A Singaporean man said was left stranded during the wee hours at a rest stop in Malaysia along the way to Kuala Lumpur after the coach he was on drove off without him.

He ended up having to take a Grab ride to complete the rest of his journey.

This was but one of many hiccups he experienced while taking the trip up north from Singapore with Billion Stars Express in Jul. 19.

Delay at pick-up point

The man, Ernz, first posted about his experience on Instagram.

On Jul. 19 at 8pm, the traveller booked a "last-minute" trip to Kuala Lumpur with Billion Stars Express.

The coach was scheduled to depart from Tai Seng MRT at 11pm.

After making the booking, the coach liner "called [him] right away" to inform him that the departure timing had changed to 10pm.

"So, I have to rush over in a cab because it changed to 10pm suddenly," Ernz said in his video.

However, when he arrived at the pick-up point, the coach had yet to arrive.

According to Ernz, there were other travellers who were also waiting for the coach, with one of them having waited since 8pm that night.

Later, they travellers received a notification for a live location tracker, showing that the coach was still in Johor Bahru.

Bus drove off without him

Ernz shared in his video that one of his friends was also coincidentally on the same coach.

"And thank God he did," Ernz expressed.

At around 4:15am, Ernz alighted for a restroom break during one of the stops along the way to Kuala Lumpur.

"When I came back, I saw the coach bus just zoom away in the far distance," he recounted.

Ernz told Mothership that he felt "panicked", while also trying to remain calm and get back to the coach.

In a screenshot of the conversation between Ernz and his friend on the bus, Ernz could be seen asking his friend to inform the driver that he had been left behind.

The friend replied that he had done so, but "they don't care".

The friend also suggested that the stop might not have been a break stop.

All of Ernz's belongings, including his passport, were on the coach.

Extra Grab rides

He eventually had to get a Grab ride to complete his journey.

He also had to spend on transport to meet his friend in order to retrieve his belongings.

In total, he spent about S$70 extra, including the Grab ride he had to take to rush to the pick-up point.

In his Instagram video, he also noted that he had paid S$1.20 for "insurance", which he advised his followers not to bother with.

The traveller tried to reach out to the coach liner, but has not heard back.

Mothership has reached out to Billion Stars Express for comment.

Every June, the porch of a semi-detached house in Pasir Ris fills up with crates of thorny fruit.

For property agent Alex Chua, 35, this is when his second job kicks into gear.

By day, Chua is a realtor with PropNex.

But for around four to five months a year, he moonlights as the man behind Bao Jiak Durian, a home-based business at 19 Riverina View that sees him sell anywhere between 100kg and 200kg of durians daily, and rakes in between S$50,000 and S$100,000 in revenue per year.

Yes, he sells them out of his parents' home.

But talk to Chua long enough, and there's more to Bao Jiak Durian than just the price tag and his parents' porch.

Feeling cheated by durian sellers

Long before Bao Jiak Durian existed, Chua was just a durian lover doing the rounds of stalls across Singapore.

However, he frequently came away unimpressed.

"The durian handlers would claim that the durian they are selling are Mao Shan Wang (MSW), Black Gold, old tree mountain top durians, but in actual fact, they usually give you a different variant and you just have to eat it."

He wasn't alone in feeling this way, either.

Chua told Mothership that he'd heard the same complaint from friends and clients time and again — that buying durians in Singapore often felt like a gamble, with an added side of intimidation.

That was when Chua decided to set out and build something different: a space where buyers could ask questions and walk away with a durian they actually wanted, no hard-selling involved.

"No misselling, no misrepresentation" is how Chua put it.

Underpinning it all, of course, is a fairly simple motivation.

"I live and breathe durians," he said.

Chua personally cuts and serves the durians at his stall.

From an Ang Mo Kio stall to the front porch

Bao Jiak Durian did not start off as a home-based business.

Chua first launched it as a brick-and-mortar stall in Ang Mo Kio in 2019.

That, unfortunately, came to an abrupt end when Covid-19 hit and Chua’s stall was forced to shutter.

