On chinese language

So you have to pack in 40,000 words into 400 possibles sounds. It makes it so that certain sounds have 50 different characters to write them. It also has a hard time absorbing loan words compared to languages like French or Japanese.

a, ai, an, ang, ao
ba, bai, ban, bang, bao, bei, ben, beng, bi, bian, biao, bie, bin, bing, bo, bu
ca, cai, can, cang, cao, ce, cei, cen, ceng, cha, chai, chan, chang, chao, che, chen, cheng, chi, chong, chou, chu, chua, chuai, chuan, chuang, chui, chun, chuo, ci, cong, cou, cu, cuan, cui, cun, cuo
da, dai, dan, dang, dao, de, dei, den, deng, di, dian, diao, die, ding, diu, dong, dou, du, duan, dui, dun, duo
e, ê, ei, en, er
fa, fan, fang, fei, fen, feng, fo, fou, fu
ga, gai, gan, gang, gao, ge, gei, gen, geng, gong, gou, gu, gua, guai, guan, guang, gui, gun, guo
ha, hai, han, hang, hao, he, hei, hen, heng, hm, hng, hong, hou, hu, hua, huai, huan, huang, hui, hun, huo
ji, jia, jian, jiang, jiao, jie, jin, jing, jiong, jiu, ju, juan, jue, jun
ka, kai, kan, kang, kao, ke, kei, ken, keng, kong, kou, ku, kua, kuai, kuan, kuang, kui, kun, kuo
la, lai, lan, lang, lao, le, lei, leng, li, lia, lian, liang, liao, lie, lin, ling, liu, long, lou, lu, luo, luan, lun, lü, lüe
m, ma, mai, man, mang, mao, mei, men, meng, mi, mian, miao, mie, min, ming, miu, mo, mou, mu
n, na, nai, nan, nang, nao, ne, nei, nen, neng, ng, ni, nian, niang, niao, nie, nin, ning, niu, nong, nou, nu, nuo, nuan, nü, nüe
o, ou
pa, pai, pan, pang, pao, pei, pen, peng, pi, pian, piao, pie, pin, ping, po, pou, pu
qi, qia, qian, qiang, qiao, qie, qin, qing, qiong, qiu, qu, quan, que, qun
ran, rang, rao, re, ren, reng, ri, rong, rou, ru, rua, ruan, rui, run, ruo
sa, sai, san, sang, sao, se, sei, sen, seng, sha, shai, shan, shang, shao, she, shei, shen, sheng, shi, shou, shu, shua, shuai, shuan, shuang, shui, shun, shuo, si, song, sou, su, suan, sui, sun, suo
ta, tai, tan, tang, tao, te, teng, ti, tian, tiao, tie, ting, tong, tou, tu, tuan, tui, tun, tuo
wa, wai, wan, wang, wei, wen, weng, wo, wu
xi, xia, xian, xiang, xiao, xie, xin, xing, xiong, xiu, xu, xuan, xue, xun
ya, yan, yang, yao, ye, yi, yin, ying, yong, you, yu, yuan, yue, yun
za, zai, zan, zang, zao, ze, zei, zen, zeng, zha, zhai, zhan, zhang, zhao, zhe, zhei, zhen, zheng, zhi, zhong, zhou, zhu, zhua, zhuai, zhuan, zhuang, zhui, zhun, zhuo, zi, zong, zou, zu, zuan, zui, zun, zuo

Syllables spelled with "u", but pronounced with "ü":

ju, juan, jue, jun
qu, quan, que, qun
xu, xuan, xue, xun
yu, yuan, yue, yun

Syllables where "u" and "ü" must not be mixed up:

lu, lü, lüe
nu, nü, nüe

Those are every possible Chinese spoken sound.

Notice, no "th" "tr" "sl" "sk" .... consonant clusters are rare ans other languages use them a lot.

http://www.economist.com/comment/1168102#comment-1168102

Bina Puri receives letter on highway

ETALING JAYA: Bina Puri Holdings Bhd has confirmed that it has received a letter of intent dated Nov 11, 2011 from the National Highway Authority in Islamabad, Pakistan with regard to the conversion of the existing four-lane Karachi-Hyderabad super highway into a six-lane motorway on a build, operate and transfer basis.

