The 165-meter Chinese Coast Guard cutter Zhong Guo Hai Jing 5901 is the largest coast guard vessel in the world, and was spotted loitering some 60 nautical miles off Bintulu
Malaysia is prepared to negotiate with China over a dispute between them in the South China Sea, Bernama reported on Monday, citing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
As we are all aware, China claims virtually all of the 3.5 million sq. km of the waters of the South China Sea. Other claimants include Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and the Philippines, while Indonesia is an affected party through China’s blatant and frequent incursions.
“China is also staking claim over the area. I said as a small country that needs oil and gas resources, we have to continue, but if the condition is that there must be negotiations, then we are ready to negotiate,” he said.
Negotiate what?
Malaysia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is determined by Article 57 of Part V of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that was adopted in 1982. A total of 167 countries and the European Union are parties, and that includes China.
Article 57 states that the breadth of the EEZ shall not exceed 200 nautical miles from the baselines that have been used to measure a country’s territorial waters. Our waters are very definitely more than 200 nautical miles from China’s baseline shores, in case the government, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whose advice the PM depends on, doesn’t know about our EEZ.
And only Malaysia has the sovereign right to explore and exploit, conserve and manage all the natural resources within its EEZ. Not any other country. Therefore by negotiating, are we not giving clout to China’s delusional nine-dash line?
Furthermore, there is a Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling made in the Philippines v China case in 2016 that has ruled against the latter’s claim over maritime areas within the nine-dash line. The Court ruled that China not only has China exceeded what is entitled under UNCLOS, but that China, among others, has no legal basis to claim rights to resources within the nine-dash line.
It is puzzling that the government does not know this, or has forgotten about it. I am surprised that it has also forgotten that the previous Pakatan Harapan administration in 2019 filed a formal submission to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, detailing information on the limits of its continental shelf, beyond its 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). China, as always, rejected Malaysia’s claim and asserted its sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea with vague and ambiguous arguments.
If China cannot respect our rights given to us through legal means, why should we even care about what they think of our waters? Or are we so hard up for them to turn the billions in MOUs from the PM’s recent visit there into contracts?
If that is the case, are we not selling off our sovereignty like during Najjb’s administration?
KM Bagan Datuk – salah sebuah aset Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM) yang memelihara kedaulatan negara tanpa mengira cabaran yang dihadapi
Seramai 24 orang pendatang asing tanpa izin (PATI) ditahan di Teluk Ramunia. Seorang nelayan hilang dan ditemui mati di perairan Kudat, Sabah. Belum sampai penghujung bulan, sejak 1 November 2020 hingga semalam, sebanyak 173 bot nelayan asing (BNA) dari Indonesia telah diusir oleh Maritim Malaysia negeri Perak berhampiran Pulau Jarak. Sebuah kapal Pengawal Pantai China (CCG) Zhongguo Haijing 5402 telah mengganggu sebuah kapal penggerudian minyak serta kapal-kapal bekalannya hanya 44 batu nautika dari pesisir pantai negeri Sarawak. Tiga orang anggota Pasukan Gerakan Am (PGA) Polis DiRaja Malaysia ditembak oleh kumpulan penyeludup dalam dua insiden di sempadan Thai mengakibatkan seorang anggota berpangkat Koperal maut.
Demikianlah rangkuman insiden-insiden diperbatasan yang telah dilaporkan dalam tempoh seminggu ini. Insiden-insiden ini merupakan di antara cabaran-cabaran yang dihadapi oleh agensi-agensi kerajaan terutamanya APMM dalam menentukan sempadan perairan, kedaulatan negara, serta keselamatan komuniti di laut adalah selamat.
Turut berada di perbatasan perairan negara ialah Kapal Maritim Bagan Datuk serta 29 orang anak kapalnya yang dinakhodai oleh Leftenan Komander (Maritim) Nik Mohd Rizam bin Nik Mohd Fauzi, yang meronda di Sektor 6, Selat Melaka. KM Bagan Datuk disokong oleh bot-bot pemintas dari Maritim Negeri Melaka & Negeri Sembilan. Kapal ronda generasi baru sepanjang 45 meter yang ditauliahkan pada 15 Mac 2017 bertindak sebagai kapal induk untuk operasi-operasi pemintasan yang dilakukan oleh bot-bot pemintas di sektor tersebut.
Kehadiran BNA Indonesia di perairan Pulau Jarak bukanlah sesuatu yang boleh dipandang ringan dan remeh oleh umum. Sekiranya dibiarkan atas sebab budi-bicara ataupun atas dasar jiran-tetangga, ianya boleh menjejaskan kedaulatan negara. Kita ambil contoh tuntutan Malaysia dan Singapura ke atas Pulau Batu Putih (Pedra Branca) di mana Perjanjian Inggeris-Belanda, 1824 menamatkan kerajaan Johor-Pahang-Riau-Linggi. Di bawah Perkara XII perjanjian tersebut, tidak ada satu pun pertubuhan British dibenarkan di atas pulau-pulau Karimun, Batam, Bintan, Lingga dan pulau-pulau ke selatan Singapura, manakala pulau-pulau serta batuan-batuan di dalam Selat Singapura menjadi milik kerajaan Kesultanan Johor yang baharu.
Sebuah rumah api didirikan oleh Syarikat Hindia-Timur British (HEIC) di Pulau Batu Putih dalam bulan Jun 1850 dan mula beroperasi pada 15 Oktober 1851. Ianya dioperasikan oleh Lembaga Pelabuhan Singapura yang menjadi sebahagian dari Malaysia. Namun, apabila Singapura dikeluarkan daripada Persekutuan Malaysia pada 9 Ogos 1965, tiada sebarang tindakan diambil oleh pihak kerajaan Malaysia untuk mengoperasikan rumah api tersebut.