Rather than fold the business entirely, Chua pivoted.

He successfully applied to the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) to register his home as a business address, and relocated Bao Jiak Durian to his parents' semi-detached house at Riverina View.

Setting up shop at his parents' place wasn't a given. Chua said his parents were initially bewildered by the idea.

He told Mothership: "They all gave me the same look, they were dumbfounded and bewildered as to why I made that decision."

"Nevertheless, they did what all parents do, support me in whichever ways that they could."

Asked whether he recognises the privilege of being able to run a business out of his parents' landed property, Chua didn't dodge the question:

"Running the business from my parents' house has plenty of benefits. I get to see my aging parents on a daily basis, which is something that I truly appreciate and cherish."

He's also quick to point out that a home-based set-up isn't a free pass, business-wise: without active marketing, walk-in traffic is close to zero, and a fruit with a notoriously short shelf life doesn't leave much room for error.

The not-so-sweet side of the business

None of this came cheap, either.

Chua estimates he ploughed in around S$10,000 to S$15,000 in capital when he first started the business seven years ago.

The bigger risk, though, is time.

"Durians have a very short shelf life, the timer starts when the fruit dropped in Malaysia," he said, describing the journey from harvest to sorting at a factory, and finally, transport to Singapore.

Singapore's heat only shrinks that already-tight window further.

"Every day I am racing against time to clear the durians as fast as I can," he added.

Then there are the customers. Chua said managing expectations, more than the durians themselves, has been the toughest part of the job.

"There are some people out there that are really tough to please, but I can understand where they are coming from," he said, rattling off a list of the sort of questions he regularly fields: Is this durian from Malaysia? Is it from Pahang? Are the seeds small? Flat? Is it bitter? Wet? Soft?

His answer, invariably, is the same — durians are “fruits of nature”, and no seller can guarantee specifics.

If a customer's preferences don't match what he has in stock, Chua said he'd rather turn them away than have them "waste their money and calories".

The moments that make it worth it

Despite the risks, the business has grown into a fairly lucrative one.

Bao Jiak Durian now sells between 100kg and 200kg of durians a day during peak season.

All told, the business pulls in between S$50,000 and S$100,000 in revenue per year, Chua told Mothership, while overheads come up to less than S$5,000 a month, largely because he doesn't have to pay rent.

The split in revenue between his two jobs is roughly even as well.

"Revenue has been okay for this short mid-year season. I would say that it's half and half between both professions," he said.

And when it comes to customer interactions, not everything is about managing complaints.

Chua recalled one memorable encounter with a customer in his 80s, whom he served a fresh durian to.

"He ate it and froze in silence when he savoured the entire fruit,” Chua recounted, saying that the elderly customer then thanked him for evoking memories from the past as it had been difficult for him to find this particular flavour.

As for his own favourite? Chua isn't picky.

"Any durians that are fresh, I will devour it," he said, before later jokingly adding:

"I eat durians for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My blood sugar is good even though I eat [it] everyday for three meals."

After the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) opens, Singapore visitors are projected to spend S$1.05 billion more a year in Johor Bahru (JB).

That is about 39 per cent more than the S$756 million increase in spending expected from JB visitors in Singapore at the same time.

By these estimates, Singapore would have an S$290 million net increase in outbound spend each year — equivalent to 0.4 per cent of the country's total retail and food and beverage sales in 2025.

The study

These findings were published on Jul. 16 in a study jointly commissioned by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS), and Singapore Retailers Association (SRA).

The study looks at the potential impact of the RTS Link on consumer spending, tourism flows, and business competitiveness in Singapore’s retail and food and beverage sectors.

The three parties surveyed 1,700 respondents in Singapore and 400 respondents in Johor in March, and drew on various other data such as historical credit card transactions and official government statistics.

More visitors expected

The RTS Link is scheduled to launch in January 2027.

Using current transport modes, there have been about 19.4 million round trips annually from Singapore to JB, and 5.9 million from JB to Singapore, according to the study.

It projects that the RTS Link will increase Singapore outbound trips by 51 per cent, adding 11.2 million round trips to JB each year.

