JOHOR BARU: Some 5,000 jobs are expected to be created with the establishment of the Legoland Theme Park in Iskandar Malaysia.

Iskandar Investment Bhd chairman Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar said that job opportunities would be available during various phases of the project in the next five years.

JOHOR BARU: The new Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex will be fully operational tomorrow and replace the Causeway checkpoint in the city centre, which will be closed.

This means that all vehicles travelling to and from Singapore will have to use the new complex to get their passports stamped and Customs checks.

The RM1.3bil new complex, which has 76 lanes for cars and 100 for motorcycles, was partially operational on Dec 1 when vehicles from Singapore were diverted to the complex for a drive-through after completing their Immigration and Customs procedures at the Causeway checkpoint.

Starting tomorrow, all vehicles coming from Singapore must also use Touch

JOHOR BARU: Work on the RM750mil Legoland theme park at Bandar Nusajaya in Iskandar Malaysia will start in 2010 and the opening slated for 2013.

The park, to be built in the city centre of Nusajaya, will have a 5.5 million sq ft of gross floor area within the 58.679ha land dedicated for the lifestyle-theme development.

Merlin Entertainment Group Ltd managing director for Legoland Parks, John Jakobsen said the theme park would create about 1,000 job opportunities in the park itself and it could reach up to 5,000 during construction period and indirectly upon the completion of the project.

Sectors which would benefit from the opening of the park would include retail, hospitality, services and food and beverage to cater for tourists and visitors.
John Jakobsen

Johor Immigration director Mohd Nasri Ishak said the new complex was designed for smoother traffic flow to and from Singapore.

Yesterday, the complex was launched by the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar. The sultan was accompanied by his wife, Sultanah Zanariah Tunku Ahmad.

Also present were the Tunku Mahkota, Tunku Ibrahim Ismail, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.

In his speech, Sultan Iskandar said the state was fortunate to have such a building, which will serve as a main entry point into the country.
“The building is a landmark in Johor’s history. Hopefully, it will provide better amenities for the people,” he said.

Abdullah, in his speech, said the complex would operate round the clock, providing the best facilities to travellers.

He said the RM1.3 billion building at Bukit Chagar would house 21 federal and state government agencies, as well as private firms.

“The Immigration Department will be the leading agency operating in the complex. But other agencies will also have to play their roles with utmost dedication.”

Abdullah urged all agencies operating in the complex to give their best in terms of service.

“Those working at this complex are Malaysia’s ambassadors before the world. Together, we will present the country not only as a developed one, but also as one of the world’s friendliest.”

It is learnt that the complex will be fully operational on Dec 16 and that a dry run will take place from today.

The Sultan Iskandar Building, part of the Gerbang Selatan Ber-sepadu project initiated in 2003, includes new interchanges and upgraded roads, as well as the construction of a rail link to Singapore.

It was initially supposed to be connected to the “scenic bridge”, a project to replace the Johor Causeway that was cancelled in 2006.

NST-2 December 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Newcastle University will set up a RM100mil medical faculty in Nusajaya, Johor, via a joint venture with Iskandar Investment Bhd by 2011.

According to Dean of International Medical Education and CEO of Newcastle Medicine Malaysia Sdn Bhd Professor Reginald Jordon, students will be able to obtain a Newcastle University medical degree at about half the cost of doing so in Britain when Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) is set up in Iskandar Malaysia.

JOHOR BARU: Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd

WITH a number of lifestyle residential projects in its stable, IJM Land Bhd can look forward to riding out the current soft property market by focusing on its niche projects in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Baru.

For the financial year ending March 31, 2009 (FY09), the company expects to maintain sales at around RM800mil to RM900mil, especially from new project launches in Penang and Johor Baru, and ongoing developments in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley.

Sales hit RM1bil for FY08.

Unless the market takes a turn for the worse, IJM Land is looking at 20 new project launches worth a total gross development value (GDV) of close to RM1bil over the next 12 months.

Managing director Datuk Soam Heng Choon said the market slowdown had affected mainly the mass market and lower product segments while the medium-high to high-end sector was still showing potential.

The plan was to transform the area, which was already served by three seaports and an airport, into a business haven with high-tech clusters.

In Abdullah’s own words, the vision was to make the region, which is an an area three times the size of Singapore, into a “new international address for business, investment, leisure and culture, showcasing all that Malaysia can be”.

The developments planned include a cyber city, a logistical hub and major financial, tourist, medical and educational centres.
Iskandar Malaysia is targeted to create some 800,000 jobs over the next 20 years which will help raise the per capita income of Johor to RM115,000 by 2025.

To boost tourism in Iskandar Malaysia, two free access zones (FAZs) have been planned to provide visitors passport-free access to enjoy world-class entertainment and lifestyle facilities.

NST-9 November 2008

IIB managing director Arlida Ariff told a well-attended conference for participants at Cityscape Dubai on Wednesday that she hoped the negotiations would be finalised with at least one operator in the next six months to a year.

Speaking to the media later, she said: