Blog

Forest City Project Size Limited By Malaysia Environment Department

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.

Source: www.todayonline.com

January 6, 2015
Malaysian PM Najib Razak Suffering From E.Coli Infection After Visit To Flooded Areas

A tour of duty in areas affected by Malaysia’s worst floods in decades has left Prime Minister Najib Razak fighting an Escherichia coli (E.coli) infection, believed to be food poisoning, as the country continues to reel from the aftermath of the disaster now estimated to have caused billions of ringgit in damage.

A tweet from the Prime Minister’s Office said: “Prime Minister @NajibRazak was infected by E.coli during his visit to flood-affected areas. Doctors have advised him to rest. He will return to his duties as soon as possible.”

Mr Najib’s own Twitter posting said he would be monitoring events from home.

E.coli is a bacteria widely found in the human intestine. Certain strains can cause mild-to-severe food poisoning symptoms. Infection can happen when water or food contaminated by human or animal faeces is consumed. Most types of E. coli are harmless but some can cause diarrhoea. In its worst type, it can cause kidney failure and even death, with children the most vulnerable.

Mr Najib had just returned from Bangkok where he met Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chanocha on Saturday to thank him for Thailand’s contributions during the floods.

The Prime Minister came under fire when he was on holiday in Hawaii as floodwaters were rising on Dec 27. He cut short the trip following widespread criticism on social media over pictures of him playing golf with United States President Barack Obama.

Immediately after his return, Mr Najib made several trip to areas devastated by the floods, including Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Perak, to lead the national flood response. He ordered all ministers on holiday to return immediately to deal with the crisis. “This decision was made so that they could work to assist in the flood rescue and relief operations,” said Mr Najib.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the government would also have to face the daunting task of tackling the after-effects of the flood, which he described as “maha hebat” or very great.

“I believe that the damage will cost billions of ringgit. It is difficult for us to calculate,” Mr Muhyiddin said during an event yesterday to flag off the Prime Minister’s Department’s flood volunteers convoy. This figure has been revised upwards. Earlier, the east coast state flood disaster committee estimated losses of about RM200 million (S$75.5 million).

As at 12pm yesterday, the number of flood evacuees dropped to 45,033 in Kelantan, Pahang, Perak and Johor after surging to above 200,000 last week. Fourteen flood-related deaths were recorded in Kelantan, four in Pahang and three in Terengganu to date, data from the National Security Council website showed.

Source: www.todayonline.com

January 6, 2015
Criminal Legal Aid Scheme To Be Enhanced To Preserve Interests Of Criminal Lawyers

While greater access to justice is being provided for, the expansion of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS) this year must be properly structured, so it does not “cannibalise” the fee-paying work of criminal lawyers, said Law Society president Thio Shen Yi.

The enhancements to the scheme — which is expected to benefit up to 6,000 accused persons annually or half of the total number of cases each year — will allow the society to scale up their delivery of criminal legal aid, said Mr Thio at the opening of the legal year yesterday.

“However, we must structure and means-test CLAS, so it doesn’t cannibalise fee-paying work of criminal lawyers,” he said. “Our target end-users are people who, but for our help, will face the criminal justice system, unrepresented, unadvised and alone.”

CLAS is run by the Law Society’s Pro Bono Services Office and various Community Legal Clinics. If the enhanced scheme reaches the targeted number of persons assisted within five years, it will mean a 15-fold jump in the current workload. Last year, the Law Society said honorariums, also known as a nominal allowance, and training schemes will be provided to get more volunteer lawyers to join the scheme.

Criminal lawyer Josephus Tan felt that concerns that the scheme could cannibalise the fee-paying work is an undue worry. “People who even qualify for this scheme, they are actually marginalised, the underprivileged in our society, who couldn’t ordinarily afford the so-called private lawyers to begin with,” he said.

Other initiatives by the society that will have a direct impact on the man in the street include looking at making pamphlets informing laypeople of their basic legal rights available at police stations and courts; quicker access to counsel for accused people; as well as video-taping police interviews. The Government had previously rejected the last suggestion. In 2008, then Senior Minister of State (Law and Home Affairs) Ho Peng Kee said videotaping is not a foolproof solution; one could, for example, allege a threat was made before the camera was switched on.

Yesterday, Mr Thio said video-taping police interviews has the potential to deliver a win-win result: Protection for the accused, the investigating officers and the integrity of the evidence. “In this case, both efficiency and justice are the winners.”

On disciplinary matters, Mr Thio — who noted that the number of complaints has not increased despite the rise in society membership — said the group is looking at enhancing its complaints process. It has worked with the Ministry of Law to change the law so that from this year, lawyers who are subjects of complaints must be given a copy of the complaint. Previously, lawyers would be told of the complaint, but could not obtain a copy.

“This may help lawyers explain themselves before an Inquiry Committee (IC) is empanelled and may result in fewer referrals,” Mr Thio said.

Source: www.todayonline.com

January 6, 2015
Hoong Wee Teck Takes Over As Commissioner Of Police

Mr Hoong Wee Teck has taken over command of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) from Mr Ng Joo Hee as the Commissioner of Police (CP), in a Change of Command Ceremony held at Home Team Academy on Monday, 5 January 2015.

Mr Hoong Wee Teck, 51, has served 27 years in the SPF. He has held various leadership appointments, including that of Deputy Commissioner (Investigations & Intelligence), Director Criminal Investigation Department, Director Police Intelligence Department and Commander Bedok Police Division. He had also served a stint in the then Singapore Immigration & Registration Department as Deputy Director (Enforcement).