The study added that groceries will account for the largest share of Singapore consumers' spending in JB, followed by dining and drug store and beauty items, as they "seek better value across the border".

In the other direction, RTS Link is also expected to bring an additional 3.3 million trips from JB to Singapore annually.

Many of these visitors would travel to Singapore especially for premium retail, entertainment, and major lifestyle events.

According to the study, 34 per cent of JB respondents intend to visit Singapore for events after the launch of the RTS Link, up from 24 per cent today.

Seize new opportunities

The RTS Link "creates opportunities for Singapore businesses to attract more visitors, but it also raises competitive pressure, especially for our retail and F&B sectors", the CEO of SBF Kok Ping Soon said.

The three organisations behind the study called for the government to help retail and food and beverage businesses adapt and seize the new opportunities, by addressing structural cost pressures and supporting new operating and business models.

Related stories

A TikTok user posted a video of himself confronting a bus driver in Singapore for allegedly driving too slowly.

However, many netizens sided with the bus driver instead, criticising the passenger for harassing him while he was on duty.

Both the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Tower Transit Singapore later also commended the driver for remaining calm and professional throughout the incident.

What happened

On Jul. 6, a TikTok user, @mohamed.mirrah, uploaded a video showing himself confronting a Tower Transit bus driver over what he claimed was the bus's slow speed.

"Driving at your own pace? You following your own timing or what? We have our timing [to meet]," the passenger can be heard saying in the video.

In response, the bus driver said he was following the standard operating procedure (SOP). However, the passenger disputed it.

The driver then proceeded to explain that he was scheduled to arrive at the next bus stop at 8:50am, and was already about five minutes ahead of schedule.

The passenger, however, insisted that the driver was not operating the bus properly.

"You are doing the wrong thing, and I have to attend a class. I have a specific time to attend," he said.

The driver then told the passenger that he could have taken an earlier bus if he needed to arrive by a certain time.

He later also pointed out that he did not consent to being filmed.

In a follow-up TikTok post, the user wrote:

"Bus Driver says he follow SOP and at a very slow speed.. what do you all think of the SOP of Bus.

Rush when they are late can cause accidents, slow down or stop for a long time at a bus stop can cause obstruction for other vehicles."

In the comments section, many defended the driver, noting that bus captains are required to follow scheduled arrival times rather than simply drive as fast as possible.

@mohamed.mirrah♬ original sound - GadgetLah

Tower Transit: Driver followed schedule

In a Facebook post on Jul. 15, Tower Transit Singapore said it was aware of the video and confirmed that the incident took place on Service 984.

The operator said it had reviewed the trip details and found that the driver had been operating the service in accordance with the planned schedule.

"Many people assume that a bus captain's job is to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible," it said. "In reality, bus captains are to maintain even spacing between buses so that waiting times remain as consistent and predictable as possible for commuters. This is why a bus may sometimes travel below the speed limit even when the road ahead is clear."

Tower Transit also described the passenger's actions as a "serious safety concern", saying they could have distracted the driver from remaining fully focused on the road, putting passengers, pedestrians and other road users at risk.

"Despite the provocation, our bus captain remained calm, professional and focused on driving safely. We commend him for his professionalism and commitment to keeping everyone safe."

Stand against harassment of public transport workers

The operator also reminded commuters that it, together with LTA and the National Transport Workers' Union, stands firmly against the harassment and doxxing of public transport workers.

"Our bus captains deserve to carry out their duties without fear of intimidation or online abuse," it said.

Tower Transit added that under the Conditions of Carriage for public buses, commuters who behave disruptively, including those who abuse public transport workers, may be required to leave the bus or be referred to the police.

It also encouraged commuters with feedback about its services to use its official feedback channels, allowing the operator to investigate concerns while protecting public transport workers and their families from unnecessary online harassment.

Separately, LTA also issued a statement on the incident on their Facebook page, commending the bus driver for his handling of the incident.

The authority said Singapore's public transport workers work hard every day to keep the country moving and deserve to be treated with courtesy and respect.

