SEREMBAN, March 16 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today opened the Sendayan Air Base here and said its development had brought about transformation in three aspects.

He said the first aspect of the transformation was turning an oil palm plantation into the Sendayan satellite township of Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley.

The second aspect was the modern amenities and comfort enjoyed by the Royal Malaysian Air Force personnel, and the third was the development of the Kuala Lumpur Air Base as Bandar Malaysia, he added.

Najib said Sendayan, once the site of a Felda oil palm plantation, had taken on a new look as Bandar Baru Sendayan.

"It will become a satellite township of Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley and the inhabitants here will enjoy a quality of life better than that in the city centre,” he said at the event.

Najib said the demand to become owners and tenants of property in Bandar Baru Sendayan would surge.

"I congratulate the (Negri Sembilan) Mentri Besar (Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan) for having planned a high-potential development,” he said.

Besides Mohamad, the others who attended the event included Defence Minister and Minister of Special Functions Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein; Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin; Chief of Defence Forces Gen Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor and Chief of Air Force Gen Tan Sri Affendi Buang.

Addressing about 4,000 people at the parade ground, Najib said the Kuala Lumpur Air Base would be remembered as the air base that was witness to a host of historical events such as the take-off point for national leaders seeking independence and operations to address the communist terrorist threat.

"But with the passing of time, Kuala Lumpur, having developed with its skyscrapers, has become no longer suitable to host an air base due to priority for flight safety. The transfer of the Kuala Lumpur Air Base to Sendayan is not just a physical move but a move to a sophisticated, modern and comfortable air base. — Bernama