Singapore warns of Spratlys' effect

Singapore warns of Spratlys' effect

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore's Foreign Minister Shanmugam Jayakumar warned yesterday that the dispute over the Spratly islands in the South China Sea could wreck navigational freedom and affect the global community.

Launching two patrol vessels to provide coastal surveillance and defense capabilities, he said freedom of navigation through the South China Sea and the narrow but busy Malacca Straits straddling Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia was vital.

"Any threat to the freedom and safety through these waters would therefore have adverse consequences beyond the region and affect the entire international community," Jayakumar said.

For example, he said, "the dispute over the Spratlys would severely affect freedom of navigation and this dispute is therefore not just a question of sovereignty over these islands."

The Spratlys, believed to be a rich mineral deposit and fishing ground, are claimed in part or wholly by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The Spratlys is seen as a potential flashpoint in the region. Tension arose recently when Manila claimed Chinese intrusion of islands said to be within the territory of the Philippines.

Jayakumar said that freedom of navigation through the Malacca Straits as well as the South China Sea was fundamental to the continued survival and prosperity of Singapore, the busiest port in the world in terms of shipping tonnage.

More than 330 shipping lines operate services through Singapore to 610 ports in 130 countries. At any time there are about 800 ships in port.

The launching yesterday of the patrol vessels signified Singapore's commitment to developing a sound maritime defense capability to protect the island's maritime interests and safeguard the sea lanes around it, Jayakumar said.