S'pore Surprised With M'sia's Decision To Scrap Bridge Project
Bernama – 12/4/2006
SINGAPORE - Singapore Wednesday expressed its surprise at Malaysia's decision to scrap the bridge plan to replace the causeway linking both countries.

"We are surprised at this sudden decision when negotiations for a full bridge were still ongoing," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a one-paragraph statement.

The statement came following an announcement today that Malaysia had decided not to proceed with the bridge project.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a statement that the government made the decision "after taking into account the voices and sentiments of the Malaysian people as a whole especially on the supply of sand and air space".

Abdullah also said that the government had also decided to stop all negotiations pertaining to the bridge.

Officers from both sides have so far met five times since September last year to negotiate on the proposal by Malaysia to replace the 81-year-old causeway with a bridge, with both countries forking out the costs of construction on each side.

The republic was however reluctant to participate in the project, citing the huge financial costs with no significant benefits for Singapore.

The republic had said that it can agree to the bridge if there was a balance of benefits for both sides.

Singapore reportedly wanted Malaysia to sell sand for its reclamation works and to allow its jetfighters to use the Malaysian airspace as a trade-off for it to agree to the proposal.
Source: Bernama | www.bernama.com