Johor bahru: The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Johor Bahru has proposed a roll-on roll-off (RoRo) ferry service linking Johor and Batam to strengthen trade, tourism, and people-to-people ties. Consul-General Sigit S. Widiyanto highlighted that the route could be developed from Tanjung Belungkor, Johor, to Bintang 99 Port, Batam, providing a direct link for vehicles and goods.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Consul-General Sigit S. Widiyanto expressed that if the RoRo service could be realized, the Johor-Singapore-Riau Islands region would become more interconnected, spurring regional economic growth and benefiting communities on both sides. He also mentioned discussions about a RoRo service from Melaka to Dumai in Riau, which would create another maritime link between Malaysia and Indonesia.

The initiative would complement the Jiran Istimewa (JIWA) programme, offering privileges for residents of Johor and the Riau Islands, as well as Melaka and Riau, when traveling between these regions. So far, 134 tourism industry players from the four regions have joined JIWA, a special border treatment initiative aimed at boosting cross-border tourism promotion in the border areas of southern Peninsular Malaysia.

Sigit also noted that there are more than 130,000 Indonesians living under the jurisdiction of KJRI Johor Bahru, including approximately 100,000 in Johor, with the remainder in Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, and Pahang. This year, a database of Indonesians covering plantation and factory workers, schoolchildren, and prison inmates has been developed.

He emphasized that the strong momentum in Indonesia-Malaysia ties, particularly between Johor and the Riau Islands, should be channelled into concrete initiatives.