The Malaysian Immigration team (in blue jersey) playing futsal against their Singaporean counterparts (in red) during the tournament held in Johor Baru.
THE Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) team at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) and their Singaporean counterparts, Woodlands Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), took time off from safeguarding one of the world’s busiest land border crossings for a friendly game of futsal.
BSI Immigration Office’s Corporate and Communications Unit posted about the match between the two agencies on its social media platforms.
“The JIM-ICA futsal tournament in Johor Baru is a goodwill programme between BSI JIM and Woodlands ICA authorities held in conjunction with the Causeway marking its 100th year.
“The tournament, which started at 10am and ended at 1pm, saw the participation of four teams representing the two agencies.
“Each delegation had two men’s teams, a women’s team and a veterans team,” said the post.
The post stated that in addition to fostering sportsmanship, the tournament symbolised the close relationship between the two agencies.
On June 28, Malaysia and Singapore celebrated the centennial anniversary of the Causeway, one of the busiest border crossings in the world.
The historic moment was marked with a ceremony that included the release of 100 pigeons to symbolise the Causeway’s 100-year journey.
Held at the “zero mark” of the Causeway, it was witnessed by Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
The birds were released by Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
