KUALA LUMPUR – Bipartisan action is needed when it comes to matters of national sovereignty, including the recent intrusive incident of 16 Chinese military planes into Malaysian airspace, said Pakatan Harapan (PH).
In a statement issued by its safety committee, it said the decision by the Chinese military planes to not contact Kota Kinabalu air traffic control poses a danger to the airspace.
“It must be emphasised that the decision to not contact Kota Kinabalu air traffic control by the planes is dangerous to the airspace and not in good faith.
“The tactical formation flying by the planes only 60 nautical miles away from the Malaysian maritime zone is definitely suspicious and is not in compliance with rules based on international order.
“PH considers this a serious matter and asserts the right for Malaysia to obtain an explanation from China,” it said in the statement.
The incident also raised questions regarding a response plan in the event of an invasion, as well as the technological capabilities of the military.
On May 31, 16 Chinese military aircraft were detected encroaching on Malaysia’s maritime zone.
The aircraft identified as being of the Iluyshin II-76 and X’ian Y-20 models were detected by an air force defence radar in Sarawak at 11.53am.
In a statement released by the air force, it said that the planes were flying in formation “in-trail” at a distance of 60 nautical miles from each other.
The Chinese embassy explained that the flight was “regular flight training” and they were enjoying freedom of flight in the airspace. – The Vibes, June 6, 2021
