Forget HSR, develop South Ledge, says Dr M
Dr Mahathir Mohamad wants the government to reclaim the sea around South Ledge of Pulau Batu Puteh and have a marine base built there. (AFP pic)
PETALING JAYA: The government should focus on developing the South Ledge of Pulau Batu Puteh rather than reviving the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR), Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.
In a Twitter post today, he said “rather than reviving the HSR, which could well be complemented by the double-tracking project, we should instead focus on developing the South Ledge of Pulau Batu Puteh.”
Mahathir added that Malaysia had been granted sovereignty over South Ledge by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“I had proposed for (the sea around) South Ledge to be reclaimed and expanded and a marine base be built there to establish and stamp our sovereignty,” he said.
On May 23, 2008, the ICJ ruled that Singapore had sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh, also known as Pedra Branca, while South Ledge would belong to the state in whose territorial waters it is located.
Putrajaya had initially filed an application for review of the decision on Feb 3, 2017.
The Pakatan Harapan government led by Mahathir withdrew the application in May 2018 before the review was scheduled to be heard on June 11, 2018.
Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, South Ledge, and Middle Rocks are territories that are part of land reclamation disputes between Malaysia and Singapore.
PETALING JAYA: The government should focus on developing the South Ledge of Pulau Batu Puteh rather than reviving the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR), Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.
In a Twitter post today, he said “rather than reviving the HSR, which could well be complemented by the double-tracking project, we should instead focus on developing the South Ledge of Pulau Batu Puteh.”
Mahathir added that Malaysia had been granted sovereignty over South Ledge by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“I had proposed for (the sea around) South Ledge to be reclaimed and expanded and a marine base be built there to establish and stamp our sovereignty,” he said.
On May 23, 2008, the ICJ ruled that Singapore had sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh, also known as Pedra Branca, while South Ledge would belong to the state in whose territorial waters it is located.
Putrajaya had initially filed an application for review of the decision on Feb 3, 2017.
The Pakatan Harapan government led by Mahathir withdrew the application in May 2018 before the review was scheduled to be heard on June 11, 2018.
Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, South Ledge, and Middle Rocks are territories that are part of land reclamation disputes between Malaysia and Singapore.
Hahaha... going by the judgement of the ICJ on the case, if Malaysia wants to ensure no future doubts on the South Ledge sovereignty, it needs to ensure proven "exercise of sovereignty" activities over the rocks.
ReplyDeleteChina is already doing that over multiple islands in the South China Sea, ensuring future unchallengeable rights over the South China Sea Islands and surrounding seas.
Wakakakaka…
DeleteEver heard of this piece of news?
About 1,100 miles south of Tokyo,I the Okinotori Islands poke out of a submerged coral reef measuring about seven miles around. But as Japan's most southerly territory they bring with them a claim to a 160,000-square-mile exclusive economic zone, an area larger than the Japanese archipelago itself.
The Okinotori (Parece Vela,
冲之鸟礁) is a coral reef with two rocks enlarged with tetrapod-cement structures constructed by Japan in expanding in island territorial claims since 1987. Its Japanese sovereign claim is in dispute - this time internationally.
Under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a coastal state can establish an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. UNCLOS Article 76 also stipulates that a coastal state’s continental shelf can extend beyond its territorial sea to the outer edge of the continental margin. Thus, a coastal state potentially can claim a large mass of water as its EEZ, along with the sovereign rights to exploit, conserve and manage the natural resources within the EEZ. So Japan has intended to establish an EEZ around Okinotori.
Relevant to the issue is the definition of “island” and “rock.” UNCLOS stipulates that “an island is a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high tide” [Article 121 (1)]. The law does not clearly define what a rock is, specifying only that “[r]ocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf” [Article 121 (3)].
But Japan still goes ahead to claim that Okinotori is his sovereign island territory & thus invokes the 200 nautical miles eez!
Sound familiar to u mfers on the South China Sea dispute?
How come u people &/or yr uncle Sam never raise a hell on this dubious Japan claim?
Proximity? Wakakaka…1,100 miles south of Tokyo in the Philippine Sea.
Historical records? None, except with a Yankee declaration after WWII to give that caretaker status to the defeated Jap(?!!)
Area? Bigger than the whole of Japan archipelago with the incision of the EEZ!
How about there’s a larger strategic claim — Okinotori is situated between the first and second island chain, a position that can deny the Chinese navy access into the Pacific. The islet is also close to sea lanes transporting materials that are vital to Japan’s economy.
The old man's hatred for Singapore knows no bounds.
ReplyDeleteHe will always find things to poke Singapore to satisfy his own agenda.
This is simply due to his inferiority complex especially when one compares the achievement of the late Lee Kuan Yew and this old idiot.
If we bother to notice, whenever this old idiot is up to his antics, Singapore generally does not bother to comment and if it does comment, it will be based on international rules.
there's an old long mentioned story of Mahathir either traumatized or deeply hurt (or both) in his younger days as a student in Sing Uni - some said it involved a Chinese sweetheart - hence the consequences of that trauma led him to hate both Chinese and Singaporeans, especially Chinese Sings, wakakaka
DeleteTUN DR MATI TAK LAMA LAGI IN 2022......MASA TAKDIR JUMPA SETAN RACIST AWAK!!...MALUSIAL DAH BANKRUPT HAMPIR $2,000,000,000,000...INI TAK ADA DALAM BAHASA MALU YU.....$2 TRILLION RINGGIT HUTANG......ENJOY YAH...MAKAN RUMPUT KALAU UNDI LAGI UMNO PBB PN BN BANGSAT NEGARA KAT SARAWAK!!
ReplyDeleteThe proposed reopening of HSR on Malaysia's new terms - no more international open tenders, Malaysia to make own decision on its contractor selections....if on that basis I would rather say Fuck HSR.
ReplyDeleteIt will be just another Contracts for Cronies exercise.