Malaysia-Singapore Border
Encyclopedia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
n countries of Malaysia, which lies to the north of the border, and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to the south. The boundary
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
is to a large extent formed by straight lines between maritime
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
geographical coordinates running along or near the deepest channel of the Straits of Johor
Straits of Johor
The Straits of Johor is a strait that separates the Malaysian state of Johor to the north from Singapore to the south....
(Malay: Selat Tebrau).
The western portion of the border beyond that delimited by the 1995 agreement goes into the western section of the Singapore Straits while the eastern portion of the border beyond the eastern terminus of the defined border continues into the eastern section of the Singapore Straits. Outside the border defined by the 1995 agreement, there is still no formal agreement between the two countries to delimit their common borders and this has resulted in several overlapping claims. Singapore claims a three nautical mile (6 km) territorial sea limit, while Malaysia claims a 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) territorial sea limit.
Following the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
decision on 23 May 2008 on the sovereignty of Pedra Branca which gave the island to Singapore, the new portion of the Malaysia-Singapore maritime border around the island will also need to be determined. The island lies 24 nautical miles (44.4 km) or 44 km east from the eastern most point of Singapore, and 7.7 nautical miles (14.3 km) or 14.2 km southeast of the Malaysian coastline.
There is also a dispute involving the alleged incursion into Malaysian territorial waters by land reclamation works by Singapore at the western entrance to the Straits of Johor.
There are two structural crossings along the border. They are the Johor-Singapore Causeway
Johor-Singapore Causeway
The Johor–Singapore Causeway is a 1,056-metre causeway that links the city of Johor Bahru in Malaysia across the Straits of Johor to the town of Woodlands in Singapore. It serves as a road, rail, and pedestrian link, as well as water piping into Singapore.The causeway is connected to the...
and the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link
Malaysia-Singapore Second Link
Malaysia–Singapore Second Link is a bridge connecting Singapore and Johor, Malaysia. In Singapore, it is officially known as the Tuas Second Link. The bridge was built to reduce the traffic congestion at the Johor–Singapore Causeway, and was opened to traffic on 2 January 1998...
(as known in Malaysia), or the Tuas Second Link (as known in Singapore). There is also an international ferry service between Pengarang at the southeastern tip of Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
and Changi Village at the eastern of the island.
Delimited boundary
A large extent of the Malaysia–Singapore border is defined by the Agreement between the Government of Malaysia and the Government of the Republic of Singapore to delimit precisely the territorial waters boundary in accordance with the Straits Settlement and Johore Territorial Waters Agreement 1927 as being straight lines joining a series of 72 geographical coordinates roughly running about 50 nautical miles (92.6 km) along the deepest channel (thalwegThalweg
Thalweg in geography and fluvial geomorphology signifies the deepest continuous inline within a valley or watercourse system.-Hydrology:In hydrological and fluvial landforms, the thalweg is a line drawn to join the lowest points along the entire length of a stream bed or valley in its downward...
) between the western and eastern entrances of the Straits of Johor. This delineation was arrived at and agreed to jointly by the two governments and resulted in the agreement being signed on 7 August 1995.
