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Enforcement agencies such as
the Maritime Agency and the Marine police must
increase patrols along Johor waters to prevent
further intrusion of the state’s islands.
Datuk Aziz Sapian (BN-Nusajaya) told the state
assembly that the agencies should be on their
toes especially after the Johor Sultan reminded
everyone that Pulau Batu Puteh was under Johor’s
sovereignty and must be reclaimed.
“The state government must take proactive
actions to ensure the sovereignty of all islands
in the state.
“The government agencies must patrol all the
islands especially the ones near Singapore,” he
said adding that, so far he has not seen much
patrols along the waters near Singapore.
Aziz said he did not rule out the possibility
that Singapore was using Pulau Batu Puteh’s
lighthouse to monitor Malaysia's shipping lanes.
He said islands such as Pulau Merambong,
situated about 1.5km from Singapore, must be
developed so that the mistakes would not be
repeated.
“The island has a lot of potential to be
developed under eco-tourism. We must develop it
as the distance from Singapore is getting nearer
because of land reclamation works,” he said.
He added that the island could also be used as a
military watch post to monitor the nation’s
waters and security.
Aziz explained that the island was also very
strategic as it is situated near international
waters as well as Tanjung Pelepas Port. |
