KL defends move on Singapore jet clearances

KL defends move on Singapore jet clearances

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysia defended on Friday its move
to end blanket clearance for Singapore military aircraft to enter
its air space giving only 24 hours notice of the move.

Defense Minister Syed Hamid Albar acknowledged that a six-
month notice was required for any such moves under the Five Power
Defense Arrangement for navigational training which also involves
Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

"But in the same agreement, there is a provision stipulating
that Malaysia can give appropriate notice if necessary," he was
reported as saying by Bernama news agency.

"Looking at the strategic situation, population density and
the need to use the airspace to serve our own needs, the 24-hour
notice is adequate," Syed Hamid said.

Malaysia informed Singapore on Thursday that all special
arrangements and waivers previously granted to the city-state
would be withdrawn, and that Singapore air force will have to
acquire clearance beginning on Friday.

Singapore's defense ministry said on Thursday that the Kuala
Lumpur government had taken the decision without prior
consultation or advance notification as agreed upon by the two
countries.

Singapore's air force has "alternative arrangements to ensure
that its operational effectiveness is not compromised and that
its training will not be affected", the defense ministry's
statement said.

Syed Hamid said on Friday the decision was permanent and his
ministry would consider future requests by Singapore military
after taking into account Malaysia's interests.

He repeatedly denied the move was in retaliation for Singapore
Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs, which recounted the
bitter separation between Singapore and Malaysia in 1965.

"It is very silly to react to situational things which will
affect our long-term relations," he said.

Syed Hamid explained he had prepared a paper urging the
cabinet to review the use of Malaysian airspace by Singapore jets
after residents in southern Johore state complained of noise
pollution.

Although the cabinet approved the decision, it only gave
permission to enforce the rule two weeks ago, he added.
Asked if the decision would affect joint exercises with
Singapore, Syed Hamid said Malaysia had no bilateral defense
agreement with Singapore but such exercises could be held if
necessary.

The move comes as the two nations go through a rough patch in
relations which took another bad turn earlier this week following
the publication of Lee's new autobiography, in which he blamed
Malaysia for instigating Singapore's deadly racial riots of 1964.

Among the privileges to be terminated are the waiver of
clearance for Singapore jets when transiting Malaysia's Johore
state, and for training within Malaysian air force low-flying
areas.

Singapore's navigational training over Malaysian air space and
the two countries' combined search and rescue operations will
also cease.

Syed Hamid was among several Malaysian leaders who have
accused Lee of manipulating history in his book, released in
Singapore on Wednesday on his 75th birthday.

Largely ethnic Chinese Singapore was ejected from the
Malaysian federation on August 9, 1965 after a two-year union,
following a dispute over preferential treatment for indigenous
Malays.