene and cleanliness issues related to discarded cat food.

"We also received requests for the stray cats to be removed," the survey said, before asking the resident a single yes/no question: "Do you agree to the stray cats to be removed (sic)?"

Cat Welfare Society chief executive Joanne Ng said it was not consulted about or involved in either survey, although the group works with Nee Soon Town Council to resolve cat-related complaints.

Ms Ng said she met Ms Lee and town council representatives on Tuesday after learning of the Yishun survey.

"We agreed to work closer together and to communicate more effectively," she said.

Regarding its involvement in future surveys, Ms Ng said the society does not agree with surveys that ask whether cats should be removed or culled, as these do not solve the underlying conflict between those who want the cats left alone and those who want them removed.

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Malaysia: Risk of disease outbreak adds to mounting concerns in wake of floods

The Star 5 Jan 15;

TANAH MERAH: The spectre of a disease outbreak is now hanging over residents who are struggling to cope with the aftermath of the floods.

Although water and power supplies are gradually resuming since last Friday and food supply like vegetables and chicken are also being sold after the reopening of roads, residents are worried about diseases caused by contaminated water, rubbish and carcasses.

The stink from rotten food and garbage is pervasive everywhere, from the town centre to the villages.

Tan Kim Kui, 46, who runs a bookshop, had to discard countless books, magazines and other items that were damaged in the disaster.

“I contacted the recycling companies but they said their stores are full.

“I’m not selling but giving them away and yet, no one wants them,” she said.

One housewife, who only wanted to be known as Rima, said she had no choice but to dispose her damaged belongings.

“My whole house was submerged under water. I had to throw away almost everything,” she said.

MCA central committee member Koh Chin Han called on local councils to look into the rubbish problems to prevent an outbreak of infectious diseases.

He also reminded the people to be careful in their food intake.

Koh, who is Malacca MCA secretary, came here to help clean up SJK (C) Yuk Cheng, which was damaged in the floods.

“I am merely doing my part to help.

“Most importantly, we must ensure that the school is able to start as scheduled next Monday,” he said, adding that many desks, chairs and teaching materials were destroyed.

Joining him in the operation were several division leaders from Malacca MCA, grassroots leaders and members as well as volunteers from the party’s Crisis Relief Squad from Perlis, Kedah and Perak.

Floods: Perak hit by second wave
SYLVIA LOOI New Straits Times 5 Jan 15;

IPOH: As the number of flood evacuees continues to drop nationwide, Perak has been hit by a second wave of flood with 32 people in Batu Gajah being evacuated after water rise to one metre.

State National Security Council spokesman said as at 8am today, there were still 5,728 evacuees at 38 flood relief centres.

"Perak Tengah district tops the worst hit area with 4,562 victims seeking shelter at relief centres," she said.

Meanwhile, a state Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said 32 victims at Kampung Piandang Baru in Pusing were evacuated from their homes at 11.30pm yesterday.

"They are being placed at Dewan Orang Ramai Kampung Piandang in Batu Gajah," he said.

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