Hanya apabila pada 21 Disember 1979 Pengarah Pemetaan Malaysia keluarkan sebuah peta yang menunjukkan Pulau Batu Putih sebagai hakmilik Malaysia, kerajaan Singapura keluarkan bantahan. Mahkamah Keadilan Antarabangsa (ICJ) memutuskan walaupun Kesultanan Johor memiliki Pulau Batu Putih, Batuan Tengah dan Batuan Selatan, namun tidak ada mana-mana pihak dari Malaysia ataupun Johor mengambil sebarang tindakan untuk menunjukkan ianya mempunyai hak ke atas pulau dan batuan-batuan tersebut, termasuk mengoperasikan rumah api di Pulau Batu Putih setelah 31 Ogos 1957. Maka ICJ memutuskan bahawa Singapura mempunyai hak à titre de souverain ke atas Pulau Batu Putih manakala Batuan Tengah menjadi milik Malaysia melalui hakmilik Kesultanan Johor.
Inilah sebabnya APMM aktif menghalau BNA Indonesia, Vietnam dan China yang sengaja menguji reaksi pihak berkuasa Malaysia. Tidak mustahil jika suatu hari nanti negara-negara ini membuat tuntutan ke atas kawasan-kawasan perairan dan pulau-pulau di Malaysia sekiranya Malaysia tidak mengambil sebarang tindakan yang menunjukkan kedaulatannya ke atas kawasan-kawasan tersebut.
Masalah yang dihadapi oleh APMM pula ialah walaupun di atas kertas ia memiliki berpuluh-puluh aset dalam bentuk kapal peronda, bot-bot pemintas serta aset-aset udara, perlu difahami bahawa kapal-kapal peronda kelas Bagan Datuk inilah kapal peronda yang paling baharu dan paling canggih. Kapal-kapal peronda yang lain ada yang usianya sudah menjangkau 40 tahun dan kebanyakannya adalah jauh lebih kecil berbanding kapal-kapal peronda milik CCG. Sebuah kapal peronda kelas Bagan Datuk iaitu KM Lahad Datu serta tiga buah kapal peronda luar pesisir pantai (OPV) masih belum diserahkan kepada pihak APMM. Aset-aset udara pula hanyalah dua buah pesawat sayap kaku jenis Bombardier CL-415MP dan enam buah pesawat sayap putar jenis Eurocopter AS-365N3 Dauphin dan AgustaWestland AW139 – jauh dari jumlah yang boleh dianggap mencukupi.
Semasa kapal CCG Zhongguo Haijing 5402 mengganggu kapal penggerudi minyak serta kapal-kapal bekalan dalam kedudukan 44 batu nautika (80 kilometer) dari pesisir pantai negeri Sarawak, Malaysia telah menghantar dua buah kapal milik Tentera Laut DiRaja Malaysia (TLDM) iaitu Bunga Mas 5 dan KD Keris. Walaupun tindakan tersebut telah membuat kapal CCG tersebut mengalah dan berundur ke perairan Beting Patinggi Ali (Luconia Shoals) namun kita belum dapat menjangkakan reaksi pihak China seterusnya.
Ini adalah kerana Malaysia tidak bertindak balas dengan menggunakan diplomasi badan kapal putih (white hull diplomacy), iaitu kapal-kapal APMM untuk menyelesaikan keadaan. Sebaliknya, Malaysia telah menghantar dua buah kapal yang mempunyai badan kapal kelabu – iaitu kapal perang tentera. Besar kemungkinan, China akan bertindak balas di masa hadapan dengan mengirim sebuah atau dua kapal perang tentera lautnya (PLA-N) untuk mengiringi kapal peronda CCG. Sekiranya China bertindak sedemikian, ia adalah kerana tindakan Malaysia menjadi punca sebab China meningkatkan tahap reaksinya.
China juga baru-baru ini telah memperolehi persetujuan kerajaan Cambodia untuk menggunakan pangkalan tentera laut Cambodia di Ream yang terletak di Telukan Thailand. Sudah tentu kapal-kapal CCG dan PLA-N dapat menggunakan pangkalan ini untuk memperolehi bekalan. Ini bermakna, selain menunjukkan kuasanya di sebelah timur Laut China Selatan di luar pesisir pantai Sabah dan Sarawak, kapal-kapal CCG dan PLA-N juga boeh mengganggu bot-bot nelayan Malaysia serta platform dan kapal-kapal penggerudian minyak di sebelah barat Laut China Selatan iaitu di luar pesisir pantai Kelantan dan Terengganu yang hanya sekitar 15 jam pelayaran dari Ream pada kelajuan 20 batu nautika sejam.
Oleh demikian, adalah penting bagi kerajaan serta rakyat Malaysia memahami peranan penting APMM sebagai sebuah agensi separa-tentera (paramilitary) sebagai kuasa pencegahan bagi kuasa asing bertindak sewenang-wenangnya di dalam perairan serta Zon Ekonomi Eksklusif (ZEE) kita. Penting juga bagi kita memahami kerana APMM amat memerlukan lebih banyak aset dan kelengkapan yang lebih canggih dan besar serta berkemampuan untuk berada lama di kawasan rondaan tanpa perlu diulangbekal terlalu kerap.
Cabaran menguatkuasa undang-undang maritim serta mempertahankan kedaulatan perairan Malaysia juga begitu hebat di musim pandemik COVID-19. Umum tahu bagaimana penularan virus COVID-19 di atas sebuah kapal pengangkut pesawat milik Amerika Syarikat telah melumpuhkan pengoperasian kapal tersebut. Oleh sebab itu, kapal-kapal APMM juga diarahkan supaya menjalankan operasi pengusiran BNA dan bukannya penangkapan. Menurut Leftenan Komander (M) Nik Mohd Rizam arahan pengusiran tersebut bukan sahaja untuk menjauhkan para pegawai dan anggota APMM dari terjangkit virus COVID-19, malah ianya juga adalah kerana penangkapan nelayan-nelayan asing juga mungkin akan mendedahkan rakyat Malaysia kepada penularan mutasi baharu virus tersebut.
Sehubungan itu, pusat-pusat tahanan PATI di negara ini sudah penuh hinggakan kerajaan terpaksa membuka pusat-pusat tahanan PATI sementara untuk menempatkan PATI yang ditangkap di dalam negara. Malah, Timbalan Menteri Dalam Negeri I Dato’ Sri Dr Haji Ismail bin Haji Mohamed Said semasa menjawab pertanyaan di dalam Parlimen pada 18 November 2020 memberitahu Dewan Rakyat bahawa setakat 13 November 2020, Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (JIM) melaporkan bahawa terdapat seramai 13, 103 orang tahanan di Depot Tahanan Imigresen (DPI) di seluruh negara berbanding kapasiti depot seramai 12,530 orang tahanan pada satu-satu masa.
