Pulau Merambong
Encyclopedia
Pulau Merambong is an uninhabited island located in Johor
, Malaysia, just off the western side of the Malaysia-Singapore Border
. The island is dominated by mangrove swamp.
bed in the country. The bed extents from the island right up to the estuary of Pulai River
in Johor. Dugongs and seahorses which feed on seagrass made their home in the nearby coral reefs. Environmentalists are concerned that the development of Port of Tanjung Pelepas
is threatening the area and the livelihood of seahorses as well as dugongs and turtles. The island is planned to be gazette as a nature park with various environmental based NGOs funding it.
ruling that saw Pedra Branca
being awarded to Singapore
, concerns on Malaysian sovereignty over Pulau Merambong have been raised. To alleviate the concern, the Straits Settlement and Johore Territorial Waters Agreement of 1927
which clearly states the ownership of the island has been cited.
in the vicinity of Tuas Jetty, when a speedboat with six illegal immigrants and cartons of cigarettes intruded into Singapore's territorial waters at about 9.30 PM. The speedboat sped off when approached by the police, resulting in a five-minute chase which ended with a collision between one of the crafts and the speedboat near Pulau Merambong. PK 50 capsized, while the speedboat was completely wrecked. Two officers were rescued from the scene within minutes with minor injuries while another two were found dead. Three passengers on the intruding vessels were also rescued, and a fourth man found dead. The rest of the passengers were still missing.
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
, Malaysia, just off the western side of the Malaysia-Singapore Border
Malaysia-Singapore Border
The Malaysia–Singapore border is an international maritime border between the Southeast Asian countries of Malaysia, which lies to the north of the border, and Singapore to the south...
. The island is dominated by mangrove swamp.
Conservation
The area Pulau Merambong is located within the single largest seagrassSeagrass
Seagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
bed in the country. The bed extents from the island right up to the estuary of Pulai River
Pulai River
Pulai River is located within the Malaysian state of Johor. It runs from Mount Pulai until Tanjung Pelepas, draining into the Tebrau Straits. At its mouth lays the single largest seagrass bed in Malaysia which extents all the way to Pulau Merambong....
in Johor. Dugongs and seahorses which feed on seagrass made their home in the nearby coral reefs. Environmentalists are concerned that the development of Port of Tanjung Pelepas
Port of Tanjung Pelepas
The Port of Tanjung Pelepas is a port for container ships located on the eastern mouth of the Pulai River in south-western Johor, Malaysia. Receiving its maiden vessel on 10 October 1999 on a three-month trial operation, it set a world record as the fastest growing port with of containers handled...
is threatening the area and the livelihood of seahorses as well as dugongs and turtles. The island is planned to be gazette as a nature park with various environmental based NGOs funding it.
Sovereignty
In the aftermath of the International Court of JusticeInternational Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
ruling that saw Pedra Branca
Pedra Branca
Pedra Branca is an outlying island and also the easternmost point of Singapore. The name means "white rock" in Portuguese, and refers to whitish guano deposited on the rock. The island consists of a small outcrop of granite rocks with an area of about...
being awarded to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, concerns on Malaysian sovereignty over Pulau Merambong have been raised. To alleviate the concern, the Straits Settlement and Johore Territorial Waters Agreement of 1927
Straits Settlement and Johore Territorial Waters Agreement of 1927
The Straits Settlement and Johore Territrial Waters Agreement of 1927 was signed between Great Britain as the colonial ruler of the Straits Settlements of which Singapore was part, and the Sultanate of Johor which at that time was an independent state, to determine the border between the island of...
which clearly states the ownership of the island has been cited.
Singaporean incident
On 13 April 2007, two Interceptor Crafts of the Special Task Squadron were on ambush duty off TuasTuas
Tuas is largely an industrial zone located in the western part of Singapore. The Tuas Planning Area is located within the West Region, and is bounded by Tengeh Reservoir to the north, Strait of Johor to the west, Straits of Singapore to the south, and the Pan Island Expressway to the east.It is...
in the vicinity of Tuas Jetty, when a speedboat with six illegal immigrants and cartons of cigarettes intruded into Singapore's territorial waters at about 9.30 PM. The speedboat sped off when approached by the police, resulting in a five-minute chase which ended with a collision between one of the crafts and the speedboat near Pulau Merambong. PK 50 capsized, while the speedboat was completely wrecked. Two officers were rescued from the scene within minutes with minor injuries while another two were found dead. Three passengers on the intruding vessels were also rescued, and a fourth man found dead. The rest of the passengers were still missing.