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Malaysia-Singapore meeting on HSR 'by end of the month': Reports

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia and Singapore could have their first official meeting on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high speed rail (HSR) project later this month, Malaysian Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali told reporters on Monday (July 16).

Malaysian Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali

Malaysian Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali

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KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia and Singapore could have their first official meeting on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high speed rail (HSR) project later this month, Malaysian Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali told reporters on Monday (July 16).

Mr Azmin was quoted by Malaysian media outlets saying that he hoped to meet the Singapore government "by the end of the month" to discuss details of the project. The reports did not cite a specific date for the meeting.

The official Bernama news agency quoted Mr Azmin saying he had been briefed on the issue by Malaysian Attorney-General Tommy Thomas, and that he had also presented a case to the Cabinet last Wednesday. The report gave no further details.

"I'm in communication with our Singaporean counterpart," Mr Azmin added. "We will meet with my counterpart in Singapore soon and will discuss the details."

The HSR project, first proposed by Malaysia in 2013, is a 350km line that would have slashed rail travel time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes.

But its fate has been uncertain since Malaysia’ new Pakatan Harapan government won the May 9 election, with the country’s new Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and some of his cabinet ministers vowing to scrap the project in order to trim Putrajaya’s RM1 trillion debt.

Adding to the confusion, Dr Mahathir subsequently said that his government intended to “postpone” the project and would speak to their Singapore counterparts.

Singapore's Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said Singapore had sent a diplomatic note to Malaysia on June 1 seeking clarification on its position on the HSR project. But Singapore has yet to receive a reply, he added.

Meanwhile, Singapore continues to incur cost on the project, with expenditure expected to hit some S$300 million by year-end, Mr Khaw told Parliament on July 9, warning that a “significant” amount of the funds spent would be “completely wasted” if the project was called off. AGENCIES

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