ISKANDAR DEVELOPMENT REGION | Johor ( Southern Johor ) | General News & Updates

[nazrey]

Originally Posted by rizalhakim

image hosted on flickr

Source: http://www.mubadala.ae/en/about-muba...-malaysia.html



Mubadala is leading a consortium of international investors to develop a significant component of the Medini Iskandar city development in Nusajaya, Iskandar Region, Malaysia.

The consortium, Global Capital, represents Middle Eastern and South East Asian investors and is the first international real estate development for Mubadala Real Estate & Hospitality.

Nusajaya is located 15 minutes from Singapore in the southern-most tip of the Malaysian Peninsula in the state of Johor. The development of this new city is spread over 1,587 acres and will feature a modern residential and business community characterizing the Eastern culture’s heritage and architecture, coupled with the latest technology, security systems and world-class logistics.

The development is centred on the creation of three distinct clusters: the Lifestyle and Leisure Cluster, the Cultural Cluster and the Financial District. These three clusters will consist of nine themed zones, creating a global hub for trade and commerce, leisure and healthcare, luxury residences, shopping and education.

With significant operating experience in South East Asia and enjoying strong relationships across a range of industry sectors and with governments in the region, Mubadala is leveraging its relationships and real estate expertise with leading international partners to secure long-term financial and strategic returns for Abu Dhabi.

[rizalhakim]

IWD bangun projek RM5b

Oleh arif nizam abdullah
arif.nizam@utusan.com.my



Adlan Ahmad menunjukkan model projek pembangunan Byron yang akan dibina Teluk Danga, Johor Bahru, semalam.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



JOHOR BAHRU 24 Sept. – Syarikat pemaju hartanah, Iskandar Waterfront Development Sdn. Bhd. (IWD) giat membangunkan tiga projek melibatkan kediaman, pejabat, ruang niaga dan hotel bernilai kira-kira RM5 bilion di sekitar bandar raya ini terutama di Teluk Danga.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Adlan Ahmad berkata, semua projek itu iaitu Iskandar & Oakwood Residences, A2 Island dan Sungai Lunchoo sudah pun dimulakan dan kini berjalan mengikut jadual dalam pelbagai peringkat pembinaan.

Beliau berkata, ketiga-ketiga projek tersebut dijangka siap dalam tempoh lima hingga 10 tahun menerusi beberapa fasa yang telah ditetapkan.

Tambahnya, satu lagi projek iaitu F2 akan dimulakan dalam tempoh dua tahun akan datang dan dijangka siap pada 2022.

“Tiga projek yang sedang dijalankan itu mempunyai cabaran tersendiri untuk kami hadapi antaranya menebus guna tanah, pembersihan sungai dan masalah menyepadukan setinggan.

“Kami juga berdepan dengan cabaran mendapat bekalan pasir kerana masalah jumlah kapal penghantar yang tidak mencukupi. Namun semua projek ini berjalan lancar malah ada yang sudah mencapai kerja-kerja tanah hingga 89 peratus,” katanya ketika ditemui Utusan Malaysia di pejabatnya di Teluk Danga di sini baru-baru ini.

Adlan dilantik sebagai Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif di IWD berkuatkuasa 1 Ogos lalu dan beliau sebelum ini merupakan Ketua Pegawai Operasi di Iskandar Investment Bhd. (IIB).

http://www.iskandarwaterfront.com/pr...a2_island.html

[Dr Jake]

Originally Posted by cooolboi

I told u guys already, malaysia sure doom one. One day will be like what indoneisia is today. RM currency becomes toilet paper.

MYR will not become a toilet paper currency in the future. BNM has already imposed capital control .And it has the power to intervene the currency market better this time to protect the MYR.

[nazrey]

Senai set for growth
Saturday September 26, 2009 By AUSTIN CAMOENS



BIG BOOST: Ismail showing a bunting reflecting the infrastructure
development plans at his office in Kulaijaya recently.

KULAIJAYA: Several infrastructure development projects including the construction of a new interchange in Senai are expected to boost development in the area.

Former Kulai Municipal Council (MPKu) president Ismail Karim said that construction of the RM54mil Senai interchange was underway and it would cater to traffic influx to both Senai and Kulaijaya.

He said the interchange was necessary to ease congestion at a junction turning to the airport road from Senai.

