ID :
25796
Tue, 10/21/2008 - 17:24
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/25796
The shortlink copeid
MALAYSIA HAS SPENT MORE THAN RM200 MILLION TO ENSURE SAFETY IN THE STRAITS OF MELAKA
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has spent more than RM200 million
(US$1=RM3.52) to install, maintain and upgrade various aids for navigation in
the Straits of Melaka, Najib Tun Razak said Tuesday.
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow, 805 km (500 mile) stretch of water
between Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) and the Indonesian island of
Sumatra. It is named after the state of Melaka, Malaysia.
For a small country with limited resources, this was a significant amount,
he said.
"But it is a price that we are willing to pay to ensure and enhance safety
of navigation in the Straits of Melaka," the deputy prime minister said in his
keynote address at the launch of The Centre For The Straits of Melaka
here.
Najib said that given the long-term financial implications, there was a
limit to what Malaysia could afford for this purpose.
"In this context, I believe the key to building a comprehensive security
environment in the Straits of Melaka is cooperation."
Over the last few years, he said, there had been significant and
unprecedented progress made in fostering cooperation between the littoral states
and the users of the straits.
The parties had succeeded in moving forward from a very minimal cooperation
to the establishment of a "cooperative mechanism" comprising dialogue process,
a fund dedicated to maintaining aids to navigation in the straits and six
projects aimed at enhancing safety of navigation, he said.
In this regard, the International Maritime Organisation had played a
pivotal
role in facilitating the much- needed cooperation, resulting in a number of
systems such as the Traffic Separation Scheme being put to monitor the straits.
"With these systems in place, the Straits of Melaka is well equipped with
the latest information technology for safety of navigation as well as precision
navigation and emergency response," he said.
Najib said other systems being planned included the proposed marine
electronic highway which will lead to the integration of current maritime safety
technologies with marine environment management and protection systems.
"I hope the coastal states can benefit from the use of the marine
electronic
highway to protect and enhance preservation of the marine environment of the
straits," he said.
He said China, South Korea, Japan and the United Arab Emirates had pledged
contributions to the proposed navigation fund, a key element in the cooperative
mechanism.
Therefore, he encouraged the users of the straits to contribute to the fund
to enable a truly equitable system to be developed.
"Besides financial assistance, support in the form of capacity-building
like training and technology transfer would also be welcomed," he said.
Najib said the cooperative mechanism complemented the cooperation which
already existed among Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore in two major
initiatives, the Melaka Straits Patrol and the Eye-in-the-Sky air surveillance
program, apart from substantial intelligence sharing.
Thailand recently indicated its readiness to participate in all these
initiatives.
These efforts had contributed to enhancing the confidence level of maritime
powers in the capacity of the littoral states, he added.
Najib said statistic from the reports of the International Maritime Bureau
had shown a significant drop in security-related incidents from a peak of 75
cases in 2000 to only four in 2007.
"And for the first half of 2008, there is not a single reported case," he
said, adding that there was a programme on economic capacity building in the
straits for the coastal community under the comprehensive security development
programme.
Najib said that despite the positive developments and improvements for
navigational safety and protection of the marine environment, Malaysia believed
that there was an ultimate "tipping point" for maritime traffic in the straits
beyond which further increases would become not only risky, but also too
dangerous and costly.
"In other words, the capacity of the straits to assimilate increasing
vessel traffic is finite."
He said the vessel traffic in the straits has increased by almost 40 per
cent from 43,965 in 1999 to 70,718 in 2007 and it was projected that by 2015,
the number might increase to 120,000.
"A daunting prospect, indeed, for the littoral states and users of the
straits in terms of safety of navigation," he said.
Therefore, Malaysia believed that shipping carrying capacity in the straits
of Malacca would have to be jointly determined and not exceeded.
He said it was important to appreciate that the sea which constituted the
straits was not international waters, therefore the extent of Malaysia's
maritime jurisdiction in the area was regulated by long-standing boundary
treaties and national legislation.
"It is therefore necessary for me to reiterate that Malaysia regards its
sovereignity in the straits as sacrosanct and this includes the right to
exercise full and exclusive sovereignity over our territorial waters."
Najib said Malaysia also had a Continental Shelf and an Exclusive Economic
Zone in the straits, and reserved all rights therein provided by the convention,
including sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing
resources.