The coordinates, which are stated in Annex 1 of the agreement, are as follows:
| Point | Latitude | Longitude | Point | Latitude | Longitude | Point | Latitude | Longitude | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East of Johor-Singapore Causeway | |||||||||
| E1 | 01° 27' 10.0" | 103° 46' 16.0" | E17 | 01° 25' 49.5" | 103° 56' 00.3" | E33 | 01° 26' 38.0" | 104° 02' 27.0" | |
| E2 | 01° 27' 54.5" | 103° 47' 25.7" | E18 | 01° 25' 49.7" | 103° 56' 15.7" | E34 | 01° 26' 23.5" | 104° 03' 26.9" | |
| E3 | 01° 28' 35.4" | 103° 48' 13.2" | E19 | 01° 25' 40.2" | 103° 56' 33.1" | E35 | 01° 26' 04.7" | 104° 04' 16.3" | |
| E4 | 01° 28' 42.5" | 103° 48' 45.6" | E20 | 01° 25' 31.3" | 103° 57' 09.1" | E36 | 01° 25' 51.2" | 104° 04' 35.3" | |
| E5 | 01° 28' 36.1" | 103° 49' 19.8" | E21 | 01° 25' 27.9" | 103° 57' 27.2" | E37 | 01° 25' 03.3" | 104° 05' 18.5" | |
| E6 | 01° 28' 22.8" | 103° 50' 03.0" | E22 | 01° 25' 19.8" | 103° 58' 20.7" | E38 | 01° 24' 55.8" | 104° 05' 22.6" | |
| E7 | 01° 27' 58.2" | 103° 51' 07.2" | E23 | 01° 25' 19.0" | 103° 58' 00.5" | E39 | 01° 24' 44.8" | 104° 05' 26.7" | |
| E8 | 01° 27' 46.6" | 103° 51' 31.2" | E24 | 01° 25' 19.0" | 103° 58' 20.7" | E40 | 01° 24' 21.4" | 104° 05' 33.6" | |
| E9 | 01° 27' 31.9" | 103° 51' 53.9" | E25 | 01° 25' 27.9" | 103° 58' 47.7" | E41 | 01° 23' 59.3" | 104° 05' 34.9" | |
| E10 | 01° 27' 23.5" | 103° 52' 05.4" | E26 | 01° 25' 27.4" | 103° 59' 00.9" | E42 | 01° 23' 39.3" | 104° 05' 32.9" | |
| E11 | 01° 26' 56.3" | 103° 52' 30.1" | E27 | 01° 25' 29.7" | 103° 59' 10.2" | E43 | 01° 23' 04.9" | 104° 05' 22.4" | |
| E12 | 01° 26' 06.5" | 103° 53' 10.1" | E28 | 01° 25' 29.2" | 103° 59' 20.5" | E44 | 01° 22' 07.5" | 104° 05' 00.9" | |
| E13 | 01° 25' 40.6" | 103° 53' 52.3" | E29 | 01° 25' 30.0" | 103° 59' 34.5" | E45 | 01° 21' 27.0" | 104° 04' 47.0" | |
| E14 | 01° 25' 39.1" | 103° 54' 45.9" | E30 | 01° 25' 25.3" | 103° 59' 42.9" | E46 | 01° 20' 48.0" | 104° 05' 07.0" | |
| E15 | 01° 25' 36.0" | 103° 55' 00.6" | E31 | 01° 25' 14.2 | 104° 00' 10.3" | E47 | 01° 17' 21.3" | 104° 07' 34.0" | |
| E16 | 01° 25' 41.7" | 103° 55' 24.0" | E32 | 01° 26' 20.9" | 104° 01' 23.9" | ||||
| West of Johor-Singapore Causeway | |||||||||
| W1 | 01° 27' 09.8" | 103° 46' 15.7" | W10 | 01° 26' 14.1" | 103° 41' 00.0" | W19 | 01° 21' 26.6" | 103° 28' 15.5" | |
| W2 | 01° 26' 54.2" | 103° 45' 38.5" | W11 | 01° 25' 41.3" | 103° 40' 26.0" | W20 | 01° 21' 07.3" | 103° 38' 08.0" | |
| W3 | 01° 27' 01.4" | 103° 44' 48.4" | W12 | 01° 24' 56.7" | 103° 40' 10.0" | W21 | 01° 20' 27.8" | 103° 37' 48.2" | |
| W4 | 01° 27' 16.6" | 103° 44' 23.3" | W13 | 01° 24' 37.7" | 103° 39' 50.1" | W22 | 01° 19' 17.8" | 103° 37' 04.2" | |
| W5 | 01° 27' 36.5" | 103° 43' 42.0" | W14 | 01° 24' 01.5" | 103° 39' 25.8" | W23 | 01° 18' 55.5" | 103° 37' 01.5" | |
| W6 | 01° 27' 26.9" | 103° 42' 50.8" | W15 | 01° 23' 28.6" | 103° 39' 12.6" | W24 | 01° 18' 51.5" | 103° 36' 58.2" | |
| W7 | 01° 27' 02.8" | 103° 42' 13.5" | W16 | 01° 23' 13.5" | 103° 39' 10.7" | W25 | 01° 15' 51.0" | 103° 36' 10.3" | |
| W8 | 01° 26' 35.9" | 103° 41' 55.9" | W17 | 01° 22' 47.7" | 103° 38' 57.1" | ||||
| W9 | 01° 26' 23.6" | 103° 41' 38.6" | W18 | 01° 21' 46.7" | 103° 38' 27.2" | ||||
The Straits Settlement and Johore Territorial Waters Agreement of 1927
Straits Settlement and Johore Territorial Waters Agreement of 1927
The Straits Settlement and Johore Territrial Waters Agreement of 1927 was signed between Great Britain as the colonial ruler of the Straits Settlements of which Singapore was part, and the Sultanate of Johor which at that time was an independent state, to determine the border between the island of...
signed between the Britain and the Sultanate of Johor on 19 October 1927, defines the territorial sea border between Malaysia and Singapore as:
- "... an imaginary line following the centre of the deep-water channel in Johore Strait, between the mainland of the State and Territory of Johore on the one side, and the northern shores of the islands of Singapore, Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong Kechil, and Pulau Tekong Besar on the other side. Where, if at all, the channel divides into two portions of equal depth running side by side, the boundary shall run midway between these two portions. At the western entrance of Johore Strait, the boundary, after passing through the centre of the deep-water channel eastward of Pulau MerambongPulau MerambongPulau Merambong is an uninhabited island located in Johor, Malaysia, just off the western side of the Malaysia-Singapore Border. The island is dominated by mangrove swamp.-Conservation:...
, shall proceed seaward, in the general direction of the axis of this channel produced, until it intersects the 3 miles (4.8 km) limit drawn from the low water mark of the south coast of Pulau Merambong. At the Eastern entrance of Johore Strait, the boundary shall be held to pass through the centre of the deep-water channel between the mainland of Johore, westward of Johore Hill, and Pulau Tekong Besar, next through the centre of the deep-water channel between Johore Shoal and the mainland of Johore, southward of Johore Hill, and finally turning southward, to intersect the 3 miles (4.8 km) limit drawn from the low water mark of the mainland of Johore in a position bearing 192 degrees from Tanjong Sitapa."
The boundary drawn by the 1995 agreement follows closely but, by virtue of being straight lines between points, does not exactly correspond with the deepest channel of the Straits of Johor as described in the 1927 agreement. As the 1995 agreement supersedes the 1927 agreement as far as any inconsistency goes, the thalweg method of determining the precise borderline is therefore replaced with the use of geographical coordinates. The 1995 agreement also states that the border will be final and, therefore, not be influenced by any variation of the depth or alignment of the deepest channel of the Straits of Johor. This is important considering frequent reclamation activities by both Malaysia and Singapore in the Straits of Johor which could alter the depth of the waterway.
Undetermined boundaries
The border outside the points agreed to in the 1995 agreement has not been determined and is subject to some level of contention. In 1979, Malaysia published a map unilaterally defining its territorial waters and continental shelf, and "picks up" from where the 1927 agreement left off as far as the Malaysia–Singapore border is concerned.Western segment
According to the 1979 map, on the western entrance to the Straits of Johor, the border stars at "Point 21", which lies near the western terminus of the border as defined by the 1927 agreement and the terminus of the border agreed to in the 1995 agreement (knowns as Point W25). The Malaysian border then extends southwards until "Point 17" where it then goes northeasterly till it meets the southern terminus of the Indonesia-Malaysia border
Indonesia-Malaysia border
The border between the Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia and Malaysia consist of both a land border separating the two countries' territories on the island of Borneo as well as maritime boundaries along the length of the Straits of Malacca, in the South China Sea and in the Celebes Sea.The...
delimited by the Indonesia-Malaysia continental shelf boundary agreement of 1969 and the Indonesia-Malaysia territorial waters agreement of 1971. The border between Malaysia and Singapore only runs part of the way between Point 21 and Point 15 where it should intersect the Indonesia-Singapore maritime border
Indonesia-Singapore border
The Indonesia–Singapore border is a maritime boundary in the Straits of Singapore between Indonesia's Riau Islands which lie to the south of the border, and the islands of Singapore which lie to the north...
