FINGER PIER IMMIGRATION CHECKPOINT (Upgrading of facilities)

Mr Eric Cheong Yuen Chee asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether he will look into the possibility of upgrading the facilities at the Finger Pier immigration checkpoint to provide faster clearance of tourists and others returning from tours to the Indonesian islands like Batam and Tanjong Pinang.

Prof. Jayakumar: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Finger Pier Passenger Terminal was constructed by the Port of Singapore Autho- rity in 1975 to cater to the ferry traffic between Singapore and the neighbouring Indonesian islands. With the development of Pulau Batam and Tanjong Pinang as holiday spots for Singaporeans and others over the last two years, there are now more people travelling to Indonesia via the Finger Pier checkpoint.

The PSA and Immigration Department are monitoring the traffic and the capability of the existing facilities to handle it. Improvements are being made to the terminal building and, if necessary, PSA will review the situation. PSA is also working on long-term plans for a new site to build bigger and better facilities.