There's been a lot of speculation about the various territorial disputes that Malaysia and Singapore have been embroiled in.

So Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan unleashed some facts in Parliament to put to rest some misconceptions, and inform the public just where Singapore stood on various issues.

Air dispute

On Jan. 14, Vivian addressed the dispute over the airspace of Southern Johor, and the controversy over implementing the Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) at Seletar Airport.

He listed some facts about the ILS:

• The ILS helps pilots to land the plane safely during bad weather conditions.
• The ILS was installed at Seletar at the request of Firefly Airlines, a Malaysian company.
• This is because the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) required that Malaysian carriers only operate at airports with an instrument approach.

So in fact, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) was trying to help Firefly by implementing the ILS at Seletar.

Despite Seletar Airport meeting the requirements under the International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, Malaysia is now objecting to ILS at Seletar.

Back in December 2018, Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke posted a video that claimed the ILS would restrict high-rise building developments at Pasir Gudang, Johor.

But Vivian debunked this by pointing out that there are already several high rise developments in Pasir Gudang, Johor as tall as 105 metres, taller than some HDB flats.

The ILS does not impose any additional restrictions on construction.

He said, "The ILS has not and will not prevent the building of tall structures as alleged by Malaysia. And we have consistently stated that if Malaysia has any new plans for developments, we are prepared to discuss and adjust the ILS procedures if necessary."

Restricted Area affected safety

Vivian highlighted how Malaysia escalated the dispute over the ILS, a procedural matter, into something that could have affected flight safety.

On December 25, 2018, the CAAM issued a Notice to Airmen declaring a Permanent Restricted Area over Pasir Gudang for "military activities", with effect from Jan. 2.

This was done without informing CAAS, who is the air traffic services provider for the area.

The Restricted Area would force aircraft to "spiral up and down" close to Seletar Airport in order to abide by its height limits.

Vivian emphasised that this action "cut through" an international aviation route, affected flight operations and impacted safety.

Malaysia's Foreign Minister Saifuddin agreed to suspend the Restricted Area following his meeting with Vivian on Jan. 8.

Territorial waters dispute

Vivian also addressed the dispute over intrusions by Malaysian government vessels into Singapore Territorial Waters.

He pointed out that Malaysia's recent, unilateral move to extend the limits of Johor Bahru Port went beyond even their 1979 territorial sea claims map, which Singapore has consistently rejected.

He said, "The inescapable conclusion is that the new Johor Bahru Port Limits transgress into what are indisputably Singapore Territorial Waters."

He added that Singapore has long patrolled the waters without any protest from Malaysia, until November 2018 when Malaysian government vessels intruded there.

Vivian said that although Malaysia's Foreign Ministry released a statement on December 10, 2018 to "de-escalate the situation", the intrusions have continued.

To resolve this, Singapore is committed to settling matters through bilateral negotiations.

But if they are unsuccessful, Singapore has already filed a declaration on December 12, 2018 under Article 298(1)(a) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Basically it means that neither party can resort to third-party arbitration or adjudication without the other's consent.

Self-reliance is important

Vivian also mentioned that the Attorneys-General of both countries had met in December 2018 to discuss whether Malaysia had the right to raise the price of water sold to Singapore under the terms of the 1962 Water Agreement.

He said that while this was "overshadowed" by other events, they will meet again for further discussion.

Vivian concluded his statement by saying that Total Defence is important, as Singaporeans needed to rely on themselves.

He said:

"I am confident that we can continue to rely on strong bi-partisan support from this House, and unity of purpose among fellow Singaporeans, as we strive to ensure Singapore’s independence, territorial sovereignty, safety, security, and prosperity."

Top image from Vivian Balakrishnan's Facebook page.