“We are currently negotiating the financial and legal aspects of the concession agreement with them. We will make further announcements on the progress of the concession,” it said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/13/business/10254865&sec=business

Gamuda confirms CRCC offer for Gemas-JB rail job

KUALA LUMPUR: Gamuda Bhd said it had been invited by China Railway Construction Co (CRCC) earlier on to be one of its local construction partners for the upgrading of the Gemas-Johor Baru railway line to an electrified double-tracking track.

Confirming a StarBiz report yesterday, a Gamuda spokesperson toldStarBiz that it believed it had been chosen to be part of the consortium as it had a proven track record and expertise from the Ipoh-Padang Besar electrified double-tracking project.

StarBiz had reported on Tuesday that Gamuda had been roped in to be part of a group which is the front-runner for the construction of the Gemas-Johor Baru line.

A source had told StarBiz that the Malaysian construction company was in a consortium with CRCC and another local party linked to the Johor royal family and that this group was presently the front-runner for the RM8bil rail upgrading project.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/11/business/10239226&sec=business

2012

Property – Bad news priced in but outlook remains challenging                         

Sector Update

-          Fundamentals are still wobbly as property sales are largely driven by GDP growth. Given our GDP growth forecast of 3.6% for 2012, we expect property sales to slow to 5% after a 20% growth in 2011 (annualised).

-          We prefer larger caps with sufficient liquidity such as UEM Land, Sunway and Mah Sing for trading opportunities if their share price weakens.

(source RHBInvest)

KUALA LUMPUR: With many of Malaysia's economic sectors having performed solidly over the past 12 months, the country is poised for another strong performance this year, says Oxford Business Group (OBG), a global publishing and consultancy company.

Though final figures have yet to be issued, OBG said it was expected that the Malaysian economy would have expanded by more than 5% in 2011...

At the end of November, the Organisation for Economic and Cooperative Development (OECD) forecast that this solid rate of growth would continue for at least the next five years, predicting that Malaysia's gross domestic product (GDP) would expand by 5.3% in each of the next few years and hit 5.6% by 2016.

OBG said the OECD's forecast was somewhat more optimistic than theAsian Development Bank or the World Bank, which was looking at a growth for Malaysia's GDP rising by 4.7% and 4.9% respectively, in 2012 although it was roughly in line with the International Monetary Fund's projection of 5.1%...

Along with the GDP, Malaysia's balance of payments figures were also positive in 2011, with the current account surplus standing at US$23.8bil for the nine months ended Sept 30, an 18% increase on the US$20.2bil posted in the same period last year.

However, OBG said there were some concerns that Malaysia's export trade could suffer in 2012, as major segments of the global economy could flirt with recession.

While Malaysia's exports rose by a healthy 15.8% in October, this rate of increase was lower than that of the previous month, though still above the 9.1% rise spread over the first 10 months of the year, it said...

The latest figures released in November by the Statistics Department showed inflation had remained fairly steady, with consumer prices rising by 3.4% year-on-year in October.

Inflation could ease further in 2012, dipping to between 2.5% and 2.8%, OBG said.

This would be a result of a slowing of demand, and a slight deceleration of growth, with commodity prices moderating, it said...

The report, released in mid-December, said the outlook for Malaysian lenders was stable though household debts, currently running at 76% of 2010 GDP, remained high.

OBG said another sign of the stability and appeal of the Malaysian economy came in the form of inflows of FDIs, which rose by 43% to US$8.3bil during the first nine months of the year in comparison to the same period in 2010.

Indeed, the year-end total for 2011 was likely to meet or exceed the US$10bil forecast by the government, it said...

“Though there were still positive FDI inflows in the third quarter, the US$1.6bil between July and September 2011 was some 50% less than in the previous quarter, reflecting uncertainties and growing caution among international investors. This unease could well continue into 2012,” it added. Bernama

Gemas-JB rail job winner to emerge in March

Three Chinese companies were earlier shortlisted for the RM8 billion project known as the Gemas-Johor Baru Electrified Double Tracking Project (EDTP).


They are China Railway Engineering Co (CREC), China Railway Construction Co (CRCC) and China Communication Construction Co (CCCC). The three are subsidiaries of China’s Ministry of Railway.


The Ministry of Transport said recently the rail link was still in the design process and its minister, Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said he was not aware of any contract being awarded yet despite unconfirmed news saying the government has decided winner of the tender.


The Gemas-Johor Baru project includes the building of 197km of parallel railway tracks, stations, depots, halts, yards and bridges and covers systems such as electrification, signalling and communications.