JIM juga melaporkan bagi tempoh dari 1 Januari 2020 hingga 12 November 2020, seramai 89,086 orang warga asing telah diperiksa. Dari jumlah tersebut, 21,176 orang PATI telah ditangkap untuk siasatan. Sekiranya kerajaan perlu tanggung kos makanan dan minuman berjumlah RM40 sehari bagi setiap orang PATI yang ditangkap ini, maka kerajaan terpaksa membelanjakan sebanyak RM847,040 setiap hari. Proses menghantar PATI pulang ke negara asal lazimnya mengambil masa di antara tiga minggu hingga empat bulan. Maka, kerajaan membelanjakan di antara RM840 hingga RM4800 untuk membekalkan makanan dan minuman bagi setiap orang PATI. Malah, kos keseluruhan untuk menanggung PATI di DPI di seluruh negara ialah sebanyak RM3.4 juta sebulan.
Pandemik COVID-19 juga memberi kesan terhadap emosi para petugas barisan hadapan APMM. Bagi Nasul Abdul Halik yang bertugas sebagai tukang masak KM Bagan Datuk, berjauhan dengan keluarga di Satok, Sarawak sudah tentu memberi cabaran baginya. Apatah lagi beliau baru setahun bertugas dalam APMM. Penularan wabak COVID-19 di Malaysia bermakna sudah setahun beliau tidak dapat menjenguk keluarga di Sarawak. Namun seperti lain-lain anak-anak kapal KM Bagan Datuk, beliau menguatkan semangat untuk melaksanakan tugas kerana moral anak-anak kapal yang lain bergantung juga kepada kemahiran beliau memasak. Sudah tentu rasa masakan beliau perlu sedap tidak mengira sama ada beliau bersedih mahupun mabuk laut akibat cuaca buruk.
Demikianlah di antara cabaran-cabaran yang dihadapi oleh para petugas barisan hadapan kita di Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia. Biarpun cabaran datang dalam berbagai gelombang, mereka akan tetap menerima cabaran-cabaran tersebut. Namun, lebih banyak sokongan kerajaan dari segi aset, kelengkapan dan kewangan yang diperlukan oleh mereka-mereka seperti Leftenan Komander (M) Nik Mohd Rizam dan anak-anak kapal KM Bagan Datuk untuk menjalankan tugas dengan lebih berkesan dan lebih berwibawa.
Di antara kapal-kapal nelayan China yang ditahan di perairan Johor oleh Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM) – gambar APMM/Kyodo.
Minggu lalu, Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM) telah menahan sebanyak enam buah kapal nelayan China dan seramai 60 orang anak kapal di perairan negeri Johor. Keenam-enam buah kapal tersebut yang didaftarkan di Qinhuangdao, 1300km ke utara Shanghai, sedang dalam perjalanan ke perairan Mauritania di barat Afrika apabila mengalami kerosakan berhampiran Tanjung Setapa di Pengerang. Kapal-kapal tersebut ditahan kerana berlabuh dalam perairan Malaysia tanpa kebenaran.
Apa yang menarik di sini ialah keenam-enam buah kapal tersebut adalah dalam perjalanan sejauh berpuluh ribu batu nautika untuk menangkap ikan di barat benua Afrika. Menurut kajian Overseas Development Institute, China mempunyai sebanyak 16,966 buah kapal nelayan jarak jauh. Dari jumlah tersebut, sebanyak 12,490 buah beroperasi di luar perairan China yang diiktiraf antarabangsa di antara tahun 2017 dan 2018. China menguatkuasakan sempadan perairannya mengikut nine-dash line yang direkanya pada tahun 2012 yang bertentangan dengan UNCLOS.
Selain penguatkuasaan yang dilakukan oleh China Coast Guard (CCG) berkenaan sempadan perairannya, penguatkuasaan juga dibuat ke atas tempoh larangan memancing di perairan Laut China Selatan. Penguatkuasaan ke atas larangan tersebut menyaksikan pertembungan di antara nelayan Vietnam dengan CCG. Dalam sebuah kes dalam bulan Jun 2020, sebuah bot nelayan Vietnam telah dikepung dan dilanggar hingga rosak oleh kapal-kapal milik CCG. Awak-awak bot Vietnam tersebut ditahan dan disiksa serta dipaksa menandatangani sebuah dokumen yang memaksa mereka mengakui perbuatan mereka melanggar tempoh larangan menangkap ikan.
Vietnam selama ini menggunakan tindakan diplomatik untuk membantah tindakan CCG, namun penggunaan saluran diplomatik yang terlalu kerap tidak membawa sebarang makna tanpa tindakan yang lebih keras untuk mempertahankan kedaulatan perairannya hinggakan nota-nota bantahan itu dianggap retorik semata-mata serta dimomok oleh rakyat Vietnam sendiri.
Tindakan CCG menghalau bot-bot nelayan Vietnam memaksa mereka untuk belayar lebih jauh ke Selatan untuk menangkap ikan, dan ini mengakibatkan mereka sanggup menceroboh ke dalam Zon Ekonomi Eksklusif (ZEE) lain-lain negara termasuk Malaysia dan Indonesia. Keadaan ini menjadikan mereka lebih terdesak; maka terjadilah insiden-insiden keganasan di laut termasuk serangan ke atas bot ‘Penyelamat 7‘ milik APMM baru-baru ini yang berakhir dengan kematian seorang nelayan Vietnam.
Bukan mudah bagi sebuah agensi barisan hadapan masa aman seperti APMM untuk mengawasi dan mempertahankan kedaulatan perairan Malaysia yang seluas 614.159 kilometer persegi. ZEEnya sahaja mempunyai keluasan sebanyak 453,186 kilometer persegi. Majoriti aset yang dimiliki APMM bukan sahaja lebih sesuai digunakan di kawasan laut wilayah iaitu sekitar 12 batu nautika (22 kilometer) dari garis dasar (titik purata paras air surut terendah), malah ada yang berusia lebih 60 tahun dan boleh mendatangkan bahaya kepada anak kapal sekiranya dirempuh atau terperangkap dalam ribut dan gelombang yang kuat. Aset-aset ini juga tidak mampu menandingi aset-aset CCG yang jauh lebih besar dan berkeupayaan untuk berada di kawasan rondaan lebih lama.