On his appointment as CP, Mr Hoong said: “It is a great honour to be in this position to lead a Force of highly committed and professional men and women. The previous Commissioners have done an excellent job in building a strong foundation of professionalism and community trust. I will continue to strengthen this foundation, and leverage technology and innovation to bring SPF’s crime fighting capabilities to a new level. Together, my officers and I will work towards realising our vision of Singapore becoming the safest city in the world.”

Mr Ng Joo Hee, 48, who had led SPF for close to five years, will assume a new appointment as Chief Executive, Public Utilities Board (PUB), and concurrent Deputy Secretary (Special Duties), Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) on 6 January 2015. He will bring to PUB and MEWR his experience gleaned from 29 years of his distinguished career in SPF and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

We thank Mr Ng Joo Hee for his strong leadership as our CP and wish him every success in his next appointment.

Source: www.facebook.com/singaporepoliceforce

January 6, 2015
Poor Urban Town Planning Leads To Much Unhappiness Among Residents

Future residents of Build-To-Order (BTO) project Fernvale Lea are up in arms over a planned Chinese temple with columbarium next to their flats. The columbarium, where funeral urns will be stored, will take up 15 per cent of the temple it will be housed at.

About 400 would-be residents of Fernvale Lea attended a closed-door dialogue with Dr Lam Pin Min, MP for Sengkang West, on Jan 4. There have even been requests to get refunds from the Housing Board.

There have been other cases of people not wanting certain types of amenities in their neighbourhood – or, as many know it, the not-in-my-backyard (Nimby) syndrome. Here are some past incidents:

1. October 2013 – International school in Pasir Ris

Issue: Building of international school near homes

A group of residents in Pasir Ris were against the idea of a 12-storey international school looming over their homes and causing traffic congestion. They also wanted to preserve the forested area that had to be cleared for the building.

Outcome: New roads off Pasir Ris Drive 3 and opposite Pasir Ris Drive 10 were created to ensure smooth traffic. Academic buildings were tilted at an angle to reduce the sense of “towering” over the homes, which are mostly terrace or semi-detached homes. The school amenities which generate higher level of noise – such as the school bus drop-off points, sports facilities and the school canteen – were built farthest from the neighbouring residences, nearer to Pasir Ris Drive 3.

2. February 2013 – Nursing home in Yew Tee

Issue: Some Yew Tee residents were against plans to build a nursing home in their neighbourhood. They raised concerns like noise pollution during construction, traffic congestion in the single-lane roads that serve the area, and the nursing home blocking their view.

Outcome: The nursing home was built to be seven storeys, instead of eight, and the single lane in Choa Chu Kang North 6, towards Choa Chu Kang North 5, was expanded into a dual lane.

3. May 2012 – Nursing home in Bishan East

Issue: Residents said their view would be blocked by the nursing home, and that air flow would be restricted by the building.

Outcome: The building was capped at six instead of eight storeys.

4. May 2012 – Tall condominiums in Upper Bukit Timah

Issue: Dairy Farm, Chestnut and Cashew estate residents were concerned about taller condominiums being built in the area blocking their green view of a secondary forest, and towering over their low-rise homes. They were also worried that the development may harm the plant and animal life, and increase surface runoff into a canal, which already fills when it rains. They were also upset that a planned road in the area would cut into a canal-side jogging trail popular with residents.

Outcome: The housing blocks on the site were limited to 15 storeys, and a proposed commercial property next to the site was relocated elsewhere. The construction of the road was held off.

5. March 2012 – Studio apartments for elderly in Toh Yi

Issue: Residents in Toh Yi were unhappy with the idea of studio apartments for the elderly being built in their estate. Plans were for the apartments to be built where the area’s main recreational facilities – a basketball court, jogging track and community garden – were. Residents were concerned that these facilities would be taken away from them. Some also questioned if the site was suitable for building apartments for the elderly because of the slopes.

Outcome: HDB decided to build a children’s playground and community garden on the second floor of the studio apartment building that would be open to everyone. A jogging path was also planned. Fifty carpark spaces were added to relieve the parking shortage in nearby blocks, and footpaths were added to link the studio units seamlessly to the surrounding neighbourhood.

6. October 2008 – Workers’ dormitory in Serangoon Gardens

Issue: Serangoon Gardens residents were up in arms over plans to build a workers’ dormitory in their estate. They cited noise and pollution from buses ferrying workers, a possible increase in crime, traffic congestion, and lower market value for their properties in the upper-middle class neighbourhood as reasons for their unhappiness.

Outcome: No more than 600 foreigners – generally factory workers in the IT and electronics industries in Ang Mo Kio – were housed at the dormitory, although a feasibility study showed that the space could accommodate 1,000 people. An access road to the building was built, so that buses transporting workers to and from the dormitory need not wind through the estate, and would not worsen traffic congestion problems. The facility came with amenities, designed to ensure that workers would spend most of their time in the dormitory. The area for the site also ended up smaller than planned, making it farther from homes.

7. October 2007 – Funeral home in Sin Ming

Issue: A proposed building in Sin Ming for funeral parlours triggered protests among some of the area’s residents, who said there were already too many of them in the estate. They said that placing it near their residential blocks was not ideal, taking into account traditional superstitions which associate death and dying with bad luck. Some also feared a drop in the value of their properties. The site for the proposed building was an empty plot next to Bright Hill Temple, which is near Ai Tong School and residential areas, including HDB blocks and private condominiums.

Outcome: The Government brought forward the development of an adjacent industrial site so it can serve as a buffer between the funeral parlour site and the nearest residential areas and school. Work on the funeral parlour started only after the industrial site developed. The Government also increased the number of car parking lots. The operator of the parlour was also given conditions such as having fully enclosed and air-conditioned premises and confining all activities indoors. All services and activities were screened off from public view through the design and landscaping of the development.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

January 6, 2015