Four Spore barges fined in land reclamation project
Four Singapore sand barges involved in a controversial land reclamation project have been fined for taking Malaysian sand without an export permit, a report said today.
The barges owned by a Singapore company took sand from the coast of Johor state bordering Singapore without applying for a permit, Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman was quoted as saying by Berita Harian .
The sand is used as landfill for Singapore's land reclamation project in the narrow Tebrau Strait between the two countries.
"The government looked upon this matter seriously and all the barges involved have been directed to return to Singapore waters. They have been fined for their offence," Abdul Ghani said.
No details were available and Johor officials were not available for comments.
Fresh strain
Singapore's land reclamation activities have put a fresh strain on ties with Malaysia, which has said the project could obstruct ships headed for ports in its southern state of Johor and which are being promoted as rivals to Singapore's port.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said the land reclamation affected the environment, the livelihood of Malaysian fishermen and the maritime border.
Earlier this month, more than 50 Malaysian fishermen staged a protest against Singapore's land reclamation project and demanded compensation for loss of income.
The fishermen complained that the dredging activities had affected their daily fish haul resulting in losses of more than 30,000 ringgit (7,895 dollars) each since last month.
Ties between the neighbours have been erratic since Singapore was ejected from the Malaysian Federation to become an independent state in 1965.
Water supplies from Malaysia to Singapore, a proposed bridge linking the countries and the use of Malaysian airspace by Singaporean aircraft are among other points of contention.
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