Penggunaan aset-aset TLDM untuk membantu mengawasi dan mempertahankan kedaulatan perairan Malaysia di waktu aman juga hanyalah bersifat ‘barisan kedua.’ Penggunaan aset-aset tentera untuk membuat tugasan penguatkuasaan sebenarnya tidak langsung sesuai, malah lebih mudah untuk mencetus konflik di antara Malaysia dan negara-negara yang menceroboh. Pada bulan April 2012, sebuah kapal peronda tentera laut Filipina, ‘BRP Gregorio del Pilar‘, telah dihalang oleh dua buah kapal “penyelidikan” milik China iaitu ‘Zhonggou Haijian 75‘ dan ‘Zhonggou Haijian 84‘ daripada menahan lapan buah bot nelayan China di persekitaran Terumbu Scarborough. Ianya menjadi sebuah insiden diplomatik yang lebih sukar ditangani pada ketika itu kerana China lebih sukar untuk berkompromi kerana sebuah aset tentera telah digunakan.
Berbalik kepada 12,490 buah kapal nelayan jarak jauh milik China yang beroperasi di luar perairan China yang diiktiraf antarabangsa, kekurangan aset dan penggunaan aset-aset yang tidak bersesuaian dengan kehendak operasi sudah tentu menyukarkan APMM. Sebagai sebuah agensi separa-tentera, ianya memerlukan aset-aset yang lebih besar, lebih keupayaan tembakan untuk menguatkuasakan undang-undang yang berhubung dengan wilayah maritim negara. Kehadiran kapal-kapal nelayan yang diiringi aset-aset CCG di kawasan Gugusan Beting Raja Jarom (North Luconia Shoals), Gugusan Beting Patinggi Ali (South Luconia Shoals) dan Beting Serupai (James Shoal) mencabar kewibawaan serta memberi calar kepada imej APMM.
CCG juga telah dikesan hadir mengiringi kapal-kapal nelayan China dalam perairan Indonesia di sebelah utara Kepulauan Natuna dalam bulan September 2020. Ini bermakna kita mungkin bakal menyaksikan insiden-insiden yang serupa dengan insiden yang melibatkan kapal ‘Haiyang Dizhi 8‘ milik China dengan kapal ‘West Capella‘ di barat-laut Sabah, tetapi kali ini di kawasan-kawasan carigali minyak di luar pesisir pantai timur Semenanjung pula.
Kerajaan harus membina keupayaan APMM sebagai agensi mutlak menguatkuasakan undang-undang berkaitan maritim di Malaysia. Kewujudan APMM pada dasarnya adalah untuk menyatukan kesemua 11 agensi berkaitan maritim di Malaysia. Namun, kehendak politik yang lemah masih menyebabkan peruntukan kewangan disalurkan kepada agensi-agensi yang sepatutnya tidak lagi melakukan penguatkuasaan undang-undang maritim. Ini adalah di antara sebab APMM bukan sahaja tidak mendapat peruntukan yang diperlukan, malah dianggap setara dengan agensi-agensi yang ia sepatutnya gantikan. Walhal, dalam apa jua keadaan yang melibatkan segala jenis insiden di laut, baik pencerobohan nelayan Kelas C dalam zon Kelas A, penyeludupan rokok dari negara jiran, penyekatan kemasukan Pendatang Asing Tanpa Izin (PATI) kesemuanya diletakkan oleh persepsi masyarakat di atas bahu APMM dan bukannya 11 agensi tersebut.
Selain aset-aset yang berpatutan, berkeupayaan dan bersesuaian, Malaysia juga harus gunakan pendekatan diplomatik untuk membawa usul supaya UNCLOS memberi takrif mutlak dan spesifik terhadap gugusan-gugusan pulau dan terumbu seperti yang berada di Laut China Selatan agar lebih mudah untuk keputusan-keputusan International Tribunal for the Laws of the Sea (ITLOS) dikuatkuasakan. Mungkin tidak keterlaluan juga dicadangkan, dalam ketiadaan suatu badan perjanjian seperti NATO, supaya Malaysia, Filipina, Vietnam dan Indonesia membuat satu gabungan agensi-agensi penguatkuasaan maritim untuk berhadapan dengan ancaman pihak China, disamping mengadakan perjanjian-perjanjian serupa dengan Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Authority, tetapi untuk perikanan. Ianya lebih bermakna berbanding tunduk kepada kehendak China untuk mengiktiraf kedaulatan China di ZEE Malaysia.
Amatlah diharap agar Kementerian Kewangan dapat meluluskan peruntukan yang dimohon oleh pihak APMM demi maruah dan imej negara semasa pembentangan bajet tidak lama lagi.
The Lion AIr Boeing 737-MAX 8 (PK-LQP) that crashed in the Java Sea on 29 Oct 2018
LION Air Flight JT610 went down in the Java Sea 13 minutes after departing from Jakarta. It is very highly unlikely that any of the 189 souls on board had survived.
This tragedy mark’s the 14th incident in Lion Air’s 18 years of operation, an unimpressive air safety record with an average of one incident in every 16 months.
The aircraft that went down was a spanking new Boeing 737-8MAX delivered to the airline last August.
The aircraft first flew on the July 30 2018 and was powered by two CFM International LEAP-1B engines.
However, it suffered from a faulty airspeed indicator during a flight on the night before the fateful flight.
The airline’s engineers claim that the fault had been corrected before the aircraft was allowed to fly. But 12 minutes into the flight the cockpit crew requested to return to base without describing the nature of the emergency it was facing. They never made it back.
While it is still too early to tell for JT610, blocked pitot-static port have contributed to many airliners going down; the previous crash being the Saratov Airlines Antonov An-148 Flight 6W703 on February 11 2018, killing 71 people. It also contributed to the crash of Air France Flight AF477 in the Atlantic Ocean on June 1 2009.
When a static port is blocked, the on-board instruments will give false readings. False readings caused pilots in flights AF447, 6W703, and Birgenair Flight 301 and Aeroperu Flight 603 to react erroneously.