“We have seen a dramatic change in traffic flow after closing the exit and diverting traffic to a U-turn further ahead,” he said.

Besides the interchange, MPKu planned to widen the Senai road all the way to Kulai, he added.

“We will upgrade the busy road with an additional lane on either side,” he said, adding that it would cost RM60mil.

He said that traffic was anticipated to rise with the opening of the Senai-Desaru Highway.

“The upgrade plan includes a 500m stretch in the Senai township. We will need to relocate some shops to make way for wider roads,” he said.

He added that public feedback showed that people in Senai were supportive of the project.

Ismail said there were also plans to build a transportation hub in the municipality.

“The hub idea was conceived two years ago and will follow the KL Sentral concept,” he said, adding that the project would take between one to three years to complete.

The hub would be fully utilised when the Senai Aeromall was operational next year, he added.

“With flight costs getting cheaper, we will see more people coming in via Senai Airport. The hub’s main goal is to provide connectivity for people to go wherever they want,” he said.

He hoped the Government would approve the hub under the 10th Malaysia Plan set to begin in 2011.

[nazrey]

$13bn committed to Malaysian metropolis
FT.com, September 28, 2009
By Kevin Brown in Johor Bahru

More than $13bn has been committed to an ambitious plan to create a metropolis at the southern tip of Malaysia three times the size of Singapore, says the chief executive of the state agency set up to drive the project.

Arlida Ariff, chief of Iskandar Investments, told the Financial Times in an interview that a further $2bn (€1.4bn, £1.3bn) was likely to be committed in the next two years, including nearly $300m in retail investment expected to be announced over the next few months.

Ms Ariff said the 2,217sq km project, launched in 2006 by Abdullah Badawi, former prime minister, was beginning to make “real progress” as contractors drove highways and other basic infrastructure through thousands of hectares of jungle and abandoned palm-oil plantations in the state of Johor.

In the long-run, the biggest single source of investment is likely to be Singapore, whose central business district is not much more than half an hour’s drive from Iskandar’s proposed financial district.

The attraction for Singapore is the low cost of land, office space and housing, which are currently about 80 per cent cheaper in the Iskandar economic zone. Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’s prime minister, has joined Najib Razak, his Malaysian counterpart, in backing the project.

However, a surge of Singapore investment could raise nationalist hackles in Malaysia, which has had a prickly relationship with the island state since the two split in 1965 after a brief union.

Mahathir Mohamad, prime minister of Malaysia for 22 years until 2001, last year dismissed Iskandar as little more than a platform for Singapore to extend its sovereignty into Malaysia, warning that Malays would be “driven to live at the edge of the forest”.

Ms Ariff said such fears were overblown, pointing out that Singapore had always been the largest investor in Johor because of its physical proximity and requirements for crucial goods from the state, including food and water supplies.

Much of the investment Iskandar is seeking would help Singapore companies by allowing them to expand locally at low cost, she said, suggesting that the initial ambitions of the financial centre were limited largely to attracting back-office activities such as data processing centres.

“This means we can work in collaboration with Singapore rather than competiting for the same brands and the same products to come across [to Malaysia],” she said.

“Some of this [fear of Singaporean involvement in Iskandar] is to do with the traditional rivalry. Singapore used to be part of Malaysia and it’s like watching your kid brother grow up and become more successful than you.”

The project has attracted a clutch of Middle Eastern investors including Mubadala Development, Abu Dhabi’s state investment vehicle; Kuwait Finance House and the Kuwaiti Bank. Other investors include Newcastle University of the UK, which is setting up a medical school, and UK-based Merlin Entertainments, which is building a $220m Legoland theme park.

Ms Ariff said several other investors were in negotiations, with three more university campuses dedicated to engineering, logistics and leisure industries likely to be announced before the end of the year.

Investors are being offered a raft of incentives, including a 10-year corporate tax holiday and exemption from rules requiring local participation in foreign-owned projects.

However, the project remains well short of the target of M$383bn ($109bn, €75bn, £69bn) over 20 years that will be needed to finance the planned doubling of the local population to 3m, a 1.5sq km financial district, eight university campuses, theme parks, hospitals, schools, retirement homes and a resort.

[rizalhakim]

Iskandar Investment to award RM2b project
Published: 2009/09/30


CATALYTIC developer of Iskandar Malaysia, Iskandar Investment Bhd, expects to tender out RM2 billion worth of projects in the next 12 months, president and chief executive officer Arlida Ariff said today.

