Work group on Iskandar

05 November 2009 , By Straits Times Singapore

Singapore and Malaysia on Wednesday formed a new work group to study the joint development of the Iskandar project in Malaysia.

The setting up of the new work group was agreed at the end of a working meeting of the 5th Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) for Iskandar Malaysia, said a joint statement by Malaysia's Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department and Singapore's National Development Ministry.

The meeting was a follow-up to the discussion between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and PM Lee Hsien Loong when Mr Najib visited Singapore in May.

The JMC also reviewed the progress made so far by the Joint Work Groups on Immigration, Transportation, Tourism, and Environment.

A study has also been commissioned to assess the feasibility of nature sites for joint tourism development, which could potentially increase tourism flows into and between Iskandar Malaysia and Singapore, the statement said.

The study sites are Sungai Pulai, Tanjung Piai and Pulau Kukup, collectively known as the Ramsar sites in the Iskandar Malaysia, and Sungei Buloh WetlandReserve in Singapore.