Johor Baru — There will be a limited reopening of the Malaysia-Singapore border from Monday (Aug 17) under the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) agreement between the two countries.
However, applications for travel under the RGL and PCA on Aug 17, 18 and 19 have all been taken up, according to Mr Baharuddin Tahir, the Director of the Johor Immigration Department.
At a press conference on Thursday (Aug 13) at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex, Mr Baharuddin said: “We will only allow 400 a week or 50 or 60 people a day for RGL which is open to all nationalities, and 2,000 people a day under the PCA, which is for Malaysian and Singaporean citizens only.
“Applications can be made through the website and approval for the RGL or PCA will be notified via email within 24 hours before one starts their journey.”
Mr Baharuddin gave the assurance that there will be enough manpower to allow for the smooth flow of vehicles and pedestrians, and that health measures such as temperature checks would be in place.
Also at the media conference were the Mayor of Johor Baru, Mr Adib Azhari Daud; its health director, Dr Aman Rabu; and State Secretary Azmi Rohani.
The Prime Ministers of both nations agreed via a June 26 telephone call to set up the RGL and PCA, provided that stringent SOPs would be put in place for both countries.
A little over two weeks later, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan issued a joint statement that Aug 10 was the target date for the start of the RGL and PCA.
Channel NewsAsia quoted Dr Balakrishnan as saying on July 26: “I’m … pleased to report that both sides have settled the arrangements for the Reciprocal Green Lane as well as for what we call the Periodic Commuting Arrangement, so all the details have been settled (and) applications will open on Aug 10.”
The RGL allows people to travel between the two countries for essential business and official purposes, while the PCA lets Singaporeans and Malaysians with long-term immigration passes to enter the other country for work.
DYAM Mejar Jeneral Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Mahkota Johor berangkat ke Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, Johor Bahru hari ini untuk mendengar taklimat mengenai prosedur operasi standard (SOP) yang ditetapkan oleh Jabatan Imigresen & Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/QtJafVovc6
— HRH Crown Prince of Johor (@HRHJohorII) August 13, 2020
A tweet on the same day from the official account of Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim showed photos of the Prince at the venue and said he had been present to hear a briefing on standard operating procedures set by the Immigration Department and Ministry of Health Malaysia. /TISG