. The meeting point of the territorial sea of the three countries however has not been determined.
| Point | Longitude (E) | Latitude (N) | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turning points along the continuation of Malaysia's maritime border to the west of Singapore as in its 1979 map | ||||
| 15 | 103° 22'.8 | 1° 15'.0 | Same as Point 10 (southern terminus) of the continental shelf boundary and Point 8 of the territorial sea boundary | |
| 16 | 103° 26'.8 | 1° 13'.45 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 17 | 103° 32'.5 | 1° 1'.45 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 18 | 103° 34'.2 | 1° 11'.0 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 19 | 103° 34'.95 | 1° 15'.15 | ||
| 20 | 103° 37'.38 | 1° 16'.37 | ||
| 21 | 103° 36'.1 | 1° 15'.85 | This point lies close but does not correspond with Point W25 of the 1995 territorial waters agreement | |
Eastern segment
The eastern continuation of the territorial waters border defined by the 1979 Malaysian map starts near the eastern terminus of the 1927 agreement border at "Point 22", whereby it suddenly goes westwards towards Singapore to Point 23 before travelling southeasterly towards its southmost point at Point 27. It then continues in a general easterly direction to meet the southern terminus of the Indonesia-Malaysia border
Indonesia-Malaysia border
The border between the Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia and Malaysia consist of both a land border separating the two countries' territories on the island of Borneo as well as maritime boundaries along the length of the Straits of Malacca, in the South China Sea and in the Celebes Sea.The...
as defined by their continental shelf boundary agreement of 1969. The Indonesia-Singapore border should intersect this boundary at some point but the meeting point of the maritime territories of the three countries has not been determined.
| Point | Longitude (E) | Latitude (N) | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turning point coordinates along the continuation of Malaysia's maritime border to the east of Singapore as in its 1979 map | ||||
| 22 | 104° 7'.5 | 1° 17'.63 | This point lies close but does not correspond with Point E47 of the 1995 territorial waters agreement | |
| 23 | 104° 2'.5 | 1° 17'.42 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 24 | 104° 4'.6 | 1° 17'.3 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 25 | 104° 7'.1 | 1° 16'.2 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 26 | 104° 7'.42 | 1° 15'.65 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 27 | 104° 12'.67 | 1° 13'.65 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 28 | 104° 16'.15 | 1° 16'.2 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 29 | 104° 19'.8 | 1° 16'.5 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 30 | 104° 29'.45 | 1° 15'.55 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 31 | 104° 29'.33 | 1° 16'.95 | This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia border | |
| 32 | 104° 29'.5 | 1° 23'.9 | This point is the same as Point 11 (southern terminus) of the 1969 Indonesia-Malaysia continental shelf boundary | |
Malaysia's maritime boundary
Maritime boundary
Maritime boundary is a conceptual means of division of the water surface of the planet into maritime areas that are defined through surrounding physical geography or by human geography. As such it usually includes areas of exclusive national rights over the mineral and biological resources,...
in its 1979 map is not recognised by Singapore and Singapore disputes many parts of the territorial sea and continuental shelf claimed by Malaysia. Among them is a slice of territorial waters called the "Point 20 sliver" (see below), and previously, the sovereignty of Pulau Batu Puteh/Pedra Branca which lies within the 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) territorial waters claimed by Malaysia but has since been decided by the International Court of Justice in Singapore's favour.
With the award to Singapore of the sovereignty of the island, further determination of the maritime boundary between the two countries as well as with Indonesia whose territorial waters are also in the area, would have to be done to fill in the various gaps and determine the tripoints.
The area around Pedra Branca is expected to be complicated. Pedra Branca lies beyond the three nautical mile (6 km) zone claimed by Singapore but within the 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) zone claimed by Malaysia. Singapore has indicated that the Indonesia-Singapore and Malaysia–Singapore borders in this area would not run continuously from the waters adjacent to the main Singapore island to the Pedra Branca area and a stretch of the Indonesia-Malaysia border
Indonesia-Malaysia border
The border between the Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia and Malaysia consist of both a land border separating the two countries' territories on the island of Borneo as well as maritime boundaries along the length of the Straits of Malacca, in the South China Sea and in the Celebes Sea.The...
would lie in between. Further complications could arise by the awarding of Middle Rocks, which lies 0.6 nautical miles (1.5 km) south of Pedra Branca (i.e away from the Johor coast), to Malaysia. A joint technical committee has been formed to determine the maritime border.
