Update on Situation Involving Intrusions by Malaysian Vessels into Singapore's Territorial Waters

The following question stood in the name of Miss Cheng Li Hui –

1 To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs with regard to the airspace and maritime boundary delimitation issues facing Singapore and Malaysia (a) whether these issues were discussed during the Malaysian Prime Minister's official visit to Singapore in November 2018; (b) whether bilateral relations are now affected; (c) whether the leaders and foreign ministries of Singapore and Malaysia are in communication to deal with the issues and to prevent escalation of tensions; and (d) what is Singapore's position on territorial integrity and sovereignty.

2 Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs with regard to the intrusions into Singapore's waters by Malaysian vessels (a) what measures can Singapore take if Malaysian vessels continue to intrude and remain in our waters; and (b) what is the way forward if the issue persists and cannot be resolved bilaterally.

3 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs as Singapore and Malaysia shares a common sea boundary which gives rise to various issues cropping up from time-to-time (a) whether there is a hotline between Singapore and Malaysian leaders for quick direct communication between the two countries; and (b) what is the current channel for top political leaders to contact each other to diffuse any escalation of conflicts.

4 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether Singapore will bring up its current sea boundary issue to the UN Law of the Sea Conference for a permanent settlement; and (b) for countries that share common sea boundaries, what is the international protocol when one country intends to extend its port limits.

5 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he can provide an update on the situation involving intrusions by Malaysian vessels into Singapore's territorial waters off Tuas.

6 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs what steps have been taken, following the intrusion of Malaysian vessels into Singapore waters, to ensure an outcome that respects Singapore's sovereignty as well as rights under international law.

7 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) what are the implications of Malaysia's latest Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia to establish a permanent restricted area in the airspace over Pasir Gudang with effect from 2 January 2019; and (b) what is the recourse that Singapore can consider pertaining to the latest NOTAM.

8 Prof Lim Sun Sun asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs what are our preparatory safeguards with respect to food and water security as well as the supply of foreign labour from Malaysia.

9 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he can elaborate on why the Government had on 12 December 2018 filed a declaration under Article 298 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to ensure that maritime boundary delimitation disputes affecting Singapore cannot be unilaterally brought for adjudication by any state.

10 Mr Vikram Nair asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he can provide an update on matters between Singapore and Malaysia following the meeting with the Malaysian Foreign Minister on 8 January 2018.

11 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he can (i) clarify the status of the maritime borders off Tuas West (ii) confirm whether the Malaysian Government communicated its intention to Singapore to deploy vessels in October 2018 into the waters off Tuas West and (iii) provide a timeline of Singapore's actions and responses to the deployments to date.

12 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether there are contingency plans to address Malaysia's decision to impose a permanent restricted area for military operations over Pasir Gudang so as to ensure the safety of civil aviation flying into and out of Seletar Airport and to preserve Seletar Airport's position as an aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hub.

13 Mr Mohamed Irshad asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) what is the impact of the establishment of a permanent restricted area over Pasir Gudang on civil aviation in Singapore; and (b) whether the Instrument Landing System (ILS) for Seletar Airport has any impact on the height of the buildings being built in Pasir Gudang.

14 Mr Mohamed Irshad asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he can provide an update on intrusions by Malaysian vessels into Singapore's territorial waters off Tuas.

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Question No 1.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs (Dr Vivian Balakrishnan): Mr Speaker, with your permission, I propose to address all the issues raised from Question Nos 1 to 14 during my Ministerial Statement at 1.30 pm.

Mr Speaker: Okay. Miss Cheng Li Hui, Question No 15.