Singapore, Malaysia Environment Ministers Review Progress Of Joint Committee

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 (Bernama) -- Environment Ministers of Malaysia and Singapore have reviewed the progress of work carried out by the Malaysia-Singapore 28th Joint Committee on the Environment. The Natural Resources and Environment ministry (NRE) in a statement said Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister of Malaysia Dr James Dawos Mamit had hosted the 27th Annual Exchange of Visits between the environment ministries of Malaysia and Singapore on Nov 25 here. The Singapore delegation was led by its Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. Earlier, on Nov 24, NRE Secretary-General Zoal Azha Yusof and Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Permanent Secreatry Choi Shing Kwok jointly co-chaired the 28th Joint Committee on the Environment, the statement said. Among the views exchanged are: i) Control of Vehicular Emissions ii) Joint Monitoring of Water Quality in the Straits of Johor iii) Progress Report on the Monitoring of Ecology and Morphology in and around the Straits of Johor iv) Emergency Response Plan for Chemical Spill at Malaysia-Singapore Second Crossing v) Emergency Response Plan for Chemical Spill in the East Johor Strait vi) Collaboration in Training between Environment Institute of Malaysia (EiMAS) and Singapore Environment Institute. The two ministers also discussed land reclamation projects in the Straits of Johor and their potential transboundary impacts. Malaysia continued to exchange information and progress updates on development projects concerning the Straits of Johor, the statement said, adding that Malaysia reiterated that it remains committed in fulfilling its obligations under general principles of international law and in particular, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. "Malaysia takes cognisance of the provisions of the 2005 Settlement Agreement between Malaysia and Singapore for the exchange of information and discussions on matters affecting both countries respective environments in the Straits of Johor," it added. The next Annual Exchange of Visits between Malaysia and Singapore is scheduled to be held next year in Singapore. --BERNAMA