Read more: Gemas-JB rail job winner to emerge in March http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20120103232153/Article/index_html#ixzz1iRUTj9uZ

KL Metropolis

KLORR - Seven days left to view report on expressway

PETALING JAYA: 

The public has seven days left to review the detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) report on the proposed 35.5km East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE).

EKVE, which is the eastern and final uncompleted route of the Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road, would link the Kajang Silk Ex­­pressway and the Karak Ex­­pressway.

The EKVE would provide a by-pass route and enable motorists from the southern part of the Klang Valley such as from Cheras, Bangi and Subang to travel to Selayang and Gombak and vice versa without having to go through the city centre.

It would also serve as a bypass route around Kuala Lumpur for inter-regional traffic from the Karak Highway, according to the executive summary of the DEIA.

There would be six interchanges – Sungai Long, Bukit Mah­kota Cheras, Hulu Langat, Am­pang, Ukay Perdana and IIUM (Inter­national Islamic University Malaysia).

The report said 214.7ha of forest reserves would be affected along the corridor of the project, namely the Hulu Gombak, Ampang and Hulu Langat Forest Reserve.

The report noted that wildlife movement and roaming habitat could be affected and outlined measures to minimise the impact.

The report, prepared by EKVE Sdn Bhd’s consultant, can be viewed at the National Library, the Department of Envi­ronment’s (DOE) office in Putrajaya, state offices and the Ampang Jaya, Kajang and Selayang municipal councils.

The public should forward their written comments to DOE by Jan 23.

http://www.starproperty.my/PropertyScene/PropertyNews/17964/0/0

River of Life flowing smoothly

Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, who visited four of the project sites yesterday, said he was pleased with the progress of the project.

    "To date, 18 out of the 47   projects under ROL have begun construction, while many more are progressing on schedule. We will continue the momentum of the project, which will  complete  in 2020," he said.

      The delegation of ministers first visited the Batu Dentention Pond where the river cleaning project will take place.

The Department of Irrigation and Drainage is constructing a Water Treatment Plant (WTP) at the Batu Detention Pond.  It is expected to complete in March 2013. The project aims to improve the water quality of Sg Batu from Class 4 to Class 2. Once the WTP is completed, water from Sg Gombak will be channelled to the Batu Detention Pond  where the water will be treated and diverted to Sg Batu through Sg Keroh.

    The second site they visited was the Bunga Tanjung Food Court in Ampang, where two communal grease traps were built last October. The grease traps will reduce  oil and grease entering the river by 90 per cent. The Ampang Jaya Municipal Council were given RM2.3 million under the ROL project to install 20 communal grease traps in nine food courts in their municipality. Another 46 grease traps will soon be installed at eateries in the city and Selayang.  

    The next site they visited was the Bunus Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Titiwangsa which will be upgraded by the Sewerage Services Department (SSD).  The upgrading project is expected to start next year. The upgraded  Bunus STP will be able to  handle  1,100,00 metre cubic of waste from 352,000 metre cubic   per day.

    Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd spokesperson said that once completed the waste from three catchments areas will be treated at the Bunus STP.

The ministers then visited Precinct 7 of the river beautification project in Masjid Jamek.

AECOM, which won the bid to beautify the river, will be producing detailed designs for   Masjid Jamek. The beautification project is expected to begin towards the end of next year and completed in five years.

The ROL project will span over a decade, from 2010 from 2020. The estimated budget for the project is RM4 billion.

Read more: River of Life flowing smoothly - Central - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/river-of-life-flowing-smoothly-1.22084#ixzz1hYRxi6Cb

KAFD : Will KLIFD look like this?

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1MDB embarks on tender process for KLIFD project

PETALING JAYA: The tender process on major foundations works for the Kuala Lumpur International Financial District (KLIFD) has started, 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) said.

The Government-owned company had invited contractors to participate in a pre-qualification exercise in the construction and completion of earthwork and excavation works, retaining structure, piling works and related sub-structure works.

Deputy chief executive officer (operations) Datuk Azmar Talib said in a statement yesterday: “This is probably among the largest earthwork, covering the size of about 20 football fields (12ha) and excavating about 20m or about four storeys into the ground.”

The notice of pre-qualification will close on Jan 6. Short listings and invitations to tender have been scheduled to complete by mid-Feb next year.

The 30ha development in the Imbi area in between Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Sultan Ismail and the Putrajaya elevated highway, seeks to create a catalytic pool of world-class players by combining leading financial institutions and top global companies.

