Disputed reefs and shoal | |
---|---|
Other names | Gugusan Beting Raja Jarum (Malay) Gugusan Beting Patinggi Ali (Malay) 北康暗沙 Běikāng ànshā (Chinese) 南康暗沙 Nánkāng ànshā (Chinese) |
Geography | |
Location | South China Sea |
Coordinates | 05°36′N112°36′E / 5.600°N 112.600°E |
Administration | |
State | Sarawak, Division and District of Mukah, Subdistrict of Balingian |
Claimed by | |
The Luconia Shoals, divided into the North and South Luconia Shoals, and sometimes known as the Luconia Reefs, are one of the largest and least-known reef complexes in the South China Sea. [1] Some geographers classify the shoals as the southernmost part of the Spratly Islands. [2]
The shoals lie around 100 kilometres (62 mi) off the Sarawak coast of Borneo, inside the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Malaysia, and around 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) from Mainland China. The shoals are either part of the Spratly Islands, [2] or southeast of what some sources consider to be the southernmost members of the Spratly Islands, such as Louisa Reef. [3] Extending over an area of several thousand square kilometres, both the north and south groups of the shoals are permanently submerged at depths of 5 to 40 metres (16 to 131 ft) below sea level, with the exception of Luconia Breakers. There are extensive oil and natural gas resources under the seabed in this area, [1] which is also home to various fish including manta rays, wrasse, and grouper. [4] The shoals are also where the British barque Viscount Melbourne was wrecked on 5 January 1842. [5]
The Chinese name for the shoals 'Kang' is the shortened form of 'Lo-kang-nia' - a transliteration of the English language name, Luconia. The Republic of China's Maps Inspection Committee published this name in 1935. [6]
The English language name, Luconia, is from an old name of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, depicted in old Latin, Italian, and Portuguese maps as "Luçonia" or "Luconia." [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Feature | Chinese (Trad./Simp.) | Malaysian | Coordinates | Depth metres |
---|---|---|---|---|
North Luconia Shoals | Běikāng ànshā (北康暗沙) | Gugusan Beting Raja Jarum | ||
Friendship Shoal | Méngyì ànshā (盟誼暗沙/盟谊暗沙) | Beting Rentap | 5°57′N112°32′E / 5.950°N 112.533°E | 8.2 |
Hardie Reef1 | Hǎikāng ànshā (海康暗沙) | Terumbu Asun | 5°56′N112°31′E / 5.933°N 112.517°E | 5.1 |
Aitken Reef1 | Yìjìng Jiāo (義淨礁/义净礁) | Terumbu Datak Landih | 5°54′N112°33′E / 5.900°N 112.550°E | 9.4 |
Buck Reef1 | Fǎxiǎn ànshā (法顯暗沙/法显暗沙) | Terumbu Linggir | 5°45′N112°33′E / 5.750°N 112.550°E | 4.9 |
Moody Reef | Kāngxī ànshā (康西暗沙) | Terumbu Permaisuri | 5°38′N112°22′E / 5.633°N 112.367°E | 7.3 |
Seahorse Breakers | Nán'ān Jiāo (南安礁) | Hempasan Dang Ajar | 5°32′N112°35′E / 5.533°N 112.583°E | 2 |
Tripp Reef | Běi'ān Jiāo (北安礁) | Terumbu Litong | 5°39′N112°32′E / 5.650°N 112.533°E | 3.7 |
Hayes Reef | Nánpíng Jiāo (南屏礁) | Terumbu Lang Ngindang | 5°22′N112°38′E / 5.367°N 112.633°E | <0 |
South Luconia Shoals | Nánkāng ànshā (南康暗沙) | Gugusan Beting Patinggi Ali | ||
Stigant Reef | Hǎi'ān Jiāo (海安礁) | Terumbu Sahap | 5°02′N112°30′E / 5.033°N 112.500°E | 4.6 |
Connell Reef | Yǐnbō ànshā (隱波暗沙/隐波暗沙) | Terumbu Dato Talip | 5°06′N112°34′E / 5.100°N 112.567°E | 1.8 |
Herald Reef | Hǎiníng Jiāo (海寧礁/海宁礁) | Terumbu Saji | 4°57′N112°37′E / 4.950°N 112.617°E | 2 |
Comus Shoal | Huānlè ànshā (歡樂暗沙/欢乐暗沙) | Beting Merpati | 5°01′N112°56′E / 5.017°N 112.933°E | 8.2 |
Richmond Reef | Tánmén Jiāo (潭門礁/潭门礁) | Terumbu Balingian | 5°04′N112°43′E / 5.067°N 112.717°E | 3.6 |
Luconia Breakers | Qióngtái Jiāo (瓊台礁/琼台礁) | Hempasan Bentin | 5°01′N112°38′E / 5.017°N 112.633°E | >0 |
Sierra Blanca Reef2) | Chéngpíng Jiāo (澄平礁) | Beting Batu Puteh | 4°51′N112°32′E / 4.850°N 112.533°E | 4.6 |
1) Hardie Reef, Aitken Reef and Buck Reef, from north to south, are part of an atoll which, as a whole, is named by the Chinese as: 盟谊南 or Méng yì nán, which translates as Friendship South. [2]
2) Sierra Blanca Reef is also listed separately from South Luconia Shoals, situated about 12 miles southwestward of the latter. Its least depth is given as 2½ fathoms. [15]
The Luconia shoals are administered by Malaysia, and are claimed by the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China.[ citation needed ]
The shoals are administered by Malaysia, [16] and the Royal Malaysian Navy and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency maintains a 24/7 presence in the area to monitor the shoals. [17] Malaysia's Fisheries Research Institute has conducted studies on the area since 2004. [18] Malaysia organises an annual International Deep Sea Fishing Tournament on the shoals with participants departing from the Marina May in Miri and heading up to the area for 3 days. The participant who catches the biggest fish is proclaimed the winner of the tournament. [19] [20]