The tenders comprise RM1 billion worth of infrastructure projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan and another RM1 billion worth of other infrastructure and construction projects, she said.

"These infrastructure and construction projects will likely take six to 24 months to be completed," she told a media briefing on the sidelines of the Ninth Forbes Global CEO Conference.

This will involve infrastructure in Medini and EduCity as well as residential units for students in Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia.

Iskandar Investment currently owns two per cent of the whole Iskandar region which encompasses 2,200 square kilometres of land. - Bernama

[nazrey]

Iskandar Malaysia Is Good But Bridge Is Needed, Says Tun Mahathir
September 30, 2009 20:37 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Singapore could benefit largely from the spillover effects from the development of the Iskandar region but first a new bridge is needed, says former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

" It is a very good project but it will be even better if Singapore allows us to build a bridge and replace the Johore causeway," he said, prompting laughter from some 400 business leaders attending the Ninth Forbes Global CEO Conference here Wednesday.

He was responding to a question on how Iskandar Malaysia will benefit Singapore and the future relationship between the two countries.

Dr Mahathir said the causeway was becoming congested and that would not be good for development.

" Don't be nostalgic about the causeway, forget about it. We should replace the causeway...it is no longer useful. Yes, in 1923 the causeway was needed but in this 21st century, we need a bridge "

" So, stop making an issue about having a bridge, then everything will be fine," said Dr Mahathir, who is also the advisor for national carmaker, Proton Holdings Bhd and national oil and gas corporation, Petroliam Nasional Bhd.

For almost an hour, Dr Mahathir patiently answered questions from Forbes Media Chief Executive Officer Steve Forbes, who moderated the session, as well as from conference participants.

A Thai participant wanted to know Malaysia's secret in preventing forest fires which prompted media representatives to break out in laughter.

" We have no secret, we have rain. For the last three days, you must have noticed that it has been raining. Only in Malaysia does it really pour.

" Rain is very heavy and we depend on rain. Sorry, we cannot export rain," he said while smiling.

Turning to a critical subject, Tun Mahathir said there is a need for Asean countries to have a common trading currency.

" It will take time. If Asean were to have a common trading then perhaps the first stage will be to have a common trading currency. A common trading currency will not be for domestic use but for settlement of trade," he said.

Dr Mahathir pointd out that the European Union took more than 50 years to develop its currency and to evolve into a grouping.

He was responding to a question on how Asean can develop its own trading currency similar to that of the European Union.

Closer to home, he was asked about the Labuan International Offshore Financial Centre's position as a tax haven.

He said Labuan has successfully developed as a tax haven although it was not as big as Singapore.

" At the moment, I really think that tax havens are not really a good thing. Many people do a lot of funny things in tax havens. They think they can use tax havens to evade paying taxes in the country of operations," he added.

He said tax havens should be regulated by international committees or be done away completely.

-- BERNAMA

[nazrey]

Iskandar can benefit M’sia, S’pore
Thursday October 1, 2009

ISKANDAR Malaysia can be a win-win development for both Malaysia and Singapore if a new bridge is built to replace the existing Causeway, says former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“The Causeway is no longer useful. It’s jammed and congested. In this 21st century, we need a new bridge,” he said during the session on Meeting of minds.

Asked why Malaysia did not suffer annual rainforest fires like its neighbours in Thailand and Indonesia, Mahathir said it was because of the heavy downpour.

“If you’ve noticed in the past three days, it rains heavily here in Malaysia. Sorry, but we can’t export that,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.

He added that Malaysia’s tropical weather offered certain advantages like the feasibility to grow palm trees and export the palm oil to China.

“We should accept and live with China. China is only a threat when we try to contain it. It’s the attitude of the mind, not the distance,” he said, adding that within the Asean block, Malaysia is the biggest trading country with China.

“The United States is a world power but it knows so little of the world. China keeps a lot of US dollars and is defending the greenback. The only reason that the US dollar still has a value is because international trade is conducted in US dollar,” he said, when asked on the US stance on certain China imports.

Mahathir also sees the huge expenses by the United States to beef up sophisticated weapons as a waste of resources, which can be used to eradicate poverty and illnesses.