The Star 24-12-2011

http://www.starproperty.my/PropertyScene/PropertyNews/17782/0/0

KLIFD pre-qualification notice ends on Jan 6

A pre-qualification exercise on major foundation works for the Kuala Lumpur International Financial District (KLIFD) is in progress, said 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Bhd).

1MDB Real Estate Sdn Bhd deputy chief executive officer (operations), Datuk Azmar Talib, said the works involved the construction and completion of earthwork and excavation works, retaining structure, piling works and related sub-structure works.

"Other works include site clearance, soil excavation, excavation of rocks, curtain grouting and drainage layer," he said in a statement today.

Azmar said this was probably among the largest earthwork, covering the size of about 20 football fields (12 hectares) and excavating about 20 metres (about four storeys) into the ground. 

"We are currently in a flurry of activities in the run up to the start of construction first quarter of next year. 

"In the process, we are creating and enhancing value to the site," he said. 

IMDB said the notice of pre-qualification, advertised on Dec 8 in local newspapers, will close Jan 6, 2012. It is also available at www.1mdb.com.my. 


Read more: 'KLIFD pre-qualification notice ends on Jan 6' http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20111220181250/Article/index_html#ixzz1h5wHwLPD

Kajang-Silk Highway breaches 50-million-vehicle mark

KUALA LUMPUR: The Kajang-Silk Highway, operated by SILK Holdings Bhd via wholly-owned unit Sistem Lingkaran Lebuhraya Kajang Sdn Bhd, has breached the 50-million-vehicle mark today.

In a statement, SILK said it was a significant event for the highway that has been serving the greater Kajang area by acting as linkage to existing highway networks, including PLUS, BESRAYA and Grand Saga since 2004.

"More recently, it has added Lebuhraya Kajang Seremban and South Klang Valley Expressway to its list of connectivity," it said.

Its executive chairman, Datuk Mohd Azlan Hashim, said the highway has seen its average daily traffic volume increased from over 47,000 vehicles per day when it first started operations in 2004 to almost 150,000 vehicles today.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/20/business/20111220152227&sec=business

Rare earth could be Malaysia's new growth area

The Star 21/12/2011

KUALA LUMPUR: To help fuel Malaysia's drive to achieve high income status by 2020, Malaysia needs to discover and venture into new economic growth areas.

And rare earth could be the country's new growth area, said Dr Ahmad Ibrahim, Chief Executive Officer of the Academic of Sciences Malaysia (ASM).

"Our oil, land and other reserves are depleting, so we need to look for new opportunities and this is one of it," he told reporters after the launch of a report titled "Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia's Green Economy Forward" here today.

He said the entire scale of high-tech industries depended on a sustainable supply of rare earth elements. Rare earth is widely used in manufacturing of an extensive range of downstream products which find wide applications in such industries including aerospace, consumer electronics, automotive and telecommunications.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/20/business/20111220161225&sec=business

Govt names Zelan unit contractor

KUALA LUMPUR: Zelan Bhd's 95%-owned subsidiary, Terminal Bersepadu Gombank Sdn Bhd (TBGSB) has received a letter of intent for it appointment as the contractor to design and build the proposed upgrading of Middle Ring Road II, Taman Melati Interchange and other associated works.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Zelan said the letter of intent would remain valid for six months subject to terms and conditions.

The pricing of the proposed upgrading and other associated works to be agreed upon, failing which the Government had the right to terminate the letter of intent without any further notice.

The Star 20/12/2011

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/20/business/10128784&sec=business

Sunway buys Johor land worth RM745.3mil

Purchase made through joint venture with Khazanah vehicle

KUALA LUMPUR: Sunway Bhd has expanded its landbank in Johor with the acquisition of two parcels of leased land worth RM745.3mil in Medini Iskandar via a joint venture vehicle with Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

The two parcels, which are adjacent to each other, total about 691 acres and has an estimated gross development value (GDV) of RM12bil.

The newly acquired land known as Zone F Medini will boost Sunway's landbank by 30% from the previous 2,145 acres, while the proposed development will boost the company's current GDV to RM32bil,” Sunway said in a statement yesterday.

The Star 20/12/2011

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/20/business/10127816&sec=business

MMC wants to buy railway, inject RM1bil into it

The Star 20/12/2011

PETALING JAYA: MMC Corp Bhd confirmed that it had submitted a proposal to the Minister of Finance Inc (MOF) to undertake a due diligence exercise on KTM Bhd (KTMB) for the purpose of taking over the operations of KTMB.

