Pulau Batu Putih (Pedra Branca)

My comment posted on chedet.com on the Pulau Batu Putih issue

Dear Friends,

I don't think anyone in the present government knows how important and significant Pulau Batu Putih is. Ask a mariner and he will tell you how important it is to Ships and Navigations. I am a mariner and we all know about Horsburgh Lighthouse, the most important fixed landmark in the eastern entrance to Malaysia and Singapore waters.

I didn't know Horsburgh Lighthouse is Pulau Batu Putih because we are so used to the mariner's term and so commonly refer the island as horsburgh. It is a SHAME to lose that landmark so cheaply. Let me tell you how precious the island is based on a mariner's eyes.

Before the technology revolution (GPS, Radar, Electronic Navigation System, GMDSS, etc) we used to navigate ships by many means such as taking sights of planets, stars, sun, moon and also significant landmarks to fix our ship's position at sea. If you are at the tip of the South Africa, you will be looking for the Table Mountain, when you sight that landmark; we plot our ship's position exactly and plot our next heading. If you reaching the Indian continent, we will be looking for Cape Commorin (Kanya Kumari) as an important landmark to ascertain our ship's position. If you are west bound and sailing towards Singapore/Malaysia from China, Japan, USA, etc the most important landmark is the Horsburgh Lighthouse, the moment we can pick it up on the radar or visually see it's light (at night), our vessel's position is plotted based on the lighthouse. Every ship that's plying in that water will be using the lighthouse because it's the final indication that we are coming into congested water and approaching Singapore straits.

Ships from every direction will be heading towards that lighthouse and the closer you get to the lighthouse, it will be like a mad house where there are so many ships converging and squeezing through to enter the Singapore Straits and eventually comes out to Straits of Malacca. That’s why the Malacca Straits is so important because it cuts short the distance between east and west side of south East Asia.

It is a pity that we lost a significant and valuable landmark because I don't think anyone in the government known’s the value of the island. For them "It is just a piece of rock, let them have it, we get better return from them in other sort of perks and contribution." Probably that was what on their mind. I hope we fight and get back what is rightly belongs to us. I am a Johorean and I was excited when my beloved sultan of Johor made a statement that his highness is not going to let our neighbor take away our island. We are with you and will come to the front line to fight and redeem our sovereignty dear tuanku and tun, please don't give up, get it back because it's OURS anyway.

Pulau Batu Putih has become so important due to the heavy traffic of ship's that plying the straits of Malacca. We need to understand that without Malacca Straits there are no ships and trades and Singapore will become obsolete because shipping industry is its main source of economy. Pulau Batu Putih will not be so important to Singapore without Malacca Straits and the thousands of ships using the channel daily. Since they have won Pulau Batu Putih, I hope we don’t lose our Malacca Straits to them also because I’m sure they will plot to control the water's on the other side of their island (western side of Singapore) towards the Malacca Straits.

I hope we keep our eyes open wide and hope for the best that someone take interest and redeem our sovereignty before we lose it all. I hope Tun and his highness the Johore Sultan could do something about it because no one else can or interested to do anything about it.

I love deep sea fishing, now I have less one place to go on the weekend, damn-it....

God save our country and our waters!!!


Captain.....