In the case of Flight 603, problem started just two minutes after take-off. There was confusion between the pilots.
Within six minutes, the pilot said: “We don’t have controls. Not even the basics.” The altimeter showed that they were still on the ground, while the three was no airspeed indication.
The above all happened in new generation aircrafts where computers and automation were incorporated to lessen the burden of its flight crew thus increasing the crews’ reliance on automated flight systems.
The FAA has directed airlines to include a blocked pitot tube scenario in simulator trainings to familiarise pilots with the condition.
But how much training is given to pilots? The bare minimum as required by regulations?
Out of the 14 incidents involving Lion Air’s fleet, only four can be attributed to technical errors. The other 10 were due to pilot errors, with wrong flap settings for take-offs and landings, and runway excursions being the top most incidents.
Lion Air, as did most other Indonesian airlines, was once slapped with a ban from the US and European Union’s airspace due to safety concerns. The last Indonesian airlines on the list only had their removal from the list in June of this year.
Indonesia is in the Aviation Safety Network’s list of top 10 countries with the most fatal air accidents – at number nine with 98 fatal accidents that resulted in the deaths of 2,035 people.
How much emphasis is given to the flight crew coordination and conflict management training?
In an incident involving Adam Air Flight 574, the flight crew became too preoccupied with troubleshooting the Inertial Reference System (IRS) that no one was actually flying the aircraft.
When either one of them inadvertently disengaged the autopilot that caused the aircraft to go into a steep bank, both pilots had become spatially disoriented. To add salt to injury, Adam Air’s pilot training syllabus did not cover the failure of the IRS, and neither did any of the pilot receive any training in aircraft upset recovery, including overcoming of spatial disorientation.
The maintenance regime is something that needs a serious look into. In the four incidents involving the technical aspects of Lion Air’s aircrafts, one was when a thrust reverser was not working and caused the deaths of 25 people, one aircraft’s braking system was not at optimum level, one landed without the nose gear down, while the other had fuel pouring out of its tanks due to non-functioning safety valve and overflow detector.
In the case of Flight JT610, the pitot-static port of the aircraft did not function properly during the Jakarta-Denpasar-Jakarta flight the previous night. A technical logbook of the doomed aircraft detailed an “unreliable” airspeed reading on the flight, giving different altitude readings to the pilot and co-pilot – a symptom of blocked pitot-static ports.
Lion Air’s engineering department said that the issue was resolved before the aircraft was allowed to fly the next day. But was it?
The flight reminds me of what happened to Indonesia Air Asia’s Flight QZ8501 in December 2014. Both flights faced technical snags the previous night. Both aircraft were given a clean bill of health by their engineers to fly the next morning. Both aircraft were not brought down by weather.
QZ8501 was brought down, in part, by a cracked solder joint on an electronic card that caused the rudder travel limiter to malfunction. The joint had been repaired several times before instead of being replaced. An action by both pilots, which was not recommended by the aircraft’s manual, was the final nail in the flight’s coffin.
We still don’t know for sure what actually caused Flight JT610 to suddenly drop from the sky into the sea.
Aeroperu Flight 603 flew with blocked pitot-static tubes, that caused faulty data to be transmitted not just to the pilots, but also to the Air Traffic Controller, causing maximum confusion between them.
Spatial disorientation also hit the pilots; they had no idea how high were they flying while the TC told them they were at 10,000 feet, when they were not. In the end, one of the wings struck water and the aircraft crashed into the sea.
The day after the JT610 crash, another flight taking the same route to the same destination showed its altitude upon leaving the shoreline of West Jakarta to be at 16,800 feet at a speed of 370 knots.
JT610’s system transmitted its altitude when passing the same area to be at only 5,100 feet at 318 knots. Its data showed that it was flying at 5,200 feet at 334 knots when the flight crew informed the ATC that it was returning to base.
That they were flying only at 11,600 feet lower than the next day flight in the same area could be an indication of something going wrong. Previous flights all flew higher than 10,000 feet except for the ones that took a right hand turn after departure.
That no emergency was declared when a request to make a turn back was made seemed odd.
Had the pilots declared an emergency then, the ATC would have immediately given the aircraft landing priority and an assigned runway. There was no such request.
Those are the issues that are floating around right now, which can only be answered by the retrieval and processing of both the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder. Until then, your guess is as good as mine.
Everyone talks about Communist atrocities in Malaysia. Well, it was done by Malayans, not China. But we never talk about Japanese atrocities in Malaya. Why?
I refer to a WhatsApp message that says the following:
“Listen to this (video) and think about it.
It’s hard to believe that Malaysia is the perfect model for China after Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Jamaica & Greece.
We hv the history of atrocities by Communist Party (Terrorists).
Jack Ma is also the influential biz advisor to the PM.
Numerous lands & companies bought over by China, Xiamen university for students from China.
Enclavement (safe haven) in MCKIP, Forest Cities, flourishing China’s retail companies even in Aeon too.etc,
Strategic Tun Razak 106 Exchange overlooking KL area, with potential airport, ports and MISC shipping, railway lines, even purchase of Perwaja land within Kemaman Supply base etc….widespread corruptions, a condusive environment to China Belt Road Initiatives.
We hv to accept first that the threat is real.”
HISTORY OF ATROCITIES BY COMMUNIST PARTY
The atrocity done to Malaysians was by those born in Malaya, not China. China merely gave its support for the setting up of a Communist satellite nation in Malaysia by Chin Peng, who is largely revered by the DAP.
In 1981, Mahathir’s political secretary was arrested by the police for being a communist agent. Interestingly, Mahathir allowed Communist Cuba to open an embassy in Kuala Lumpur in 1997. Mahathir also allowed Communist North Korea to open an embassy in Kuala Lumpur in 2003, several months before he stepped down.
Mahathir loved Communist China so much that he visited the country seven times and invited China to invest in Malaysia. A year after he became PM the Sino-Malaysia trade stood at US$307 million. A year before he stepped down, it was at US$14 billion.
Mahathir himself said in Bangkok after retirement that for 2000 years China has been a superpower, and it could have invaded the Malay states had it wanted to but never did. So, if Mahathir has never been afraid of China, why should be we be afraid of it?