On 31 August 2015, amateur marine archaeologist Captain Hans Berekoven with his wife and a team of marine researchers, as well as the Sarawak Museum curator, went to the shoals to plant a Malaysian flag. [16] Berekoven said the move was important to warn China to back down, and to urge the Malaysian government to take a serious look into the archaeological history of the area because the Sunda Shelf may have hosted a civilisation 12,000 years ago. [5]
In June 2015, Malaysian authorities detected a China Coast Guard vessel entering the area. It appears to be anchored at the shoals, about 150 kilometres north of Malaysian Borneo—well inside the 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) exclusive economic zone claimed by Malaysia. The Chinese vessel has been warned to leave the area and is monitored closely by the Royal Malaysian Navy. Malaysia lodged a protest over China's incursion into its waters, [21] as Chinese ships had been in Malaysian waters for more than two years. In a statement in 2015 by a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Shahidan Kassim, he said "We have never received any official claims from them (China) and they said the island (Beting Patinggi Ali) belongs to them, but the country is 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) away. We are taking diplomatic action but in whatever approach, they have to get out of our national waters". The Malaysian government has since sent diplomatic notes every week to protest against the intrusion. [22] There have also been reports that crews aboard the Chinese vessel threatened to shoot local Malaysian fishermen who attempted to fish in the area. [23]
On 31 March 2016, Malaysia summoned the Chinese ambassador in Kuala Lumpur to protest the presence of around 100 Chinese fishing boats at Luconia Shoals. Until March, the Malaysian government rarely rebuked China in public to avoid disturbances to Sino-Malay relations as Beijing emerges as the Malaysian economy's main investor. Kuala Lumpur has "consistently played down China's activities in our territories", said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, a Malaysian think tank. "This could be to protect our commercial interest, or it could also be to avoid the public...realising how useless our defences are". [24]
The Spratly Islands are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Composed of islands, islets, cays, and more than 100 reefs, sometimes grouped in submerged old atolls, the archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Vietnam. Named after the 19th-century British whaling captain Richard Spratly who sighted Spratly Island in 1843, the islands contain less than 2 km2 of naturally occurring land area, which is spread over an area of more than 425,000 km2 (164,000 sq mi).
Sarawak is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, Kalimantan to the south, and Brunei in the north. The capital city, Kuching, is the largest city in Sarawak, the economic centre of the state, and the seat of the Sarawak state government. Other cities and towns in Sarawak include Miri, Sibu, and Bintulu. As of the 2022, the population of Sarawak was 2.97 million. Sarawak has an equatorial climate with tropical rainforests and abundant animal and plant species. It has several prominent cave systems at Gunung Mulu National Park. Rajang River is the longest river in Malaysia; Bakun Dam, one of the largest dams in Southeast Asia, is located on one of its tributaries, the Balui River. Mount Murud is the highest point in the state. Sarawak is the only state of Malaysia with a Christian majority.
East Malaysia, or the Borneo States, also known as Malaysian Borneo, is the part of Malaysia on and near the island of Borneo, the world's third-largest island. East Malaysia comprises the states of Sabah, Sarawak, and the Federal Territory of Labuan. The small independent nation of Brunei lies sandwiched between Sabah and Sarawak. To the south and southeast is the Indonesian portion of Borneo, Kalimantan. East Malaysia lies to the east of Peninsular Malaysia, the part of the country on the Malay Peninsula. The two are separated by the South China Sea.
The geography of Malaysia includes both the physical and the human geography of Malaysia, a Southeast Asian country made up of two major landmasses separated by water—Peninsular Malaysia to the west and East Malaysia to the east—and numerous smaller islands that surround those landmasses. Peninsular Malaysia is on the southernmost part of the Malay Peninsula, south of Thailand, north of Singapore and east of the Indonesian island of Sumatra; East Malaysia comprises most of the northern part of Borneo island, and shares land borders with Brunei to the north and Indonesian Borneo to the south.
