Malayan Railway (KTM) Land in Singapore
01/08/10
I travelled by train between Malaysia and Singapore for
the first time in May 2010 and got to experience
firsthand the rather unconventional border crossings
that have been properly summrised in Wikipedia as follows:
* Towards Singapore, Malaysian immigration officers carry out immigration clearance on board the train at Johor Bahru railway station. After clearing immigration, the train crosses the causeway and stops at WTCP, where all passengers must proceed to Singapore Customs and Immigration. Therefore, travellers entering Singapore by rail are following the correct order of immigration clearance, that is, exit granted by Malaysian Immigration in Johor and entry granted by Singapore Immigration in Woodlands. After clearing immigration at Woodlands, passengers may disembark or continue their journey to Tanjong Pagar by train.
* Towards Malaysia, passengers must board the train at Tanjong Pagar and clear Malaysian Customs and Immigration before boarding. The train travels about 30 minutes to WTCP and stops for another 30 minutes to allow sufficient time for passengers to clear Singapore Immigration. In this case, passengers are granted entry into Malaysia before clearing Singapore Immigration, which is contrary to international practice. To circumvent this problem, Malaysian immigration officers do not stamp on passengers' passports.
Related links:
* Towards Singapore, Malaysian immigration officers carry out immigration clearance on board the train at Johor Bahru railway station. After clearing immigration, the train crosses the causeway and stops at WTCP, where all passengers must proceed to Singapore Customs and Immigration. Therefore, travellers entering Singapore by rail are following the correct order of immigration clearance, that is, exit granted by Malaysian Immigration in Johor and entry granted by Singapore Immigration in Woodlands. After clearing immigration at Woodlands, passengers may disembark or continue their journey to Tanjong Pagar by train.
* Towards Malaysia, passengers must board the train at Tanjong Pagar and clear Malaysian Customs and Immigration before boarding. The train travels about 30 minutes to WTCP and stops for another 30 minutes to allow sufficient time for passengers to clear Singapore Immigration. In this case, passengers are granted entry into Malaysia before clearing Singapore Immigration, which is contrary to international practice. To circumvent this problem, Malaysian immigration officers do not stamp on passengers' passports.
Tanjong Pagar Railway Station is
the current KTM terminal in Singapore
(05/2010)
The station was opened in 1932 and
nicely decorated with sculptures and murals
(05/2010)
The reason behind the bizarre immigration procedure
is that the Malayan Railway (Keretapi Tanah Melayu,
KTM) land in Singapore was leased to the Federated
Malay States by the Straits Settlement government
then under a 1918 colonial ordinance for 999 years
(The Star, Malaysian Insider) and the
status of the KTM land has been subject of
dispute after the separation of both countries.
A breakthrough in the impasse was made recently
with the signing of a historic agreement on 24
May 2010. The KTM Singapore terminal will be
moved from the current one in Tanjung Pagar to
Woodlands nearer to the border by 1 Jul 2011,
hence, freeing up the KTM land for joint
development by both countries in the future.
Related links:
- The Malaysian Insider: KL agrees
to vacate historic Singapore train station
Excerpted from The Malaysian Insider (Full Article)
- New Straits Times: KTMB's
Tanjong Pagar station moves to Woodland
- The Star: Najib and Lee all
smiles after sealing KTMB land deal
- The Straits Times: Tg Pagar station to move
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Bangkok: End of Jun'10
28/06/10
Peace
The Thai capital was busy as usual.
The Thai capital was busy as usual.
Aftermath
Damages due to the earlier unrest were still evident.
Reconciliation
Restoring business and bringing people together again
were high on the agenda.
Related link:
- CNN: Timeline of Thailand's
Political Crisis
- BBC: Thailand's reds and yellows
- Pattaya Daily News: "Together We Can"
Forest Research Institute Malaysia
15/06/10
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) is a good
place to go if you are already bored with the twin
towers and shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur (KL). Located
in Kepong, a suburb north of KL,
FRIM offers a unique tropical rainforest
experience within 1 hr of car drive from the
hectic city centre. One of the popular attractions
in FRIM is the 200 m long canopy walkway, which
can be an interesting way of admiring nature as
long as you do not mind walking 30 m above ground
level on the planks!
TL:
tall trees; TR:
forest path; BL:
wild life; BR:
city view
Related link:
Three Wheelers in South East Asia
03/05/10
Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2010
16/04/10
I made a point of visiting the international hot air
balloon fiesta in Putrajaya after missing out on
the first ever such fiesta last year. The second
hot air balloon fiesta was held from 18-21 Mar
this year. Visitors were entertained by balloon
fun fly, tethered balloon rides and other events
throughout the days. Hot air balloons were
transformed into gigantic lanterns after dark
during the "Night Glow" event on 20 Mar. The whole
day of festivities was then concluded with a short
but spectacular fireworks display.
"Night Glow" at the 2nd Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (20/03/2010)
Related link:
"Night Glow" at the 2nd Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (20/03/2010)
Related link:
- Official website: Putrajaya
International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2010
- The Star: Putrajaya Hot Air
Balloon rides draw the crowd
- Flickr: Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta