The Andaman: Keeping Fingers Crossed for Penang's New Island

WE’VE BEEN WAITING for the emergence of this manmade island off the northeastern coast of Penang Island for years. A concept envisioned in 1982 by Lim Chong Eu, Penang’s second Chief Minister, it met with stops and starts since the Penang State Government granted a concession for its reclamation and development in 1990. The halt occasioned by the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis looked like the death of a dream, but for many living along the coast, it meant an extended period of unobscured sea views.