(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Malaysia Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has expressed his approval of the proposal by Arau Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim for the government to establish a military base on Beting Patinggi Ali (Luconia Shoals).
However, he clarified that the government would only proceed with the construction of a military base on Beting Patinggi Ali after obtaining “sufficient strength”.
“A military base on Beting Patinggi Ali. I fully agree with the Arau Member of Parliament’s proposal, but we must have strength. It is pointless to establish a base if we cannot control it. So, we will build strength first.”
“InshaAllah, after we have the strength, with the existing naval base Headquarters of Maritime Zone 4 (MAWILLA 4), 31 Brigade in Bintulu, and the open base of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) in Bintulu, we will gradually strengthen to ensure that our position there cannot be challenged,” he said.
The Defence Minister made these remarks in response to questions from Shahidan during the winding-up session of the Supply Bill 2024 (Budget 2024) at the committee level for the Ministry of Defense in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Beting Patinggi Ali is situated approximately 155 nautical miles off the coast of Miri (specifically at Tanjung Baram), Sarawak, and is located within Malaysia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
This shoal is the southernmost position in the Spratly Islands group and has, in recent years, seen frequent intrusions by Chinese coast guard vessels.
The waters surrounding Beting Patinggi Ali are known to contain significant oil and gas reserves.
According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) based in Washington, Chinese coast guard vessels patrolled Beting Patinggi Ali for 316 days last year.
Although the Defence Minister responded positively to the proposal by the Arau Member of Parliament to establish a military base on Beting Patinggi Ali, similar to the government’s actions on Layang-Layang Island, his response in the Dewan Rakyat in June was different.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) vessel “shadows” a Chinese Coast Guard ship off the coast of Sarawak. (File image)
Despite the frequent intrusions by Chinese coast guard vessels into the surrounding waters, the Ministry of Defense, according to Mohamad Hasan, has no plans to develop an Offshore Station at Beting Patinggi Ali (Luconia Shoals).
This was explicitly stated by him in a written response to a question posed by Datuk Seri Dr Haji Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Kuala Selangor) on June 14.
Dzulkefly, a former Minister of Health, inquired whether the ministry had plans to develop an Offshore Station at Beting Patinggi Ali to station the country’s military assets, similar to what was done in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia.
“The Ministry of Defense has no intention to undertake development at Beting Patinggi Ali (BPA),” said Mohamad Hasan in his written response. — DSA
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