JACK MA IS INFLUENTIAL BUSINESS ADVISOR TO THE PM
Well, Jack Ma is the advisor to this country on E-Commerce. If this is the concern, then Jack Ma is also the business advisor to Indonesia on E-Commerce. By definition, China has also colonised Indonesia through Jack Ma.
Wait! Jack Ma is also the advisor to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on E-Commerce. So, has China taken over the world?
NUMEROUS LANDS AND COMPANIES BOUGHT OVER BY CHINA. XIAMEN UNIVERSITY FOR STUDENTS FROM CHINA
Wow! Well written by a very ill-informed person.
Xiamen University Campus Malaysia has 700 students from China and 900 from Malaysia. Last year it gave out scholarships to top performing local (Malaysian students).
Xiamen University Campus Malaysia is just a new face in a crowded space that already has nine branch campus of foreign universities that include Nottingham University, University of Reading, Monash University to name a few.
Why pick on Xiamen University alone? Is it because it is in a state held by the Barisan Nasional? Before Xiamen University, we already have Hanjiang (Han Chiang) University in Pulau Pinang and New Era University College in Kajang, Selangor. Why not ask why is the flag of China flying above those campuses as well?
As at the beginning of 2018, China’s investments received in Malaysia is RM63 billion. Japan’s investments received in Malaysia totals RM70 billion. Aren’t we selling the country to the Japanese more?
Furthermore, China’s FDI in Malaysia is at the 10th place and accounts for only 2 percent of the total FDI received by Malaysia. The US debt to China is at US$1.2 TRILLION making its Debt-to-China-versus-GDP at 6.5 percent. Is the US now owned by China? You tell me!
ENCLAVEMENT IN MCKIP, FOREST CITY, FLOURISHING CHINA’S RETAIL COMPANIES IN AEON TOO
AEON is a company that has nine members of the Board. Three of the nine are Japanese while the rest are Malaysians. If the Japanese board members don’t give a hoot about China retail companies in AEON complexes, why should you?
The Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) in Kuantan is a 51:49 percent joint-venture between a Malaysian consortium and a China consortium. How is it that we have sold our country to China when we have a 51-percent control of the park?
Why did the writer also write that there is a CMQIP in China? Yes, there is a China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park which is also a 51:49 percent joint-venture between a China consortium and a Malaysian consortium. Has China also sold its ports, airports and country to Malaysia?
There are also the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (CSSIP) and the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco City (CSTEC), both in China. Has China sold its country to Singapore too?
Exchange 106 is only built by China’s CSCEC, but the master developer is Indonesia’s Mulia Group. Since when is Exchange 106 a China-owned property?
Forest City is an exception. Although only 40 percent of the development is owned by a Malaysian company, it is an enclave for foreigners, not just China’s citizens. About 15 percent is owned by other foreigners including those from the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. But does owning only 40 percent make Forest City essentially China-owned?
Similarly, the Marina One and DUO development in Singapore are 60 percent owned by Khazanah Nasional. 40 percent remains with Temasek Holdings. Does that mean those developments are essentially Malaysian? Has Singapore sold itself to Malaysia? Has there been any noise by anyone in Singapore over this issue?
Of course not. Singaporeans are not as stupid and foolish as Malaysians are who would believe anything especially lies and fake news.
When Israeli diplomat David Roet attended a United Nations conference in Kuala Lumpur recently, the Opposition went into full swing trying to discredit the government saying that it wants to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.
In a statement, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) explicitly states that the invitations to the Israeli delegates was issued by the UN as per Article III of the Host Country Agreement signed by the organisation and Malaysia so that the UN is able to conduct its conferences away from any of its established headquarters.
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The Article states, in part, that the Forum shall be opened to all UN member states and its Specialised Agencies. This was confirmed by Israel’s Hadashot TV which reported that Malaysia was compelled to host the Israelis, since it was required to grant visas to all delegations in order to hold the international conference. Therefore, it is immaterial whether or not Malaysia has diplomatic relations with Israel. It is for the same reason that Fidel Castro was able to attend the UN summit in New York in 1976, 1995 and 2000.
Malaysia-Israeli Relations
If you walk along Jalan Zainal Abidin in Pulau Pinang which is just off Burmah Road near the Tune Hotel, you will come across an old cemetery. That is a Jewish Cemetery. Jalan Zainal Abidin was once called Jalan Yahudi or Jew Street, the only evidence that a Jewish enclave once existed on the island.
Israel first established contact with our pre-independence government in 1956 when Israeli Prime Minister Moshe Sharett visited Malaya to propose the appointment of an Israeli consul in Malaya. Israel also voted in favour of the Malayan bid to become a UN member in 1957. Trade between the two countries was in place. This was banned in 1974, after the Yom Kippur war, but indirect trade (through third countries) was in place.
An Opposition supporter was quick to point out that according to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, between 2008 and 2011 trade between the two countries fluctuated considerably. Israel’s exports to Malaysia peaked at USD798 million in 2010 while imports from Malaysia peaked in 2011 at USD93.6 million.
Although the preriod shown above shows the statistics was for the period between the end of Abdullah Badawi’s administration and the commencement of the Najib Razak administration, the flourish in trade could be traced back to the Mahathir administration. In December 1993, as a consequence of the Oslo I Accord, Mahathir wrote a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Mahathir’s letter to Yitzhak Rabin in December 1993
The photo of the letter may be a bit difficult to read but I shall provide the transcript here:
PRIME MINISTER, MALAYSIA
21 December 1993
His Excellency Mr Yitzhak Rabin Prime Minister of Israel, JERUSALEM
I would like to thank you for your letter of 17 October informing me about the Agreement of Principles and Mutual Recognition between Israel and the PLO.
My government supports this positive development and views it as a first step towards the realization of a comprehensive solution to the Middle East problem. As a demonstration of Malaysia’s support to this development my country was represented at the Donor’s Conference to support The Middle East Peace held in Washington and subsequently pledged a modest financial contribution to the Palestinians to assist in their new tasks. My government has also offered the Palestinians technical assistance under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme.
Malaysia as a matter of general principle is prepared to develop relations with Israel at the appropriate time. In the meantime, we would like to see tangible progress in the implementation of the peace agreement.
The Middle East problem particularly the Palestinian issue has been a cause of instability to the region and I hope the recent agreement between Israel and PLO would contribute to lasting peace to the area.
