Oleh Brad Rantayy
MIRI, Sept 23: MMEA personnel have not had any confrontation with China near Beting Patinggi Ali, reveals MMEA Miri director Captain Md Fauzi Othman.
He also gave assurance that Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) assets have always been deployed to the Luconia Shoals or Beting Patinggi Ali to monitor the situation and enforce the sovereignty of the country.
Fauzi was met today by local media at a shooting skill event with his personnel in Lambir.
“So far we don’t have any confrontation with China,” he said, adding that China Coast Guard (CCG) ships were also sighted around the area (Beting Patinggi Ali) in the South China Sea.
The Luconia Shoals lie around 100 kilometers off the Sarawak coast, inside Malaysia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Gugusan Beting Patinggi Ali is one of the largest and least known reefs in the South China Sea.
The shoals are claimed by Malaysia, China and Taiwan. — DayakDaily
