KUALA LUMPUR – About 100 China-registered boats and vessels were detected in Malaysia’s waters near Beting Patinggi Ali in the South China Sea on Thursday (March 24), said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim amid rising regional tensions over the contested waters.
Shahidan was quoted by state news agency Bernama as saying that the government had instructed the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to deploy its assets to monitor the situation.
“Three MMEA vessels have been deployed to the area. The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) assets are also there. The Bombardier aircraft has also carried out aerial monitoring in that area and found a group of Chinese fishermen there,” Shahidan told reporters on the sidelines of Parliament.
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/100-china-registered-vessels-encroaching-on-malaysian-waters-in-south-china-sea