State Johor | District Pontian | |
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Location Near Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Johor | ||
Merambong Island (Malay: 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.
Contents
Map of Pulau Merambong, Malaysia
Conservation
Merambong Island is located within the single largest seagrass 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.
Sovereignty
In the aftermath of the International Court of Justice ruling that saw Pedra Branca being awarded to Singapore, concerns on Malaysian sovereignty over Merambong Island 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.
Singaporean incident
On 13 April 2007, two Interceptor Crafts of the Special Task Squadron were on ambush duty off Tuas 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 Merambong Island. 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.