He reiterated that the Western financial systems were flawed, as the United States defined the free market as “no governance and allowing the market to regulate itself.”

“The market is only concerned with making money and not about protecting interests,” he said.

Free trade agreements should not be the same for every country because nations are not equal.

“Weaker countries should be allowed to have some form of protection. Even in Asean, countries are not the same and they should be given the leeway to protect themselves in certain areas, like developing new industries,” Mahathir said.

The global financial system is bound to fail when it is devised by a small group of countries and enforced to the rest of the world.

“Who do the G8 and G20 represent? We should get everyone involved and, while we can’t please everyone, we can limit the number of mistakes,” he said.

[rizalhakim]

waaa....did anyone watch tv3 news yesterday??? that IDR boss mentioned bout the new project next to Legoland malaysia...dem cool... 2 hotels, 1 office tower and a shopping mall.... and another new project at dangabay & medini

[rizalhakim]

Originally Posted by rizalhakim

waaa....did anyone watch tv3 news yesterday??? that IDR boss mentioned bout the new project next to Legoland malaysia...dem cool... 2 hotels, 1 office tower and a shopping mall.... and another new project at dangabay & medini

Iskandar Invt to award RM2b jobs next year
By Chong Pooi KoonPublished: 2009/10/01




Iskandar Investment Bhd, a government company tasked to build catalytic projects in Iskandar Malaysia in Johor, will give out RM2 billion worth of contracts next year.

The contracts include jobs to build hotels and a shopping mall surrounding the Legoland theme park, president and chief executive officer Arlida Ariff said.

She said the company has awarded over RM1 billion worth of construction jobs before this and it is stepping up the development pace at Iskandar Malaysia. WCT Bhd, an infrastructure firm, had in July won contracts valued at RM767 million to build roads and sewerage there. Property and construction firm Mitrajaya Holdings Bhd has also won jobs from Iskandar Investment.

"We've spent the last few years planning and firming up deals, now it is time to convert those investments into activities that will stimulate more works on the ground," Arlida told a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Next year's contracts are mainly for the construction of buildings that include a medical school and student residences, residential units within the Medini cluster, and amenities around Legoland.

The completion date for Legoland has been brought forward by about a year and it is now scheduled to be ready by April 2012, Arlida said. At least one hotel in that area and a shopping mall, will be ready by the time the theme park opens its doors, she said.

There will be a four-star business hotel and another resort hotel around Legoland, she added.

Arlida said Iskandar will bring in partners, both local and foreign, to work on some of the projects.

"Towards this year-end and into next year, we hope to announce at least three more partners and bring in three more universities into Educity (within Iskandar Malaysia)," she said.

"The next two months are very busy for me. I'll be travelling to five countries to finalise deals." She will be travelling to Dubai, the UK, Australia and India in the next two months.

"It's time to expand beyond the current markets and partners that we have now. There's still a lot of room for growth," she said.

Iskandar Investment's reputation and credibility is more solid now that it has awarded a big sum in contracts, she remarked. "We have given out over RM1 billion contracts. This is an affirmation that the project is for real."

[rizalhakim]

Genting, Chelsea in joint venture
Published: 2009/10/01
http://www.premiumoutlets.com/


GENTING Group has signed a joint venture agreement with Chelsea Malaysia LLC to establish Chelsea Premium Outlet Centres in Malaysia.

This is through Azzon Ltd, a wholly-owned unit of Genting Plantation Bhd, which in turn is a unit of Genting Bhd.

Under the pact, the two parties will form a 50:50 joint venture called Genting Chelsea Sdn Bhd to invest and operate Premium Outlet Centres in Malaysia.

The first project is the Johor Premium Outlets in Kulai, which is expected to open in 2011.

Genting unit in JV with Chelsea Malaysia


KUALA LUMPUR: Genting Group via Genting Plantations Bhd’s wholly owned unit Azzon Ltd has signed a joint-venture agreement with Chelsea Malaysia LLC, a division of Simon Property Group, to establish Chelsea Premium Outlet Centres (POC) in Malaysia.

Simon is the largest public real estate company in the United States.

In a statement, Genting said Genting Plantations and Simon would form a 50:50 joint venture called Genting Chelsea Sdn Bhd to invest and operate POC locally.

The first project under development is the Johor Premium Outlets (JOC) in Kulai, which is set to be the iconic flagship outlet centre in the South-East Asian retail market. JOC is expected to open in 2011.