It said this in a reply to a query by Bursa Malaysia yesterday due to a news report on the subject.

“MOF, vide its letter dated Dec 1, had given its approval for MMC to conduct the said due diligence subject to the signing of a non-disclosure agreement between the parties.

“We will make the appropriate announcement to Bursa Malaysia in accordance with the requirements of the Main Market listing requirements if there are any material developments in this respect,” said MMC.

MMC said yesterday it had embarked on an exercise to take over the loss-making national railway company and planned to inject about RM1bil into KTMB.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/20/business/10125375&sec=business

MRCB and Sunway win LRT extension contracts

The Star 17 Aug 2011

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) and Sunway Holdings Bhd have won contracts worth RM1.33bil and RM569mil for the light rail transit extension of the Ampang line and Kelana Jaya line respectively from Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (SPNB).


In separate statements yesterday, Sunway and MRCB said the contracts for the construction and completion of facilities (Package B) were awarded to their respective wholly-owned units - Sunway Construction Sdn Bhd and MRCB Engineering Sdn Bhd (MESB).

Sunway said it expected the contract to boost its construction order book to approximately RM2.5bil.

“Under Package B awarded to Sunway Construction, the facilities works will involve the construction and completion of facilities along a 8.1km route from Persiaran Kewajipan, Subang Jaya to Putra Heights.

The works include site clearance, earthworks, viaduct construction, roadworks, drainage works, traffic management, structural works and temporary works.

“The project is expected to contribute positively to the Sunway group's earnings for the financial year ending 2012 onwards. Works on the project is estimated to be completed in 29 months from the date of possession of the site,” it said.

In a separate development, Sunway Holdings also said it has been shortlisted by SPNB to bid for all the Mass Rapid Transit packages under the open category which includes elevated civil works, stations and depot.

MRCB told Bursa Malaysia yesterday that its contract from SPNB would involve the construction and completion of facilities works that include the fabrication and delivery of segmental box girders (Package B) for the Ampang line extension project. The construction period will be 30 months from the date of possession of site.

MRCB also said the SPNB had awarded MESB, the sub-contract for the fabrication and delivery of segmental box girders (Package B) for the Kelana Jaya line extension project. MESB is a nominated sub-contractor to Sunway Construction for the sub-contract worth RM67.2mil.

The construction period for the works is 20 months.

11 named to oversee KLIFD project

The Star 18 Aug 2011

PETALING JAYA: The RM26bil Kuala Lumpur International Financial District (KLIFD) will be overseen by 11 local and foreign consultants appointed by 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MBD) to push forth the development of the project.

1MDB said in a statement yesterday that the consulting companies were appointed based on their experience and track record in their fields such as sustainability, infrastructure, engineering, landscape planning and traffic management.

In March, 1MDB carried out a pre-qualification and request for proposal process through its subsidiary 1MDB Real Estate Sdn Bhd.

Among the selected local companies are traffic management consultant Perunding Trafik Klasik Sdn Bhd, quantity surveyorPerunding NFL Sdn Bhd, landscape architectAkitek Jururancang Malaysian Sdn Bhd and land surveyors Jurukur Perpaduan Sdn Bhdand Jurukur ESA Sdn Bhd.

The infrastructure engineering consultants are EDP Consulting Group Sdn Bhd and Buro Happold Consulting Engineers, a UK and US consultant which also acts as KLIFD's sustainability consultant.

Others include security and risk engineers ARUP Jururunding Sdn Bhd(from Malaysia) and ARUP Group International, a Hong Kong-based company. A consultant from Qatar, KEO International Consultants, was selected as programme management adviser.

The appointments are in addition to the two master planners named recently, Akitek Jururancang Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Machado Silvetti & Associates, selected from an international design competition.

1MDB Real Estate chief operating officer Datuk Azmar Talib said that the appointments were based on global practices and that the committee was “thorough and transparent in the selection process”.

“Given the scale of the development and its impact on national growth, we seek not just capability and capacity but people who also share our vision for a sustainable and holistic KLIFD and our passion to deliver a Greater Kuala Lumpur,” he was quoted.

1MDB owns the 30.35ha on which the KLIFD will be developed. As one of the entry-point projects under the Economic Transformation Programme, the KLIFD aims to attract financial institutions and global companies to complement other financial centres in the region.