I look forward to normal relations with Israel.
DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
I intentionally made bold the last line because, while the rest of the content which, obviously was drafted by someone else, Mahathir wrote that bold part saying he looked forward to normal relations with Israel himself. Yes, it was handwritten.
In the most recent diplomatic history, Obama wished to have normal relations with Cuba. Diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba was subsequently restored. The following year, PKR’s Chua Jui Meng, who was the then-Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, suggested that Israel could eventually become a destination for Malaysia’s investments (Shanti Nair, Routledge, 1997 p.252).
As a result, in 1999 Israeli exports to Malaysia totalled USD107 million. In 2000, it was USD732 million, and USD615.5 million the following year. In 2002, the Israel Ministry of Industry report on trade relations with Indonesia and Malaysia advised Israelis interested in conducting business with Malaysian companies that “there is no opposition to trade and commerce relations as long as a low profile is kept“.
Discretion is essential for these companies, not just in Malaysia but also in Indonesia. Reputation and financial damage are the risks for companies in these two countries if they are known to be doing trade with Israel. According to Emanuel Shahaf, the vice chairman of the Israel-Indonesia Chamber of Commerce, “There are two contradictory trends. The pro trend is that Indonesia demands more high-tech things… The negative trend is the political situation is not getting better (when it comes to Israel), in fact it’s getting worse.”
Mukhriz tweeted “Upon request from large foreign investors here, in 1996 the Cabinet instructed MITI to approve import from and export to Israel.” The relevation came as a surprise, especially as the trade ties were established during the Mahathir administration. Mahathir has been a vocal opponent of Israel and continues to project this false stand via his Perdana Leadership Foundation which openly opposes Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Najib took over from Abdullah only in 2009.
So, thank you Mahathir for his eagerness to start a diplomatic relationship with Israel in 1993.
Congratulations also to the Opposition states as they received a lot of FDI from Israeli companies. Don’t forget to thank Mukhriz for that information and confirmation.
Mahathir Mohamad baru-baru ini mengirim seutus surat kepada DUBES Malaysia di Jakarta kerana diminta menjelaskan mengenai kenyataan beliau mengenai ‘Lanun Bugis’.
Beliau langsung tidak rasa bersalah dengan kenyataan tersebut dan tetap dengan pendirian beliau bahawa Najib Razak adalah keturunan lanun Bugis.
Lanun wujud tanpa mengenali kaum dan bangsa, dan mengaitkan Bugis dengan lanun walaupun bukan kesemuanya adalah penghinaan yang nyata.
Malah, Mahathir selain menghina kaum Bugis, beliau dengan angkuhnya menghina rakyat Indonesia tanpa mahu meminta maaf di atas penghinaan terdahulu.
“Tak usahlah cucuk orang Indonesia. Mereka bukan boleh undi PRU (Pemilu) 14.”
Jelas Mahathir tidak mahu melayan permintaan DUBES Malaysia yang mahu meredakan kemaharan rakyat Indonesia terhadap Mahathir yang telah menghina orang Bugis. Pendapat rakyat Indonesia tidak penting bagi Mahathir kerana mereka tidak akan mengundi dalam PRU (Pemilu) ke-14 nanti.
Inilah perangai Mahathir, orang yang malu dikaitkan dengan keturunannya sendiri.
For GE14, Nurul Izzah has chosen to slander the Elections Commission. The last elections she chose to slander her opponent, Raja Nong Chik.
After a four-year hiatus, Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh is back slandering LYNAS. The LYNAS issue went quiet almost immediately after the last general elections. Expect more demonstrations in the run-up to the next elections.
Hey! After four years I am hearing the name LYNAS again!
Whatever it may be, no matter if they win more seats or are able to hold on to the states they have been holding on to since 2008, the elections, according to the monkeys at Pakatan, will only get dirtier and dirtier. The country will, to use an ANALogy that the followers of Anwar Ibrahim might understand, “be deep in shit.”
But it is nothing new. Emperor Lim Kit Siang, the de facto leader of Pakatan said that the previous general elections would be the dirtiest in history.
Everything is dirty according to Emperor Li Kit Siang
Anwar Ibrahim even went to town to claim that 40,000 foreigners, emphasising on Bangladeshis, voted in the last general elections.
Not contented, he issued a statement through PKR’s mouthpiece:
Anwar later claimed that he said no such thing
Even Anwar Ibrahim’s good friend from abroad, Azeem Ibrahim, whose homeland was split into three in 1947 into India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, joined in the circus to show his support for Anwar the Schizo.
Azeem Ibrahim also joined in the fray to condemn GE13
Don’t get me started on how they claimed that during the vote counting process, some vote counting centres experienced “blackouts” that resulted in “the victory of the Barisan Nasional.” And like monkeys getting excited at the sight of a plastic banana, the Pakatan supporters converged onto the Kelana Jaya stadium for the ‘Blackout 505’ gathering to hear more lies by Anwar Ibrahim alleging that Bangladeshi, Indonesians and Filipino voters helped Barisan Nasional win.
However, four months later DAP’s Ong Kian Ming agreed with electiosn watchdog PEMANTAU that no blackout ever occured and there was no evidence whatsoever of any foreign voters tampering with the elections process.
Ong Kian Ming agreeing with PEMANTAU’s findings that no blackout ever occured and no foreigners voted in GE13
And in an about turn, master liar Anwar said he never made claims that there were 40,000 Bangladeshis who voted during GE13.
Speaking from the butt: Mr Anus Ibrahim
And Nurul Izzah who went on a smear campaign against her opponent Raja Nong Chik which led to her victory against the very popular man decided to settle the case out of court and issued an apology to Raja Nong Chik.
Do right and fear no man, until you get caught lying and fear you might lose in court
Pakatan is trapped in its own doings. You have a “son of” who disguised himself as a Malay and now is disguising himself as a Pribumi; you have a puppet President of a party who is Malay first but instead of getting a Cina to masuk Melayu, he masuk Cina. You have the Secretary-General of a party who claims to have 10 steps to eradicate corruption but he himself was charged in court for corruption; You have a party President who admits to be just a seat-warmer for her jailed husband, wasting taxpayers’ money and voters’ time every time a by-election has to be held so her husband could contest to become a Member of Parliament.