[rizalhakim]

Iskandar keluar tender RM2b

KUALA LUMPUR 30 Sept. - Iskandar Investment Bhd. (IIB), pemaju Iskandar Malaysia, akan mengeluarkan tender projek pembinaan bernilai RM2 bilion dalam tempoh 12 bulan akan datang.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Arlida Ariff berkata, tender projek itu akan melibatkan beberapa projek pembangunan prasarana bernilai RM1 bilion di bawah Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK-9), manakala RM1 bilion lagi melibatkan projek pembinaan dan prasarana lain.

Katanya, IIB akan menjadi orang tengah bagi menjalankan semua projek kerajaan yang diperuntukkan di bawah RMK-9 di Iskandar Malaysia.

"Projek prasarana dan pembinaan ini dijangka mengambil masa enam hingga 24 bulan untuk disiapkan dan kesemua projek itu akan dikeluarkan menerusi tender tanpa sebarang rundingan secara langsung," katanya kepada media ketika taklimat sarapan pagi bersama IIB sempena Persidangan CEO Global Forbes Ke-9, di sini hari ini.

IIB memiliki dua peratus atau 4,382 hektar daripada jumlah keseluruhan tanah Iskandar Malaysia seluas 219,132 hektar.

IIB juga merupakan syarikat pegangan pelaburan yang bekerjasama rapat dengan Iskandar Malaysia bagi memacu pelaburan ke wilayah tersebut.

Sejak ditubuhkan pada November 2006, Iskandar Malaysia berjaya menarik pelaburan langsung asing bernilai AS$13 bilion (RM44.2 bilion).

Menurut Arlida, kesemua projek RMK-9 itu akan dijalankan di bawah enam fasa dengan semua melibatkan projek infrastruktur.

Beliau berkata, 80 peratus daripada RM1 bilion yang diberikan kepada IIB untuk projek pembangunan akan melibatkan prasarana di Medini dan EduCity serta unit kediaman bagi pelajar di Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia.

Projek pembangunan universiti itu melibatkan penubuhan lapan fakulti pengajian

Mengenai LegoLand Malaysia, syarikat itu menjangka menjana projek sampingan bernilai RM1 bilion melibatkan dua hotel, sebuah gedung membeli belah dan sebuah bangunan pejabat.

Pembangunan bercampur ini akan dibina di kawasan seluas 18 hektar sekitar LegoLand Malaysia.

"Kami sedang berbincang dengan rakan kongsi berpotensi dan berharap dapat mengumumkan tiga lagi rakan kongsi pada akhir tahun ini," katanya.

LegoLand Malaysia, taman tema LegoLand pertama di Asia yang akan dibina di kawasan seluas 22 hektar, dijangka siap pada April 2012.

Arlida berkata, bagi tujuan pembangunan jangka panjang, IIB mencari rakan kongsi yang berpotensi untuk melabur sekali gus dapat menarik lebih ramai pelabur yang berminat di wilayah tersebut.

[rizalhakim]

http://www.tourismjohor.com/

[rizalhakim]

$13bn committed to Malaysian metropolis2
8 September 2009 , By Kevin Brown,
Financial Times


More than $13bn has been committed to an ambitious plan to create a metropolis at the southern tip of Malaysia three times the size of Singapore, says the chief executive of the state agency set up to drive the project.

Arlida Ariff, chief of Iskandar Investments, told the Financial Times in an interview that a further $2bn (€1.4bn, £1.3bn) was likely to be committed in the next two years, including nearly $300m in retail investment expected to be announced over the next few months.

Ms Ariff said the 2,217sq km project, launched in 2006 by Abdullah Badawi, former prime minister, was beginning to make “real progress” as contractors drove highways and other basic infrastructure through thousands of hectares of jungle and abandoned palm-oil plantations in the state of Johor.

In the long-run, the biggest single source of investment is likely to be Singapore, whose central business district is not much more than half an hour’s drive from Iskandar’s proposed financial district.

The attraction for Singapore is the low cost of land, office space and housing, which are currently about 80 per cent cheaper in the Iskandar economic zone. Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’s prime minister, has joined Najib Razak, his Malaysian counterpart, in backing the project.