The entire financial district is slated to be completed in two decades, with its first phase operational by 2016. Azmar has expressed hopes to integrate the development of the KLIFD with the country's mass rapid transit system which is slated to commence operations in the same year.

Azmar added that the selection of consultants for Bandar Malaysia, a KLIFD twin development in Sungai Besi will also undergo the same rigorous process.

Prasarana shortlists 28 for MRT works

KUALA LUMPUR: Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd, the project owner of Malaysia's biggest rail infrastructure project, My Rapid Transit (MRT), has shortlisted 28 individual and joint-venture companies that can bid for various elevated civil works, stations and depot packages under the multi-billion ringgit project.

In a statement yesterday, Prasarana group managing director Shahril Mokhtar said these tenders would be called in stages beginning from next month until December 2012.

"Tender for the first stage, which involves two civil works packages, will be issued early next month," Shahril said.

The two packages are a 5.4km stretch from Taman Bukit Ria to Plaza Phoenix in Cheras and the other covering a 5.2km stretch from Taman Suntex to Bandar Tun Hussein Onn.
There are 18 packages with eight packages under elevated civil works, another eight for elevated station works and two for depot.

These packages are divided into two categories - the open category and the Bumiputera category.

Applicants were evaluated based on their financial capabilities, track record, experiences, existing management staff and key personnel, the average annual construction turnover in the last five years, their existing plant and equipment as well as their existing quality, safety, health and environment practices.

For joint-venture submissions, technical and financial evaluations were carried out on the individual companies with the total score of their technical and financial points combined based on their equity percentage.

The pre-qualification exercise attracted strong response with 286 companies purchasing the tender document which was opened through two public advertisements by Prasarana with a total of 195 companies submitting their appli-cations.

Hailed as the country's biggest infrastructure project as part of the Greater Klang Valley Master Plan, the MRT would provide the backbone service to the existing public transportation system and would be integrated with the existing LRT, KL Monorail and KTM services. 

To cut through the city centre from Sungai Buloh to Kajang, the new MRT will run for some 51km including 9.5km through underground tunnels and will be serviced by 27 elevated stations and seven stations underground; and depots at Sungai Buloh and Kajang. 

"Tenders for the other packages will be announced in due course," added Shahril.

Study on KL-S'pore high-speed rail

KUALA LUMPUR: A pre-feasibility study for Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) system will be concluded in a few weeks, Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) director Ahmad Suhaili said.

“The findings of this study will allow the Government to decide on where to place key stations.

“However, a more detailed study would have to follow to further refine the project's plan,” he said at a briefing on half-year results for six focus areas in the Government Transformation Programme.

Ahmad heads both the Urban Public Transport national key results area (NKRA) and Greater Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley national key economic area (NKEA).

It was also revealed that the My Rapid Transit (MRT) system will have independent monitors to ensure proper delivery and governance of the RM20bil intra-city rail project.

Pemandu director for Corruption NKRA Ravindran Devagunam said the monitoring would be from “cradle to the grave”, adding that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Auditor-General (AG) would be the monitors from the public sector.

He said this would be the first time the AG was involved in the oversight mechanism at the beginning of a project rather than at the end, which was the usual practice.

Pemandu is also looking at enlisting professional bodies, engineers and non-governmental organisations as independent monitors for the MRT.

In March, the Land Public Transport Commission, which oversees the implementation of the MRT and HSR, announced the appointment of consulting firm McKinsey as the Government's value management study consultant to scrutinise the plans and obtain optimum cost efficiency for the MRT.

The MRT and HSR are both large-scale projects under the Economic Transformation Programme.

The HSR, estimated to cost RM8bil to RM14bil, will stretch about 400km and reduce travelling time between KL and Singapore to 90 minutes from the current seven hours.

However, analysts have said that a key challenge facing the Government in these projects was coming up with the required funding.

In the MRT's case, it was reported that the Government will create a special-purpose vehicle to raise bonds to finance the project.

Analysts said bonds issued by the Government would be deemed as part of government debt by some rating agencies.

“The more bonds issued by the Government, the higher our debt-to-gross domestic product ratio, which is an indicator used by rating agencies to determine a country's sovereign rating,” a fixed-income analyst said.

On the HSR, analysts said its cost would put a drag on the Government's finances, suggesting instead that enhancing KTM Bhd's existing services and infrastructure might be a better option. - The Star 5 Aug 2011