KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry will investigate claims about the presence of a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship in the South China Sea, particularly in the area around Beting Patinggi Ali, Sarawak.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, said this was to ascertain whether the foreign ship was anchored there or just passing through.
"Patrols are conducted by the Royal Malaysian Navy and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. The waters of the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea are free-flow waters. It is a threat to our sovereignty if the ship anchors there.
"If it was passing through, we cannot do anything as that is the international law of the sea," he told reporters after opening the Gombak Umno delegates meeting on Sunday (July 28).
He said this in response to a report by a portal claiming that fishermen in Miri felt intimidated by the presence of the CCG ship, which hampered them from going to sea.
Before this, the government insisted that Beting Patinggi Ali belonged to Malaysia and had never recognised any claim from any party since it is within Malaysia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Beting Patinggi Ali is 84 nautical miles (155km) from the coast of Miri, specifically in Tanjung Baram, Sarawak. – Bernama