However, a surge of Singapore investment could raise nationalist hackles in Malaysia, which has had a prickly relationship with the island state since the two split in 1965 after a brief union.

Mahathir Mohamad, prime minister of Malaysia for 22 years until 2001, last year dismissed Iskandar as little more than a platform for Singapore to extend its sovereignty into Malaysia, warning that Malays would be “driven to live at the edge of the forest”.

Ms Ariff said such fears were overblown, pointing out that Singapore had always been the largest investor in Johor because of its physical proximity and requirements for crucial goods from the state, including food and water supplies.

Much of the investment Iskandar is seeking would help Singapore companies by allowing them to expand locally at low cost, she said, suggesting that the initial ambitions of the financial centre were limited largely to attracting back-office activities such as data processing centres.

“This means we can work in collaboration with Singapore rather than competiting for the same brands and the same products to come across [to Malaysia],” she said.

“Some of this [fear of Singaporean involvement in Iskandar] is to do with the traditional rivalry. Singapore used to be part of Malaysia and it’s like watching your kid brother grow up and become more successful than you.”

The project has attracted a clutch of Middle Eastern investors including Mubadala Development, Abu Dhabi’s state investment vehicle; Kuwait Finance House and the Kuwaiti Bank. Other investors include Newcastle University of the UK, which is setting up a medical school, and UK-based Merlin Entertainments, which is building a $220m Legoland theme park.

Ms Ariff said several other investors were in negotiations, with three more university campuses dedicated to engineering, logistics and leisure industries likely to be announced before the end of the year.

Investors are being offered a raft of incentives, including a 10-year corporate tax holiday and exemption from rules requiring local participation in foreign-owned projects.

However, the project remains well short of the target of M$383bn ($109bn, €75bn, £69bn) over 20 years that will be needed to finance the planned doubling of the local population to 3m, a 1.5sq km financial district, eight university campuses, theme parks, hospitals, schools, retirement homes and a resort.

[nazrey]

Originally Posted by rizalhakim

http://www.tourismjohor.com/

Iskandar Financial District & Medini Central

Originally Posted by nazrey

Iskandar Financial District



Medini Central

[rizalhakim]

MALAYSIA: Knowledge hub in progress
27 September 2009 , By Wagdy Sawahel, universityworldnews.com

Malaysia is developing an education city that it hopes will be partially operational by 2013. Located in Nusajaya, Iskandar Malaysia, the 129-hectare EduCity could eventually have eight universities, each with one specialised faculty, developed in two phases under a 10-year plan.

According to the Institute of International Education, Malaysia has 2% of the world's international student population. It is currently the world's 11th most preferred study destination with almost 70,000 international students from more than 150 countries - the majority from Indonesia, China and the Middle East.

Setting up the education city to achieve the Malaysian Higher Education Ministry's target of 80,000 international students by 2010, was the first step in implementing the nation's National Higher Education Strategic Plan.

Work on the first phase has started and is expected to be operational in 2013 with four universities and 4,000 students. Under the second phase, another four foreign universities will be invited to set up branch campuses and these will double the student enrolment.

Certain universities will be asked to open their faculties to disciplines that could relate to the 20-year Iskandar Malaysia Comprehensive Development Plan.

Negotiations are taking place with several public universities from Australia and Europe to open branch campuses offering hospitality, engineering and marine and logistics-related studies.

In the second phase, Malaysia will look at language courses, fine arts and multimedia disciplines to provide support for the creative industry, one of the new economic pillars in Iskandar.

In March last year, Britain's Newcastle University announced it had been invited to become the first foreign university to establish a branch campus. The university said in a statement at the time that following approval from the relevant bodies, it would replicate its UK programme of two years of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in Malaysia.

The new institution would be known as Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed Malaysia) and would offer 40 places in its initial intake. The university has received more than 200 enquires from Malaysia, Egypt, India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Europe and the US. The medical degree will be issued by the University of Newcastle in the UK and is expected to be recognised by the British Medical Council.

Hassanuddeen Abdel-Aziz, an associate professor in the faculty of economics and management sciences at the International Islamic University Malaysia, welcomed the new development, which he sees as an important step in promoting Malaysia as an emerging contender to attract a high percentage of an international student body that is estimated to reach eight million by 2025.

"EduCity will bring intellectual capital to Malaysia, enhance collaboration with local public universities through joint research projects and student exchange programmes, and generate academic job opportunities to tackle the unemployment problem of university graduates as well as the brain drain," Abdel-Aziz told University World News.