"Therefore, Malaysia's position on any outside involvement or interference
in security or law enforcement in the straits is clear, that is, we do not
condone such actions," he added.
-- BERNAMA
(US$1=RM3.52) to install, maintain and upgrade various aids for navigation in
the Straits of Melaka, Najib Tun Razak said Tuesday.
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow, 805 km (500 mile) stretch of water
between Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) and the Indonesian island of
Sumatra. It is named after the state of Melaka, Malaysia.
For a small country with limited resources, this was a significant amount,
he said.
"But it is a price that we are willing to pay to ensure and enhance safety
of navigation in the Straits of Melaka," the deputy prime minister said in his
keynote address at the launch of The Centre For The Straits of Melaka
here.
Najib said that given the long-term financial implications, there was a
limit to what Malaysia could afford for this purpose.
"In this context, I believe the key to building a comprehensive security
environment in the Straits of Melaka is cooperation."
Over the last few years, he said, there had been significant and
unprecedented progress made in fostering cooperation between the littoral states
and the users of the straits.
The parties had succeeded in moving forward from a very minimal cooperation
to the establishment of a "cooperative mechanism" comprising dialogue process,
a fund dedicated to maintaining aids to navigation in the straits and six
projects aimed at enhancing safety of navigation, he said.
In this regard, the International Maritime Organisation had played a
pivotal
role in facilitating the much- needed cooperation, resulting in a number of
systems such as the Traffic Separation Scheme being put to monitor the straits.
"With these systems in place, the Straits of Melaka is well equipped with
the latest information technology for safety of navigation as well as precision
navigation and emergency response," he said.
Najib said other systems being planned included the proposed marine
electronic highway which will lead to the integration of current maritime safety
technologies with marine environment management and protection systems.
"I hope the coastal states can benefit from the use of the marine
electronic
highway to protect and enhance preservation of the marine environment of the
straits," he said.
He said China, South Korea, Japan and the United Arab Emirates had pledged
contributions to the proposed navigation fund, a key element in the cooperative
mechanism.
Therefore, he encouraged the users of the straits to contribute to the fund
to enable a truly equitable system to be developed.
"Besides financial assistance, support in the form of capacity-building
like training and technology transfer would also be welcomed," he said.
Najib said the cooperative mechanism complemented the cooperation which
already existed among Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore in two major
initiatives, the Melaka Straits Patrol and the Eye-in-the-Sky air surveillance
program, apart from substantial intelligence sharing.
Thailand recently indicated its readiness to participate in all these
initiatives.
These efforts had contributed to enhancing the confidence level of maritime
powers in the capacity of the littoral states, he added.
Najib said statistic from the reports of the International Maritime Bureau
had shown a significant drop in security-related incidents from a peak of 75
cases in 2000 to only four in 2007.
"And for the first half of 2008, there is not a single reported case," he
said, adding that there was a programme on economic capacity building in the
straits for the coastal community under the comprehensive security development
programme.
Najib said that despite the positive developments and improvements for
navigational safety and protection of the marine environment, Malaysia believed
that there was an ultimate "tipping point" for maritime traffic in the straits
beyond which further increases would become not only risky, but also too
dangerous and costly.
"In other words, the capacity of the straits to assimilate increasing
vessel traffic is finite."
He said the vessel traffic in the straits has increased by almost 40 per
cent from 43,965 in 1999 to 70,718 in 2007 and it was projected that by 2015,
the number might increase to 120,000.
"A daunting prospect, indeed, for the littoral states and users of the
straits in terms of safety of navigation," he said.
Therefore, Malaysia believed that shipping carrying capacity in the straits
of Malacca would have to be jointly determined and not exceeded.
He said it was important to appreciate that the sea which constituted the
straits was not international waters, therefore the extent of Malaysia's
maritime jurisdiction in the area was regulated by long-standing boundary
treaties and national legislation.
"It is therefore necessary for me to reiterate that Malaysia regards its
sovereignity in the straits as sacrosanct and this includes the right to
exercise full and exclusive sovereignity over our territorial waters."
Najib said Malaysia also had a Continental Shelf and an Exclusive Economic
Zone in the straits, and reserved all rights therein provided by the convention,
including sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing
resources.
"Therefore, Malaysia's position on any outside involvement or interference
in security or law enforcement in the straits is clear, that is, we do not
condone such actions," he added.
-- BERNAMA