History
The border between Malaysia and Singapore only came into existence in the 19th century with the establishment and subsequent of cession of the island to the British East India CompanyBritish East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
by the Sultanate of Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
in 1824. Prior to that, Singapore was an integral part of the Johor Sultanate and subsequently, the Johor-Riau Sultanate.
The border changed from being an international border to a sub-national boundary (boundary of a division within a country) and vice-versa several times. It became an international border after the cession of Singapore to the East India Company by Johor in 1824 as Johor was de jure a sovereign state. In 1914, the border became that of between two British-ruled territories when Johor became a British protectorate while Singapore remained a British crown colony.
On 31 August 1957, the Federation of Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
(which consisted of only Peninsular Malaysia), which included Johor as a component state, became independent and the Johor-Singapore border again became an international boundary between the sovereign state of Malaya and the self-governing British territory of Singapore. On 16 September 1963, Singapore merged with and become a component state of the Federation of Malaysia, rendering the border one between two component states of Malaysia. The border again became an international border when Singapore separated from Malaysia on 9 August 1965 to become an independent, sovereign nation.
Disputes
The Malaysian and Singaporean governments have been involved in a range of disputes and disagreements which have tested the bilateral relations between the two countries. Most of these, including that over Keretapi Tanah MelayuKeretapi Tanah Melayu
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad or Malayan Railways Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was first built to transport tin...
, or Malayan Railway, land in Singapore, are not territorial or border disputes as they do not involve questions of sovereignty over territory or territorial waters.
There have, however, been two disputes concerning sovereignty of territory along the Malaysia–Singapore border. The more well-known one is that over Pedra Branca, which the International Court of Justice decided in Singapore's favour on 23 May 2008. Another case arose from a "complaint" by Malaysia over reclamation carried out by Singapore at territorial waters adjacent to the border with Malaysia. The dispute was submitted to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is an intergovernmental organization created by the mandate of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. It was established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, signed at Montego Bay, Jamaica, on December 10, 1982...
in Hamburg by Malaysia on 4 September 2003.
Sovereignty of Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh
Pedra Branca (as the island is known in Singapore) or Pulau Batu Puteh (as it is known in Malaysia) is an island located at the eastern entrance to the Singapore Straits to the southeast of the southeastern tip of Johor, Malaysia. Together with two other marine features called Middle Rocks and South Ledge, they were subject to a sovereignty dispute between Malaysia and Singapore. On 23 May 2008, the International Court of Justice decided that Singapore had sovereignty over Pedra Branca while Malaysia had sovereignty over Middle Rocks. It left the question of sovereignty over South Ledge, which only appears during low tide, to be determined later by stating that its sovereignty would depend on whose territorial waters it was located in. The decision settles a long-standing barrier to the negotiation process for the determination of the maritime boundary between the two countries and both Malaysia and Singapore said immediately after the ICJ decision that a joint technical committee would be set up to determine the maritime border in the waters around Pedra Branca.Singaporean land reclamation case
This dispute resulted from reclamation works carried out by Singapore in two areas, namely in the southwestern end of the island called the Tuas development, and in the waters adjacent to Pulau Tekong in the Straits of Johor. The latter does not involve any encroachment into the territorial waters of Malaysia, and Malaysia merely argued that the reclamation works would affect the environment of the Straits of Johor as a shared waterway.The Tuas development, however, can be deemed a case of territorial dispute as Malaysia claims the reclamation works has encroached into its territorial waters in an area called the "Point 20 sliver". The "sliver", regarded as an anomaly by Singapore, arises as a result of the unilateral declaration of Malaysia's territorial waters boundary as defined by a 1979 map published by Malaysia where, between turning points No 19 and No 21, Point 20 strikes out to the east of the general continental shelf boundary towards Singapore, thus forming a triangle of Malaysian territorial waters extending eastwards from the general north-south territorial waters boundary. The Tuas development reclamation project encroaches into this sliver of territorial waters. Singapore does not recognise the 1979 continental shelf boundary and, thus, does not recognise the "point 20 sliver" as under Malaysian sovereignty.
In 2003, Malaysia submitted a case to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and requested for provisional measures against Singapore's reclamation works, including that concerning Point 20. On 8 October 2003, the tribunal decided that:
- Malaysia has not shown that there is a situation of urgency or that there is a risk that its rights with respect to an area of its territorial sea would suffer irreversible damage pending consideration of the merits of the case by the arbitral tribunal. Therefore, the Tribunal does not consider it appropriate to prescribe provisional measures with respect to the land reclamation by Singapore in the sector of Tuas.
Border crossings
Johor-Singapore Causeway
The Johor–Singapore Causeway is a 1,056-metre causeway that links the city of Johor Bahru in Malaysia across the Straits of Johor to the town of Woodlands in Singapore. It serves as a road, rail, and pedestrian link, as well as water piping into Singapore.The causeway is connected to the...
and the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link
Malaysia-Singapore Second Link
Malaysia–Singapore Second Link is a bridge connecting Singapore and Johor, Malaysia. In Singapore, it is officially known as the Tuas Second Link. The bridge was built to reduce the traffic congestion at the Johor–Singapore Causeway, and was opened to traffic on 2 January 1998...
(known officially as Tuas Second Link in Singapore, Linkedua in Malaysia). Besides the two road crossings, there is also a sea crossing between Pengerang in Johor and Changi in Singapore. There is also the unique Tanjong Pagar railway station/Woodlands Train Checkpoint "crossing", an anomaly which resulted from colonial rule in Malaysia and Singapore.
Johor-Singapore Causeway
Construction of the Johor-Singapore Causeway was completed in 1923 and besides a road, it also has a railway line allowing the Malayan Railway network to terminate at Tanjong Pagar in the southern part of Singapore. Checkpoints for identity card checks were set up in 1966, and passport checks began in 1967. Malaysian immigration is located on the Johor BahruJohor Bahru
Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...
side (where there are several checkpoints, namely the Johor Bahru Causeway for private vehicles, and Tanjung Puteri for commercial vehicles like buses and trucks), while Singaporean immigration is located on the Woodlands side of the causeway.
Malaysia-Singapore Second Link
The Second Link, the second border crossing between the two countries, connects Tuas on the Singaporean side to Tanjung Kupang on the Malaysian side, was completed and opened to traffic on 2 January 1998.Changi Point-Pengerang sea crossing
There is also a sea crossing between Malaysia and Singapore between Pengerang in the southeastern tip of JohorJohor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
and Changi Point near Changi Village in the northeastern tip of Singapore. The Singapore immigration post in Changi Point was set up in November 1967.
Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and the Woodlands Train Checkpoint
Another border crossing between Malaysia and Singapore can be said to exist at the Tanjong Pagar Railway StationTanjong Pagar railway station
Tanjong Pagar railway station , also called Keppel Road railway station or Singapore railway station, was until 30 June 2011 the southern terminus of the network operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu , the main railway operator in Malaysia. The land on which the station and the KTM railway tracks are...
on Keppel Road in Singapore. Although located away from the actual physical border and deep in Singaporean territory, Tanjong Pagar Railway Station used to be the processing point for passengers leaving or entering Singapore to or from Malaysia by train. The station used to house both Malaysian and Singaporean customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ). This changed on 1 August 1998 when Singapore closed its CIQ checkpoint at the station and moved it to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint which is part of the Woodlands CIQ complex located at the northern part of the island just before the Causeway. Malaysia, however, refused to move its immigration checkpoint and maintains it at the railway station, creating a bilateral relations row between the two countries. This created the unusual situation where a person entering Malaysia by train gets processed first for entering Malaysia by Malaysian immigration at the railway station, before being processed for exiting Singapore by Singaporean immigration at Woodlands. For a person entering Singapore by train, Malaysian immigration procedures are carried out on the train in Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...
while Singaporean immigration procedures are done at the Woodlands checkpoint; therefore, passengers arriving at Tanjong Pagar no longer have to go through immigration at the railway station. Passengers may even choose to disembark at Woodlands after clearing Singaporean immigration.
On 24 May 2010, Malaysia and Singapore agreed to relocate the station and Malaysia's CIQ to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint.
For more, see Malaysia–Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990.
See also
- Indonesia–Malaysia border
- Indonesia–Singapore border
- Pedra Branca
- Malaysia
- SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...