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informed Singapore on Thursday that all special arrangements and waivers previously granted to the city-state would be withdrawn, and that Singapore air force will have to acquire clearance beginning on Friday.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