Rail travel unaffected by immigration dispute

Rail travel unaffected by immigration dispute

SINGAPORE (Reuters): A diplomatic row between Singapore and Malaysia over the siting of railway immigration facilities appeared to have been temporarily defused yesterday.

Despite concerns the dispute would disrupt railway passenger traffic, a Reuters reporter found no problems taking trains from downtown Singapore to Johor Bahru in Malaysia.

Malaysian immigration officials at a downtown station in Singapore were not stamping passports of departing passengers, avoiding a showdown with Singapore officials.

Singapore had said there could be difficulties for departing passengers at its own new immigration facilities on the north side of Singapore if their passports already had Malaysian endorsements.

Singapore's Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar had told parliament on Friday that in that case "...the sequence of immigration clearance for rail passengers departing Singapore would be illogical and contrary to international practice."

But the Reuters reporter boarding a train for Malaysia at the Tanjong Pagar station was told by Malaysian officers she did not need to have her passport stamped but should hold on to her train ticket in Malaysia.

"You can stay for three months and just use your ticket," a Malaysian officer said. She added that the passport could be stamped later at immigration points within Malaysia if the reporter wished.

Singapore media said Malaysian officials told them the new procedures would be in place for three months. That would cover a period in which the two sides hope to resolve differences.

Passengers on the train subsequently moved quickly and smoothly through processing at the Singapore checkpoint at Woodlands, just across the Straits of Johor from Malaysia.

Malaysian High Commissioner in Singapore Haji Salim Hashim told Reuters he was not aware passports were not being stamped, but said: "Our main concern is not to cause inconvenience to passengers. This is our top priority. I am pleasantly surprised that things are normal."

Singapore had wanted Malaysia's immigration operation to move out of the Tanjong Pagar station when Singapore shifted its own operations to a new station at Woodlands yesterday, but the two sides had been unable to agree on arrangements.

Both countries had highlighted the seriousness of the situation. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry in a statement on Friday said it "views gravely" that there should be no undue delays or disruption of railway services.

The Malaysian state-owned railway Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) owns about 200 hectares of Singapore land under a 1918 agreement drawn up by the British colonial authorities. The agreement gave the company the land for as long as it operated train services.

However, Singapore says that gives Malaysian immigration no special rights. Jayakumar said on Friday the Malaysian authorities operated in Singapore by the grace of the republic's government and in Tanjong Pagar by the presence of Singapore immigration "to lend them their authority."

Once Singapore immigration moved from the old station, the Malaysians would lose their legal right to stay, he said.

Jayakumar said the move was not a ploy to take over the KTM land as under a Points of Agreement understanding between the two sides in 1990 the land's development had been agreed.

But development has yet to take place because of disputes over details.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday Malaysia does not want a dispute with Singapore over the facilities.