KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — A proposed bridge linking Malacca to Indonesia is back on the cards after the state government announced the resumption of the project that was put on the back burner seven years ago.
Should it come to fruition, the bridge connecting Malacca to Dumai in the republic would be the longest in the world.
According to The Star on its website today, Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron said the details of the project once they are finalised.
“The project was discussed during the 10th Chief Ministers and Governors’ Forum (CMGF) of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) convened in Koh Samui, Thailand, on September 12.
“The forum took note of the economic potential and strategic positioning of the IMT-GT with the construction of the Malacca-Dumai Bridge,” Idris was quoted as saying yesterday.
The genesis of the project traces back to the 1990s but was discarded following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.
Idris’ predecessor, Datuk Seri Ali Rustam, had revived the idea in 2006 but it was also abandoned following public resistance to the idea.
It is unclear how Indonesia’s side has reacted to the latest proposal.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was previously reported as saying he had rejected the idea owing to concern it would lead to the depletion of Sumatra’s resources.
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