ST : Land swop deal talks this month

Nov 2, 2010

Land swop deal talks this month

KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore and Malaysia officials will meet at the end of this month to continue working out details of a breakthrough land swop deal involving Malayan Railway land.

The meetings - the fourth in a series - will be held in Singapore, Deputy Foreign Minister Richard Riot told MPs in a Parliament session yesterday.

The Nov 29-30 meeting of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Implementation Team, he said, would continue talks on the moving of the train station from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands, setting up of a Customs, immigration and quarantine complex in Woodlands, and the setting up of M-S Pte Ltd. Both countries had agreed to set up this joint venture to develop six land parcels in Ophir-Rochor and Marina South involved in the land swop. Mr Riot noted the meetings would culminate in the signing of an agreement in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 31.

Both countries have noted that past meetings of the joint implementation team had proved successful. Yesterday, Mr Riot also stressed that the bilateral relationship was improving: 'The frequent visits between top leaders in both countries have contributed to strengthening the relationship. Such exchanges help increase cooperation and foster closer diplomatic and economic ties for mutual benefit.'

BERNAMA, THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK