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.