"We urge all commuters to refrain from behaviour that may distract, harass, or intimidate public transport staff while they are carrying out their duties."

A 20-year-old college student was found dead and naked in a park in Hokkaido, Japan, in 2024.

He was discovered to have been beaten to death.

According to The Japan Times, Tomoya Hase was attacked due to problems between him and his girlfriend, Ama Yagihara, who was also 20 at the time.

ETtoday reported that a friend of Yagihara, who knew about the dispute, then gathered several others to "vent their anger" on Hase.

In total, four men between the ages of 16 and 18, Yagihara, and another female, aged 20, were involved in the attack.

Hase was lured to the park by the group, where they brutally assaulted him, stripped him naked, and burned his hair.

Sentences

According to Asahi, on Jun. 25, 2026, Yoto Kawamura, the other woman involved in the assault, was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

She reportedly appealed against her sentence on Jul. 9 and is scheduled to appear as a witness in court on Jul. 14.

Two of the male assailants, both minors at the time of the attack, were sentenced to jail for 20 years and nine to 13 years, respectively.

The proceedings involving the remaining assailants are in process.

A formal verdict is expected for two more of the males on Aug. 7.

On Jul. 13, 2026, one of the assailants, Yuto Kawaguchi, pleaded guilty to all charges brought against him and apologised, adding that the group had done something "truly horrible" to then-college student Hase.

Brutally assaulted

ETtoday reported that Hase had reportedly been hit multiple times in the head and also suffered a fractured lumbar vertebra.

Apart from stripping him naked and burning his hair with a lighter, they also forced him to "apologise".

In addition, they took his credit card to steal money and buy cigarettes, while Hase was left seriously injured and alone in the park.

His body was only discovered by passers-by the next morning.

Prosecution submits video of assault

The group's actions were shown to the court in a video submitted by the prosecution.

They had apparently recorded the assault on their mobile phones,

The main suspect was reportedly seen kicking Hase in the abdomen, causing blood to splatter.

On top of that, Kawaguchi continued to kick the victim in the back when Hase's bones could apparently be heard cracking during the assault.

The Sapporo District Court will conduct the trial in batches, with the final defendant being Asahi Yagihara.

Brazilian BBQ buffet restaurant Carnivore Brazilian Churrascaria is closing its doors after 20 years.

The restaurant announced in a social media post on Jul. 14 that it will be closing at the end of September this year.

"After 20 incredible years of serving you Singapore's finest churrasco experience, the time has come for us to carve our final slice. Carnivore Brazilian Churrascaria will be closing its doors," the restaurant wrote.

The restaurant, which first opened in VivoCity in 2005, is located at The Riverwalk in Robertson Quay.

Carnivore also thanked customers who have supported them over the years and encouraged them to come down for "one final feast".

Carnivore Brazilian Churrascaria

Known for their thick rotisserie-grilled meats, which are carved right in front of diners, the restaurant's buffet is priced at S$89++ per adult and S$20++ per child.

Their selection of meats include smoked duck breast, beef rump cap (Picanha), beef rump (Alcatra), beef hump (Cupim), beef short ribs (Costela de Boi) and roast pork belly.

Those who want to dine at the restaurant for the final time are recommended to make a reservation via 6334 9332 or by emailing carnivore@starworth.com.sg.

Singapore's bold attempt at getting everyone to recycle plastic and aluminium drink containers launched on Apr. 1, 2026.

It's been almost three months, and so far, headlines and commenters online appear to suggest confusion with the scheme.

"Singaporeans Question Bottle Deposit Refunds Under New Recycling Scheme," read one headline.

"Man asks, 'what's the point'?" Another suggested.

"How hard can putting a bottle into a machine and getting 10 cents back be?" I wondered.

So, I decided to hunt for the apparently "rare" bottles eligible under the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) and try it for myself.

BCRS logo

BCRS started as an idea from a 2019 citizens' workgroup on recycling.

It has now manifested into more than 1,000 collection machines around the island and a logo on container packaging.

