Pemuda UMNO sifatkan tindakan Singapura sebagai bermain api

KUALA LUMPUR 23 Dis. - Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO menyifatkan tindakan Singapura meneruskan pembangunan di Pulau Batu Putih yang menjadi tuntutan bersama dengan negara ini sebagai bermain api.

Pergerakan tersebut juga menyifatkan ia sebagai satu tindakan yang mencabar kedaulatan Malaysia secara terang-terangan dan mewujudkan ketegangan yang sepatutnya boleh dielakkan.

Naib Ketuanya, Datuk Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir berkata, perkara tersebut tidak sepatutnya berlaku kerana kedua-dua negara telah bersetuju membawa isu tuntutan pulau itu ke Mahkamah Keadilan Antarabangsa (ICJ).

``Tindakan Singapura itu satu pencerobohan kerana kita belum tahu lagi pulau itu milik siapa sebenarnya,'' katanya ketika dihubungi di sini, hari ini.

Beliau mengulas pendedahan Mingguan Malaysia semalam mengenai tindakan Singapura meneruskan pembinaan di Pulau Batu Putih termasuk membina bangunan dua tingkat dan tempat pendaratan helikopter.

Tindakan itu dilihat sebagai amat kontroversi kerana status pemilikan pulau tersebut masih belum diputuskan secara rasmi dan menjadi rebutan di antara kedua-dua negara.

Tambah Aziz, Singapura sebagai sebuah negara maju sepatutnya menilai sebarang tindakan yang diambil secara mendalam sebelum melakukannya.

``Apakah reaksi negara tersebut sekiranya kita juga mula membuat bangunan di Pulau Batu Putih,'' katanya.

Tindakan tersebut menzahirkan bahawa negara tersebut gemar mewujudkan isu-isu yang mampu mengeruhkan suasana kedua-dua negara.

Tambah beliau, Pergerakan Pemuda juga berharap agar Kementerian Luar akan mengambil tindakan yang sewajarnya mengikut lunas undang-undang yang sedia ada - Utusan Malaysia

UMNO asks Singapore to stop work on Pulau Batu Puteh

KUANTAN Dec 23 - UMNO today urged Singapore to stop all construction work on Pulau Batu Puteh until the question of sovereignty over the island has been decided by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

UMNO secretary-general Tan Sri Khalil Yaakob said any activity carried out by Singapore on the island may be considered as provocation due to the fact the Malaysian government and UMNO had been patiently protesting against such actions through the diplomatic channels.

"Both sides have agreed to refer the matter for arbitration, so we should cease all activities.

"We urge Singapore to immediately stop all activities on the island until the matter had been decided by the international court," he told reporters after attending a Hari Raya gathering with staff of the Information Ministry, heads of department and community leaders here.

Newspapers reported yesterday that Singapore was continuing with construction work on Pulau Batu Puteh, including work on a two-storey building and a helicopter landing area despite the dispute between Malaysia and Singapore over ownership of the atoll has yet to be settled.

Even as efforts are being made to refer the dispute to the ICJ, Singapore is treating the island as its own by deploying a marine patrol unit there.

The issue of overlapping claims to Pulau Batu Puteh arose after Singapore started disputing Malaysia's sovereignty over the island.

Khalil, who is Information Minister, said UMNO had made various protests to Singapore on the matter but without much success, and might think of other measures to take.

What was needed was to gather evidence, including photographs of the place then and now, to show that Singapore had been conducting activities on the island, he said.

"This, from my point of interpretation, is breach of ethics and norms by Singapore on matters being referred for arbitration," he added.