Luzon is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as well as Quezon City, the country's most populous city. With a population of 64 million as of 2021, it contains 52.5% of the country's total population and is the fourth most populous island in the world. It is the 15th largest island in the world by land area.
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Philippines, and in the south by Borneo, eastern Sumatra and the Bangka Belitung Islands, encompassing an area of around 3,500,000 km2 (1,400,000 sq mi). It communicates with the East China Sea via the Taiwan Strait, the Philippine Sea via the Luzon Strait, the Sulu Sea via the straits around Palawan, the Strait of Malacca via the Singapore Strait, and the Java Sea via the Karimata and Bangka Straits. The Gulf of Thailand and the Gulf of Tonkin are also part of South China Sea. The shallow waters south of the Riau Islands are also known as the Natuna Sea.
Miri is a coastal city in north-eastern Sarawak, Malaysia, located near the border of Brunei, on the island of Borneo. The city covers an area of 997.43 square kilometres (385.11 sq mi), located 798 kilometres (496 mi) north-east of Kuching and 329 kilometres (204 mi) south-west of Kota Kinabalu. Miri is the second-largest city in Sarawak, with a population of 300,543 as of 2020. The city is also the capital of Miri District, Miri Division.
The Ranau District is an administrative district in the Malaysian state of Sabah, part of the West Coast Division which includes the districts of Kota Belud, Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Penampang, Putatan, Ranau and Tuaran. The capital of the district is in Ranau Town. The landlocked district bordering the Sandakan Division to the east until it meets the Interior Division border. Ranau sits 108 km (67 mi) east of Kota Kinabalu and 227 km (141 mi) west of Sandakan. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the district was 94,092, an almost entirely Dusun ethnic community.
James Shoal is an underwater shoal (bank) in the South China Sea, with a depth of 22 metres (72 ft) below the surface of the sea, located about 45 nautical miles off the Borneo coast of Malaysia. It is claimed by Malaysia, the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of China (Taiwan). The shoal and its surrounds are administered by Malaysia.
Swallow Reef, also known as Malay: Pulau Layang-Layang; Vietnamese: Đá Hoa Lau; Mandarin Chinese: 燕子島; pinyin: Yànzi Dǎo; Celerio Reef, is an oceanic atoll of the Spratly Islands administered by Malaysia, which is situated approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) northwest of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The atoll is about 7 km long and 2 km wide with a central lagoon. The part of the atoll above sea level is a reef on the south-east rim which had an original land area of approximately 6.2 hectares, but with reclaimed land now covers 35 hectares, measuring over 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) long and 200 m (656 ft) wide.
The Philippines has claimed many territories throughout its history. These territories include the Spratly Islands, portions of North Borneo, and the Scarborough Shoal.
Philippines and the Spratly Islands – this article discusses the policies, activities and history of the Republic of the Philippines in the Spratly Islands from the Philippine perspective. Non-Philippine viewpoints regarding Philippine occupation of several islands are currently not included in this article.
Malaysia and Vietnam are two Southeast Asian countries with maritime boundaries which meet in the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea. The two countries have overlapping claims over the continental shelf in the Gulf of Thailand. Both countries have, however, come to an agreement to jointly exploit the natural resources in the disputed area pending resolution of the dispute over sovereignty.
Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan Hong Nam, is the former Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, state Industrial Development Minister and state Tourism and Heritage Minister. He is now the former member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly for Piasau, Miri after having lost his seat to the Democratic Action Party in the 2011 Sarawak State Election. He is also former President of the Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP), a major component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional after having no interest to seek presidential election.
The Spratly Islands dispute is an ongoing territorial dispute between China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei, concerning "ownership" of the Spratly Islands, a group of islands and associated "maritime features" located in the South China Sea. The dispute is characterized by diplomatic stalemate and the employment of military pressure techniques in the advancement of national territorial claims. All except Brunei occupy some of the maritime features.
Dangerous Ground is a large area in the southeast part of the South China Sea characterized by many low islands and cays, sunken reefs, and atolls awash, with reefs often rising abruptly from ocean depths greater than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).
Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park is a protected area of coral reefs in Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, off the island of Borneo. The park is a popular dive destination. The Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park, lying at depths ranging from 7 to 50 metres at the seaward edge, has an average visibility of 10 to 30 metres. The best time to dive is from late March through November each year. Popular diving sites includes Anemone Garden, Grouper Patch Reef, Atago Maru Wreck and Seafan Garden. There are also some wreck dives. It is one of Malaysia’s most recently discovered diving locations and the largest offshore national park created in the state of Sarawak.
The article covers events that are related to the South China Sea dispute.