Under the scheme in Singapore, a bottle is eligible for the 10-cent refund if, and only if, it bears the BCRS logo on its packaging.

Here's what it looks like on the packaging of a bottle of Pokka iced lemon tea.

Some of these other suggestive recycling labels do not qualify you for 10 cents at the container return machines.

Why? Because beverage manufacturers and importers have to pay 10 cents into the scheme for each individual unit of beverage they sell in Singapore.

The 10 cents is then transferred to the retailer and, eventually, the consumer at the point of sale.

The logo indicates that the 10 cents has been paid into the scheme. No BCRS logo = no 10 cents paid = no refund at the machines.

For the first month, containers with the logo were rare due to the lead time needed for retailers or producers to clear their inventory of stocks without the BCRS logo.

BCRS machine

I snooped around convenience stores for bottles with the BCRS logo and was surprised to find it on a bottle of the popular Pokka iced lemon tea.

Two other bottles were FairPrice house-brand juices.

Armed with the three eligible bottles, I gave one of the machines a try.

Generally, an uneventful experience. A few screen taps later, I had 10 cents back in my wallet.

Of the three attempts I made, only one was unsuccessful, possibly because I inserted the bottle too quickly after I triggered an error.

The machine zipped my bottle away, but did not issue a refund.

A colleague of mine found that her bottle of Milo had the BCRS logo and similarly decided to use the BCRS machine for the first time.

Her primary concern? The cap was missing.

But things went without a hitch. So, caps not necessary.

Also, rinsing is encouraged but not required.

It's basically like a waste bin with some extra steps to get back your 10 cents.

Two weeks for 10 cents

It seemed like a world of trouble just to get my lost 10-cent refund, but money is money. So, I emailed BCRS Ltd., the scheme operator, about the unsuccessful refund.

I provided them with the details of my user experience, such as the location of the machine and whatnot.

They got back to me fairly quickly.

It took about a week from when I sent my email for the BCRS team to conduct their checks and gather my financial particulars such as bank name and bank account number.

My query was then forwarded to the BCRS finance team to process my refund.

The 10 cents was transferred to my account another week later. Altogether, it took about two weeks and two emails on my part.

My little experiment started about two months ago.

Since then, I’ve used the machines whenever needed and the process has been much smoother, usually getting my 10-cent deposit back.

Struggle

The manual refund process on my end to get back my lost 10 cents was relatively uneventful — some emails here and there.

But two weeks for 10 cents? And with a seemingly manual process?

On top of that, I can see why some people, especially the older folks, might struggle with using the machine.

The process is easy, but it does include some steps that presume a familiarity with digital interfaces and technology.

For example, I can imagine a non-digital native struggling to find and present their PayLah! QR code, considering how this is not a feature commonly used by PayLah! users.

The user interface on the return machine is also admittedly not as intuitive, with multiple user inputs required. Some of these are not as obvious with the current interface design.

There's also the confusion over labels.

It doesn't help that some of the labels on current container packaging carry labels that suggest consumers could recycle the container at their local recycling facility. Naturally, this can be taken to mean at a BCRS machine.

Then there's habits.

As an example, I'm used to picking at the plastic wrapper on bottled drinks, which is also where the BCRS logo is printed on.

No wrapper, no refund. 10 cents gone forever. Anger and frustration.

It's also an odd experience, perhaps one that needs getting used to, to take a detour with an empty can (sometimes several) in my hand from the coffee shop to the nearest BCRS return machine to get the deposit refund.

If you ask me, all dine-in eateries should act as return points, rather than the buck being passed to the consumers, but that's a story for another time.

Additionally, there can be all sorts of hiccups that come with technology. Online, some users have reported the machine rejecting their container, despite the container having the BCRS logo.

So, how?

If things work as intended, returning bottles and getting the 10-cent deposit back via the return machines is generally straightforward.

My milo-drinking colleague agreed.

However, when things don't go as planned, as had happened to me and to some users online, it becomes a bit of a headache.

It also feels kind of ridiculous and comical at the same time, with the hoops everyone has to jump through just to get 10 cents back in such cases.

