State Assemblyman warns of land scam syndicate at IDR
16/10/2007 Bernama

JOHOR BAHARU, Oct 16 (Bernama) -- The Iskandar Development Region (IDR) is not only a magnet for foreign investors but has also attracted land scam syndicates bent on cheating the villagers of their prized properties.

Nusajaya state assemblyman Abdul Aziz Sapian said several groups believed to be members of a syndicate had been visiting several villages in Nusajaya to coax them into handing over their land for development.

"The syndicate members would disguise as officers responsible for developing the IDR and would normally visit the villagers at night," he told Bernama recently.

They would ask the villagers to sell their land at a low price, claiming that it was earmarked for development by the government and that they would not be compensated if the government acquired the land later.

He said the syndicate members were focusing on Nusajaya because the land price at strategic locations had sky-rocketed to as high as RM500,000 per acre.

Their areas of interest include Tanjung Kupang, Kampung Tiram Duku and Kampung Bukit Tempurong.

"I hope the authorities will act against these syndicate members as their activities have become rampant of late," he said.

He urged villagers in Nusajaya and its vicinity not to fall prey to the syndicate members but to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills to seize the opportunities to created by the IDR.

The IDR is a special economic area covering 2,300 sq km, which is twice the size of Singapore and includes the Johor Baharu, Pontian and Kota Tinggi districts.

It has attracted an initial investment of RM4.1 billion from four companies based in the Middle-East.

Tanjung Pelepas Port (PTP) operator MMC Corp Bhd and the Johor Port Auhority recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai World to develop a maritime centre costing RM16 billion.