Malay Mail report 'mischaracterising' Johor Baru Port Limits dispute: Singapore High Commission
Singapore’s High Commission in Kuala Lumpur said in a media statement on Thursday (20 December) that a report claiming that Singapore Navy vessels were spotted within the new Johor Baru Port Limits is “mischaracterising” what was happening in the waters.
It added that the MalayMail.com article of 16 December, titled “Despite Malaysia’s olive branch, Singapore Navy seen inside Johor port limits”, ignored Singapore’s efforts to maintain calm. Furthermore, the Republic’s security agencies have been “exercising restraint” in enforcing its territorial waters.
Two reports with inaccuracies
The statement also refuted another report on 15 December from the Malaysian media outlet, titled “Is Malaysia really intruding into Singaporean waters?”
The High Commission said that both reports contain inaccuracies, and added, “Statements that the recent purported extension of the Johor Bahru Port Limits are within Malaysia’s territorial waters are inaccurate even going by Malaysia’s own conduct.”
“Singapore’s security agencies have been exercising restraint in enforcing Singapore Territorial Waters off Tuas despite repeated intrusions by Malaysian Government vessels,” it said.
Report centres on territorial definitions made in 1979
On 25 October, Malaysia purportedly extended the port limits of Johor Bahru, prompting the Singapore government to protest against the move. Malaysian government vessels have since repeatedly intruded into Singapore’s territorial waters off Tuas.
The MalayMail.com report dated 15 December stated that the official maritime border between Malaysia and Singapore ends just slightly southwest of the original Tuas area, which was finalised in 1995 and based on the Straits Settlements and Johore Territorial Waters Agreement of 1927.
Beyond that, Malaysia has defined its own territorial waters and continental shelf in a map it published in 1979. However, Singapore has never acknowledged this boundary.
The report added that, despite Malaysia treating the 1979 line as the “status quo” for the maritime border, the converse was not true for Singapore, which has breached the 1979 line that it does not recognise as legitimate. The land reclamation at Tuas that started in 2002 was one such case, as it directly overlaps the “Point 20 sliver” on the 1979 line.
Singapore says 1979 territorial claim made unilaterally
The High Commission referred to the 6 December statement by Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan, which stated that “the recent purported extension of the Johor Bahru Port Limits goes beyond what even Malaysia itself claimed as its territorial waters in 1979.
“This territorial waters claim, which Singapore does not recognise, was unilaterally made by Malaysia in a map which it published that year. At that time, no land reclamation at Tuas in Singapore had taken place.”
Khaw added that he hopes that “good sense will prevail” and for the dispute to be managed in a “peaceful, calm and professional” manner.
The embassy’s statement noted that prior to 25 October, Malaysia had never laid claim to the waters covered by the recent purported extension of the Johor Baru Port Limits, nor protested against Singapore’s continuous exercise of jurisdiction in those waters.
“This includes the regular deployment of Singapore’s security agencies in the area for several decades,” it said. “The purported extension of the Johor Bahru Port Limits and the intrusions by Malaysian Government vessels into what are clearly Singapore territorial waters off Tuas are a serious violation of Singapore’s sovereignty and international law.”
Related stories:
Singapore rejects Malaysia’s ‘cease and desist’ proposal on disputed maritime area
Singapore and Malaysia ties hindered by ‘past baggage’, need to avoid ‘destructive path’: Khaw
Malaysian vessels in Singapore waters raise tensions, risk causing ‘dangerous incident’: MFA