Giving chance

A quick summary of the two major pain points to me would be:

1. What steps to take if it cannot be BCRS-ed
2. The user experience at the machine

The scheme's transition period runs from now until Sep. 30, 2026.

After this transition period, all beverage containers on the shelves in Singapore are legally required to carry the BCRS label.

Confusing labels or not, all beverage containers sold in Singapore should technically be refundable after Sep. 30. No more disappointment, as the elderly man experienced in that one news article.

Red tape rarely gets thinner, especially with so many parties involved.

Also, from October 2026, all of us will have to use the machines. More users also mean more chance that something goes wrong.

Which might be a good incentive to cut down on initial hiccups and improve the user experience.

I reached out to the BCRS team to ask if they have any plans for tweaks going forward.

In response to the queries, a BCRS Ltd spokesperson said, "We treat every manual refund case as a learning opportunity. Each one highlights where our systems can be made more robust as we roll out improvements in phases. "

The spokesperson noted that the majority of container returns and digital refunds are successfully processed at the Return Right machines.

"In the case of unsuccessful refunds, the time required to verify the transaction varies based on the availability of details provided by the public, such as the machine location, date, approximate time, or photos of the transaction," the spokesperson continued.

"Members of the public who encounter issues with the return process can submit their transaction details to hi@returnright.sg so our team can assist to resolve them," the spokesperson advised.

We should want it to work

With Singapore's only landfill, Pulau Semakau, piling up and estimated to be full by 2035, there's an urgent need for us to divert our waste streams away from it.

Recycling is one way, but Singapore's recycling rates have been struggling to take flight.

In 2025, with just five years left to meet the 70 per cent by 2030 target, it stood at 52 per cent.

Reasons include increasing costs in the recycling trade, as well as contamination of recyclables, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary explained.

The 2030 target, part of the government's 2030 Zero Waste Plan, will be reviewed.

The beverage container return scheme is a laudable attempt to reshape habits and further entrench the norm of recycling in our everyday lives.

We should want it to work. I do want it to work.

And as consumers, we can (and should) do our part and adapt.

But if the system itself doesn't hold up or isn't made more seamless for the everyday person, it will end up adding friction to people's lives and, ultimately, turn them away from recycling and the scheme itself.

A TikToker from Malaysia has drawn backlash after claiming in a video that McDonald's in Singapore is not halal-certified and serves items containing pork, a claim that is factually incorrect.

The video, which has since been taken down from the TikTok account @muiznazmi, was reshared on the Facebook group Complaint Singapore.

In the video, the TikToker said in Malay: "If you go to Singapore, you definitely can't eat their fast food because their McDonald's is not halal, there's pork and all that."

The remarks were made as part of a broader video praising Malaysia's food variety and convenience compared to other countries he had visited, including China, Japan and Korea.

All McDonald's outlets in Singapore are halal-certified

According to McDonald's Singapore's website, all of its restaurants in Singapore are Halal-certified by MUIS, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore. The certification has been in place since 1992.

The website states:

"Yes, all McDonald's restaurants in Singapore are Halal-certified by MUIS (The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore). The regulatory body approved McDonald's food for consumption by Muslims in 1992."

Commenters push back

The video drew swift corrections from commenters on the Complaint Singapore post.

One Facebook user wrote: "This guy can be sue[d] because he [said] McDonald's Spore sells pork."

Another user commented: "Please, Singapore is one of the best countries on halal food. Everywhere you can get halal food."

Apology issued

According to a commenter on the Complaint Singapore post, the video had already gone viral months earlier and the TikToker had since apologised on both Facebook and TikTok for his remarks.

He had apparently deleted the original video soon after it came out.

Thai police are launching an investigation into a man who was seen guiding and advising Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul at the scene of the deadly Chatuchak fire that has claimed the lives of 32 people.

Khaosod reported that the man, who also gave interviews to the media, was not from any government agency, despite his appearance in military-style garb.

He has since been identified as Chitpong Khattapong, a former candidate for the Bangkok Metropolitan Council.

The council is the legislative branch of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the government of Bangkok city.

