> Theme Chicks and Chicken: ’s Expansion to The city-state Singapore has spilled over into its two neighbours, Malaysia and . 1985, to 606,000 in 1991, 78 per cent six villages consisting of 2,200 families Research > Singapore discovered in the Indonesian Riau Archipelago resources that are rarely found of whom Singaporeans and 10 per cent were relocated to make way for the Southeast Asia near the centre of mega-cities: cheap land and cheap labour. To what extent Singapore’s Malaysians. In 1999, 1.14 million for- freshwater reservoirs (Anwar 1994: presence offers reciprocal benefits to Riau is the question. For example, Singapore has not eigners arrived at airport, thus 27–28, 31; Macleod and McGee 1996: only moved the production of poultry for all Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets of the region to surpassing Sukarno-Hatta airport in 429). Riau, but also prostitution. This article will explore the consequences of Singapore’s Jakarta. expansion for Riau. The island of Bintan is a freshwater People’s response reservoir for Singapore; an undersea Since Suharto resigned, the people By Freek Colombijn A jet boat connecting pipe brings the water to the city. Bintan have felt free to rake over old coals. In Singapore with has also been developed as a tourist January 2000, demonstrators cut off ince the British founded Singapore Batam resort with 20 hotels, ten golf courses, the energy supply to an industrial estate Sin 1819 the city has been a trans- and ten condominiums. Industrial on Bintan. Police reinforcements were portation hub and communication estates can also be found on Bintan. immediately flown in from Batam: one centre. After Independence (1965), The other islands have more special- occupant of the powerhouse was shot export-led industrialization and a high- ized functions. The island of Bulan is a dead. Immediately afterwards 40 com- technology service industry have diver- centre of agricultural production. It was panies contemplated leaving Bintan.

sified the economy. The ever-expanding Colombijn Freek expected to have about 400,000 pigs Other demonstrators occupied a tourist economy and growing population (2.7 by 2000, enough to provide 50 per cent resort on Bintan, demanding that the million people in 1990) of the limited costs of land and labour were rising gapore was, and is, clearly in control: it of Singapore’s demand for pork. A croc- 1991 compensation of 100 rupiah per island territory (roughly 600 square km) sharply. The basic idea was that the took the initiative, and it provided the odile farm of 55,000 reptiles provides square metre for their land, paid by the have demanded innovative measures. three regions pool their human and capital and management. leather and meat. Chicken production Salim Group, would after all be Land reclamation (taken up since the natural resources in order to attract new serves all the Kentucky Fried Chicken increased to 10,000 rupiah per square 1960s) and the construction of high-rise investors. Each corner of the triangle Fatal attraction? outlets of the region. Bulan will, sure- metre. In 1991 the landowners con- housing and skyscraper offices could would put in its respective comparative The encroachment of Singapore’s ly, also become the world’s largest sup- cerned had grudgingly accepted the reduce the pressure on land for only a advantage: Singapore its capital, tech- mega-urban region into Riau started on plier of orchids. Karimun is used for oil compensation after pressure exerted by limited amount of time. nical skills, and management; the Batam, the island just south of Singa- storage and shipyards, two pre-emi- the state: it was now revealed that the Mega-urban development in the city- Malaysian state of its land and pore. A series of bridges connects nently space-consuming activities. Singaporean investors had offered a far state took a decisive turn with the con- semi-skilled labour; and the Indonesian Batam to six other islands, which lie in will be developed into a centre higher price and there were questions cept of the Singapore-Johor-Riau province of Riau also its land and cheap a string to the south of Batam. Every for ship-breaking yards. Over a hun- about who had pocketed the price dif- (SIJORI) Growth Triangle. Singapore- labour. In reality, SIJORI does not rep- half-hour a speedboat leaves Singapore dred permits for sand quarries have ference. After the loss of the political an Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew resent a tripartite partnership but an for the thirty-minute ride to Batam, been issued, spread over several protection offered by the former Presi- launched this concept in 1989 at a time arrangement by which Singapore’s which has evolved as an industrial cen- islands, large and small, and more dent, the Salim Group had come into when the industrial development with- mega-urban growth can freely spill over tre and a tourist resort. The rise in the quarries operate illegally (Grundy-Warr dire financial straits and was less will- in the boundaries of the city-state into the territories of its neighbours number of tourists in Batam is impres- and Perry 1996; Macleod and McGee ing than ever to pay extra money. After reached its saturation point and when (Macleod and McGee 1996: 425). Sin- sive: from none in 1983, via 60,000 in 1996; Nur 2000). a week in which tourist visits declined The Indonesian government has by 85 per cent, the demonstrators were [advertisement] lured foreign investors to the Batam chased away from the resort. Environ- Economic Zone with inducements mental NGOs that express their worries such as duty-free import of capital about the sand quarries first and fore- equipment and duty free export of most point to the Indonesian authori- export-oriented production. Another ties that give out too many concessions attraction is that the Indonesian gov- or do not stop illegal quarries. Singa- ernment has nullified environmental pore’s influential role yet remains in impact laws for the island, so that Sin- the background. < gapore uses Batam as a depository for the by-products of polluting industries, References which are no longer allowed in the city- - Anwar, Dewi Fortuna, ‘Sijori: ASEAN’s state itself, and a dump for dredged soil southern growth triangle; problems and of dubious quality. Indonesia also prospects’, Indonesian quarterly, volume accepts the kind of entertainment that 22, issue 1 (1994), pp.22–33. Singapore prefers not to have under its - Grundy-Warr, Carl, and Martin Perry, own roof: 5,000 prostitutes work on ‘Growth triangles, international econom- Batam. Hundreds of them are under- ic integration and the Singapore-Indone- age girls, smuggled to Riau against sian border zone’, in: Dennis Rumley et their will. The average tourist stay on al. (eds.), Global geopolitical change and Batam is 1.3 days, a typical weekend the Asia-Pacific; a regional perspective, away from Singapore complete with Aldershot: Avebury (1996), pp.185–211. sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll (Lindquist - Lindquist, Johan, The anxieties of mobility: 2002). Development, migration, and tourism in the The Indonesian government thrust Indonesian borderlands, Stockholm: Stock- all these changes down the local peo- holm University, Department of Anthro- ple’s throats. Batam was placed under pology (2002). the custodianship of the Batam Indus- - Macleod, Scott, and T.G. McGee, ‘The Sin- trial Development Authority (BIDA), gapore-Johore-Riau growth triangle: an which remained outside the power of emerging extended metropolitan region’, regular local legislative bodies, and had in: Fu-chen, Lo, and Yue-man Yeung gained control of land through presi- (eds.), Emerging world cities in Pacific Asia, dential decree. The Head of BIDA was Tokyo et al.: United Nations University the then Minister of Technology, J.B. Press (1996), pp.417–464. Habibie, the most trusted favourite of - Nur, Yoslan, ‘L’île de Batam à l’ombre de former President Suharto. In most Singapour; Investissement singapourien cases the Indonesian counterpart of the et dépendeance de Batam’, Archipel 59 Singaporean investors was the Salim (2000), pp.145–170. Group, which again had very close con- nections with the Suharto presidency. Dr Freek Colombijn is at present senior The connection between the Salim researcher at the Royal Netherlands Insti- Group and the highest Indonesian tute of Southeast Asian and Carribean Stud- authorities helped them to acquire ies (KITLV). His current research is on the land: villagers were often pressed to politics of housing in Indonesia between decamp from their land with very little 1930 and 1960. compensation. For instance, on Bintan [email protected]

10 IIAS Newsletter | #31 | July 2003