Thursday 20 August 2015

Malaysia lodges diplomatic protest against intrusion at Beting Patinggi Ali

ALOR STAR, Aug 15, 2015 - Malaysia will continue to send diplomatic protests against the intrusion of Chinese coast guard ships in Malaysian waters near Beting Patinggi Ali, Sarawak, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim today.

Shahidan, who is in charge of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the National Security Council (NSC), said the republic’s ships had been in Malaysian waters for more than two years.

“We have never received any official claims from them (China) and they said the island (Beting Patinggi Ali) belongs to them but the country is 400,000km away.

“We are taking diplomatic action but in whatever approach, they have to get out of our national waters,” he told reporters after opening the Alor Star Wanita Umno division meeting today.

Beting Patinggi Ali is located only about 90 nautical miles from the shore of Miri.

Shahidan said the government had been sending diplomatic notes each week to protest against the intrusion of foreign ships found near Beting Patinggi Ali.

In June, Shahidan and senior officers from the Malaysian navy, MMEA and NSC made a survey by air against the intrusion of Chinese coast guard ships at Beting Patinggi Ali.

Shahidan, who is also Umno Supreme Council member, said intrusion by foreign ships in the waters near Beting began two years ago and the incident was still going on now.

Nonetheless, he said the government was working through diplomatic channels to ensure the foreign ships leave Malaysian waters.

“No parties should try to trespass the territorial right of this country,” he said, adding that the presence of foreign ships in national waters should not have happened. (Bernama)

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