G3: This bullshxt never ends.
First, it was the Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke. Then, it was the Deputy Minister of Defence, Liew Chin Tong. Today, it’s back to Anthony Loke (see news item below).
The duo is attempting to tell all and sundry that the ongoing spat between Singapore and Malaysia is the result of the southern Republic’s insistence on using an Instrument Landing System (ILS) at its newly built Seletar Airport, which, according to Loke, will affect development at Pasir Gudang.
But the spat did not begin with the ILS issue.
It began when Singapore made a “strong protest” over Malaysia’s plan to extend the limits of a port in its southernmost state that the Singaporean Ministry of Transport insists will encroach its territorial waters.
On the 5th of December 2018, TTF wrote:
A report by the Singapore based Herald quoted Singaporean Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan as saying that Malaysia had infringed international law by “building into its Malsysian waters,” and pushed the blame squarely to his Malaysian counterpart, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, for ignoring him.
Khaw is said to have threatened Malaysia with armed forces from the Singapore navy and is also said to have demanded that Malaysia remove the Johor port extension.
A TTF contact from within the southern republic’s corridors of power confirmed this to be true an hour ago and added that Khaw made no bones about the possibility of there being serious repercussions to Malaysia on account of Loke’s arrogance.
Loke is trying hard to skate over the real issue – Chin Tong’s attempt at gaining top secret defence information from high ranking officers within the Malaysian Ministry of Defence.
On the 19th of November 2018, Dato’ Azwanddin Hamzah revealed (in Malay):
“Menurut maklumat yang diperolehi oleh pihak kami, Liew Chin Tong juga adalah merupakan Fellow Pelawat Badan Perisikan Penyelidik ISEAS yang berpengkalan di Singapura.
“Tidak mustahil dengan adanya peluang sebegini, Chin Tong dikhuatiri akan mendedahkan sesetengah perkara yang melibatkan polisi keselamatan dan ini merupakan satu ancaman kepada Negara.”
A well placed source from Singapore told TTF that the Malaysian Deputy Minister of Defence could have gained access to tactical information regarding Johor’s air defence systems and handed it over to Singaporean authorities.
One way or the other, Singapore does have its hands on information it should not be in possession of.
The Southern Republic plans to use the information to hold Malaysia at ransom over the Johor port extension issue in a show of strength, aimed at foiling plans by the Malathir administration to expand Malaysian territory southward.
On the 2nd of September 2018, TTF wrote:
The Singaporeans know precisely why Mahathir had planned to expand Malaysian territory southward by introducing non-submerged land mass around the Middle Rocks cluster.
The cluster just so happens to sit within the eastern opening of the Singapore Straits and the western edge of the South China Sea.
They know that the area is rich with oil and is of interest to the People’s Republic of China.
Mahathir is aware that the Chinese government has long had disputes with the Singaporean government and is desperate to work with Malaysia in exploiting the region.
He planned to build an island where Middle Rocks stands to redraw territorial borders and force Singapore into renegotiating Maritime Security arrangements.
The renegotiation would immediately grant Malaysia exclusive rights to the edge of the South China Sea and allow our oil and gas companies to partake in deep-sea drilling within the region.
Basically, all of what’s going on (with regards to the recent spat between Singapore and Malaysia on maritime and airspace security) has to do with plans by the Mahathir administration to redraw maritime security borders in order that the Prime Minister’s cronies can conduct deep-sea drilling in present day Singaporean waters.
Desperate to foil Mahathr’s plans, the Singaporean Ministry of Defence somehow got a hold of our tactical defence information and is now telling Loke and Chin Tong to go fly kites.
The Republic is prepared to go to war with Malaysia and will only compromise on the Johor port extension should Mahathir forego plans to build a crooked bridge and introduce non-submerged land mass around the Middle Rocks cluster.
Under pressure, both Loke and Chin Tong shifted the spotlight from the port issue to the ILS by alleging that the system would affect development at Pasir Gudang.
The fact that this is a desperate attempt at a diversion is corroborated by PPBM’s Dr Rais Hussin, who, on the 9th of December 2018, came to Loke’s defence by writing:
“Malaysia has taken a live and let live approach with Singapore, granted that Malaysia knows that Singapore is smart enough not to spoil for a fight. Thus, Malaysia has hardly ever protested about Singapore’s incursions about its airspace.
“Thus when Singapore goes all ballistic about the 14 so-called ‘incursions’ of Malaysian patrol boats… with maps to show by the Ministry of Transport, one wonders if Singapore knows Malaysia has been tolerating it ad nauseum? Not in the sea but in the air.
“If Malaysia asserts its sovereignty and right to self defence, as Singapore Patrol Boats and Navy seem to want to do in the new areas claimed by Malaysia in 2018, Malaysia and Singapore would be having aerial dog fights from 1965 until today.”
Not only does Rais’ statement demonstrate PPBM’s true intent, which is, to go at it with Singapore on a tit for tat basis, it shows that the government is concerned over the Republic’s airspace intrusions, not the ILS.
Loke, however, is giving the impression that the government’s concern is with the ILS, not the intrusions, and that its intent is to prevent development in Pasir Gudang from being hampered.
Go ahead, take your pick.
RJ Rithaudeen
KUALA LUMPUR: If Singapore goes ahead with its plan to use the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at its Seletar Airport, it will not only affect Pasir Gudang but also up north to Ayer Tawar and almost to Kota Tinggi.
This was explained in a video posted by Transport Minister Anthony Loke on his Facebook page last night.
He was detailing why Malaysia was opposed to ILS, a precision runway approach aid that helps airplanes to land even in poor visibility.
“Hi Singapore, Seletar Airport is yours, but Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia is ours. So please hear us out,” Loke said.
“To Malaysians, please watch and share this — there are reasons why Malaysia has to oppose the ILS of the Seletar Airport which Singapore wants to implement from Jan 3, 2019.
“We urge Singapore to withdraw the ILS announcement and to amend the flight path as per our request.”
The 1:36 minute video explains that as Seletar Airport is only 2km from Pasir Gudang, any planes landing at the airport will intrude into Malaysia’s airspace.
The height buffer from a distance of 3km and 6km from the Seletar Airport runway cannot be higher than 54m and 145m, respectively.
“This means, even a mobile crane would have breached the height limit and there are many tall buildings in Johor,” said Loke.
“We can’t even build tall buildings over Pasir Gudang if we allow that flight path and our Pasir Gudang Port will be subjected to higher risks and multiple restrictions.
“Previously, Seletar Airport did not use ILS and pilots can manoeuvre around obstacles, hence no height regulation is required around the flight path area.
“But now, it is compulsory to impose height restrictions for ILS.”
Loke clarified Malaysia’s stand on the matter.
“Our position is very clear; we are not against Seletar Airport but as far as the descending flight path is concerned, it cannot be over Pasir Gudang.”
Source: NST Online