EduCity, along with other education cities being launched in Asia and the Middle East, will boost trans-national education and encourage educational innovation to fill skills gaps in labour markets, Abdel-Aziz added.

But Abdel-Aziz warned that branches of foreign universities in education cities in Asia must focus on local educational and scientific research needs and award academic degrees equivalent to those awarded by the home university, or "education cities will be a waste of money, creating palatial cities built by foreign construction companies for the benefit of western companies and managed by imported lecturers."

[rizalhakim]

iskandar johor will participate in Cityscape Dubai - 5/10/09 to 8/10/09

[nazrey]

Originally Posted by rizalhakim

MALAYSIA: Knowledge hub in progress
27 September 2009 , By Wagdy Sawahel, universityworldnews.com

Malaysia is developing an education city that it hopes will be partially operational by 2013. Located in Nusajaya, Iskandar Malaysia, the 129-hectare EduCity could eventually have eight universities, each with one specialised faculty, developed in two phases under a 10-year plan.

8 UNIVERSITI DI EDUCITY?????

[rizalhakim]

UM Land Joint Venture With Tradewinds To Yield RM718 Million In GDV


KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- United Malayan Land Bhd's joint venture project with Tradewinds Johor Sdn Bhd in Bandar Pulai Jaya, Johore, is expected to yield a gross development value of RM718 million.

To be completed in five years, the proposed development will also complement and enhance contributions from existing townships and niche developments.

" The government's efforts to propel Iskandar Malaysia as the ideal investment hub in the southern region offers vast opportunities for growth and expansion," United Malayan Land's Chief Executive Officer Pee Tong Lim was quoted as saying in a statement on Thursday.

The company said shareholders, at an extraordinary general meeting, approved the purchase of 254.5 hectares of freehold land in Bandar Pulai Jaya for the proposed development.

The land is for a proposed mix development comprising industrial and technology parks, commercial, logistics and transportation hubs as well as supporting residential components.

Pee said the land acquisition was in line with the group's business plan to invest in niche developments on a joint-venture basis with strategic partners.

It will also serve as a growth catalyst and provide the group with a steady income stream for the future.

-- BERNAMA

[rizalhakim]

UM Land in RM718m JV project in Pulai
Written by Joseph Chin
Thursday, 01 October 2009 18:35

KUALA LUMPUR: United Malayan Land Bhd (UMLand) is teaming up with Tradewinds Johor Sdn Bhd to undertake a RM718 million mixed development project in Pulai, Johor.

UM Land said on Oct 1 the proposed development was estimated to take five years with a gross development value (GDV) of RM718 million.

"The acquisition of the land is in line with UMLand group's business plan to invest in niche developments on a joint venture basis with strategic partners to serve as a growth catalyst and providing the group with future income stream," it said.

UM Land's group chief executive officer Pee Tong Lim the development would also complement and enhance contributions from existing townships and niche developments.

"With the continuous effort and support of the Government to propel Iskandar Malaysia as the ideal investment hub in the southern region, Iskandar Malaysia offers vast opportunities for growth and expansion," he said.

Earlier, UMLand shareholders had, during its EGM, approved the purchase of a 629.25-acre (254.5 ha) parcel of freehold land in Bandar Pulai Jaya, for total cash consideration of RM233.0 million.

The land is for a proposed mix development comprising industrial and technology parks, commercial, logistics and transportation hubs as well as supporting residential components.

At the EGM, shareholders also approved UMLand's proposal to jointly develop the land with Tradewinds Johor via a 51:49 joint venture, Extreme Consolidated Sdn Bhd. UMLand will be taking the lead in this proposed development.

Pee said due to the land's strategic location at the intersection of the North-South Highway and the Second Link Highway, and easy access from main transportation hubs such as the Senai International Airport, Port of Tanjung Pelepas and Singapore Tuas Checkpoint, the commercial and industrial development potential of the land was further enhanced.

"This planned development is expected to generate profits of about RM262 million over a period of five years," Pee added.

UMLand's other ongoing developments within Iskandar Malaysia include Bandar Seri Alam, a township exceeding 3,700 acres and Taman Seri Austin, a 500-acre township both near Johor Bahru and the Eastern Gate Development.