And among themselves, they cannot agree on who is to lead the coalition. Their solution to that is to desigate three appointments which, in the real sense, has no difference whatsoever other than the spelling and how the are pronounced.
So, the reason GE14 will be another “dirtiest elections in the history of Malaysia” is simply because the monkeys in Pakatan will spew lie after lie to justify their existence, to gain sympathy, and to collect “donation” from monkeys who are stupid enough to part with their money after listening to lies disguised as “issues” that will eventually go quiet after the election is done, only to be brought back to the surface at GE15.
And these are the people who want to save Malaysia…hopefully from them.
Many may have wised up to their antics. But there will always be those who will remain as monkeys.
Doris “Dorie” Miller was a Petty Officer (Sergeant equivalent) Ship’s Cook Third-Class on board the battleship USS West Virginia in the US Navy. That was about the only trade available for African-Americans when World War Two broke out.
It was a time when racial segregation and discrimination was strong in the US of A.
Yet, Dorie Miller was awarded the Navy Cross for helping move his mortally wounded Ship’s Captain Mervyn Sharp Bennion from further danger and saved countless other wounded crew.
Miller was never given any training to handle any weapon but took it upon himself to man a .50-caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine hun to shoot at Japanese airplanes.
Despite working in a system that discriminates him, he gave his all for his country as expected of him.
In Malaysia, civil servants have integrity problems. Five teachers have been slapped with a show-cause letter each for participating on an Opposition stage openly criticising the government-of-the-day.
Their action is in breach of Regulations 4(1) of the (Peraturan-Peraturan Pegawai Awam ( Kelakuan dan Tatatertib) 1993 – P.U.(A)395/1993.
When I was an Officer Cadet my instructors told me that as an Officer of His Majesty’s Service I must remain impartial at all times but may vote for those whom I think deserves to represent the people.
Civil servants must remain impartial as they represent the government. This ensures that integrity of the civil service and the trust of the people are not affected.
The Ministers who head each of the Ministry are elected into their positions, get a feel of what is happening on the ground before formulating policies to steer the machinery of the Ministry he or she is in-charge of in line with whole direction the nation is moving towards.
I turn it is for the civil servants to implement these policies on the ground and ensure the effectiveness of the policies, if not, provide feedback. They are not independent from the government-of-the-day they must serve and for that their impartiality is paramount.
Therefore, civil servants must refrain from openly expressing their political views what more stand on a political stage spewing hatred and anger towards the government they work for.
Even the Prime Minister lamented that the government is facing a huge challenge as it is easier for the people to stoke anger and hatred.
The tactics to incite and spread hatred and anger now ate the same as the ones used to create racial and religious disharmony and hatred towards the government in the months preceding the 13 May 1969 tragedy.
It is made worse now as disgruntled civil servants now join in the fray and speak against the government thinking that it is part of their democratic rights.
The need for teachers to preseve political impartiality was stressed even in Indonesia by Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
He said that teachers need to instead maintain their professionalism and focus on providing education to students.
In Singapore, the need for civil servants to remain politically impartial is enshrined in its Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour.
It says that the civil servants must conscientiously serve the government-of-the-day.
Political impartiality is also important to maintain public confidence in the civil service.
For this I agree with the Education Minister that although Malaysia is a democratic country and it is within the rights of the five teachers to support whomever they wish to, the teachers are still subjected to the regulations for civil servants.
“If they are teachers, appearing on the Opposition stage criticising the government, and there is slander and malicious intent then it is better for them to leave the teaching profession and contest in elections,” added the Minister.
Ask yourself what would you do if your domestic helper openly criticise you in front of your neighbours?
Kang Chol without his Jaguar if he is not an Ambassador – photo courtesy of Eric Lafforgue
VX is an extremely toxic substance which has no other use except as a chemical warfare nerve agent. Whoever is exposed to the agent must wash off the agent using household bleach and lots of water, and should immediately be given diazepam, atropine and pralidoxime intramuscular injections.
For the VX nerve agent to be transported safely to KLIA2 for the attack, it would have to be in a binary form, mixed during the attack itself.
Kim Jong Nam would have died painfully from asphyxiation after suffering violent muscular contractions and diaphragm muscle paralysis.
The above is the most plausible reason for Kang Chol to have pre-empted everything by attacking the Royal Malaysian Police’s and Ministry of Health’s credibility even before the autopsy is completed.
The above would also underscore the fact that the two women from Indonesia and Vietnam are not innocent as claimed. They were seen immediately rushing off to the nearest restroom facility after the attack to wash off traces of the agent from their hands.
Malaysis has signed and ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention that came into effect in 1997, and also the Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare or commonly known as the Geneva Protocol.
The use of a chemical weapon on Malaysian soil, as well as the rude outbursts by the Ambassador of North Korea to Malaysia shows North Korea’s blatant disregard for Malaysian laws and breached Article 41(1) of the Vienna Convention for Diplomatic Relations of 1961.
Malaysia exported RM17.54 million worth of goods (mainly palm oil, rubber and medical products) to North Korea while importing only RM5.18 million (iron and steel products) from the hermit state in 2015. There are 300 North Koreans working in the coal mines of Sarawak.
As the only country in the world to have been accorded a visa-free status by North Korea, very few Malaysians have ever made use of the facility.
While Malaysia is a country that warms up to every country and values its friendship, the same cannot be said about North Korea.
Myanmar’s diplomatic relations with North Korea was once far more meaningful than the one currently enjoyed by Malaysia. However, in trying to assassinate the then-South Korean President, North Korea pushed diplomacy aside and planted a bomb in Yangon in 1983 which killed 20 people but did not kill President Chun Doo Hwan.
Myanmar broke off diplomatic relations for a decade following the attack on its soil.
Now, it has caused anger to the country it courted in 1973 and established formal diplomatic relations in 1993. There is no telling what North Korea is capable of doing to or in Malaysia given its disrespect for the laws and regulations of the latter.
I doubt that we would lose much if we were to sever our diplomatic ties with North Korea. Our trade volume is only RM25 million. Even Perlis as the smallest state in Malaysia made RM88.3 billion in GSP in 2015!
North Korea is no friend and has never valued any friendship. It should be left to live and die alone.
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