Local news organisations captured footage of the man speaking with Anutin at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and using a torchlight to explain certain characteristics about the bar's exits.

According to Thaiger, Chitpong is alleged to have repeated an unverified rumour that the bar locked emergency exits to stop customers from leaving without paying.

Man responds

Chitpong told Thairath that he was a civil defence volunteer in the Phayathai district.

"I am not a government official, but I am fully committed," he said.

He also explained that he was dressed in military-style gear because he had travelled to the scene directly from a BB gun competition.

Investigations

A police spokesperson said investigations would determine if Chitpong had falsely posed as a military officer, reported Khaosod.

If he is found to have impersonated an official, police will consider charging him accordingly.

Additionally, authorities are reviewing the statements he made at the scene to determine whether any of the information was misleading while assessing his intent.

As of Jul. 15, the death toll from the fire has risen to 32, with more than a dozen in critical condition in the hospital, according to AFP.

Investigations into the cause of the blaze are ongoing.

Related stories:

"I've had a very productive state visit," President Tharman Shanmugaratnam concluded in his wrap-up interview with Singapore media on Jul. 15 after his four-day state visit to Malaysia.

Tharman said that both Singapore and Malaysia leaders are investing a lot in this relationship, making efforts to understand each other's thinking and pushing cooperation where possible.

"The healthy state of relations between Singapore and Malaysia is not a matter of luck," he said in his Instagram post.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tharman Shanmugaratnam (@tharman.sg)

Aligned on the need to abide by the law of the sea and to diversify trading links

The two countries "think alike" in areas such as ASEAN's potential and on international issues which include the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, Tharman said to the media at the doorstop

Both countries are committed to ensuring the straits remain safe and toll-free.

"We think alike on the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, the criticality of abiding by UNCLOS, the law of the sea that ensures safe transit through a strait used for international navigation strait, without tolls or fees."

He added that the way how the Straits of Malacca and Singapore are being managed by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore has worked well and achieved "win-win" for all users while abiding by the law of the sea.

His comments came on the heels of his meeting with Malaysian leaders, including Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with whom he exchanged views on the geopolitical developments, which include the implications of the ongoing Middle East conflict.

With both countries being export-oriented and as the world becoming more divided, Singapore and Malaysia also share a keen interest in diversifying trading links, said Tharman.

Diversifying trading links is important to avoid being forced by geopolitics into either a US-led bloc or a China-led bloc, he explained.

Strengthening bilateral economic complementarity and Asean's potential

Tharman also said that Singapore and Malaysia are "maturing" our economic complementarity, building on the deep relationship we share.

The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and the RTS Link are examples of such efforts.

While some businesses and service industries may "lose out", on the whole, both countries will be winners.

"We have to accept that, with the larger win, there will be some losses. And that is a mature way of thinking about the bilateral relationship, on both sides."

On Asean, Tharman believes that there is potential to unleash "a lot more" economic value.

"We are not yet there, but we have significant potential in Asean," he said, highlighting the region's prospect of being a "powerhouse" for green energy and processing power.

"We are really raising our level of ambition on ASEAN, and Malaysia and Singapore think alike in that regard. It is in the national interests of each ASEAN member state that we join forces on green energy, in processing power, and in the digital economy. It adds up to making Asean’s value proposition that much stronger in a world that is getting more fragmented."

More prolonged immersions to develop friendships among our students

In addition to the exchange programmes that we currently have, President Tharman believes that there is more to be done to bring together youths from both countries to deepen cultural exchanges.

"We cannot recreate what it was like in the old days – when young people literally grew up together, went to the same schools, and had family moving up and down the peninsular."

One way is to enable more prolonged immersion which may involve just a few schools or universities, he suggested while acknowledging that such immersive programmes are not easy to arrange.

However, Tharman believes that there will be a larger "strategic benefit" in time.

"There is nothing like living together, studying together, and hanging around together over a longer period, or repeated periods, that makes for lasting friendships and a more enduring understanding of each other."

This could be in joint studies or extended internships or entrepreneurship programmes, he added.