Quote:
Originally Posted by Wotname
While this is interesting, perhaps I could be excused for thinking the sovereignty of these waters matters not as far as the USN is concerned; but I would like to be proven wrong...
On a brighter note, it does seem like all the players are assisting in the search for the missing sailors.
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You're correct, Wotname. The sovereignty matters not at all in the collision.
I was just trying to explain some of additions to the chartlet, to put it in context.
And yes, both Malaysia and Singapore are assisting.
Singapore has more closely aligned itself with the US of late (there's a residential area of Singapore that if you wander into you quickly find yourself talking to Singaporean authority figures, because that residential area is home to several defence-related US families; and Singapore has caused a minor rift in its formerly close relationship with
China by its leaning to the US, to the point that it recently made a Chinese-born US national working as an academic in Singapore an unwelcome alien and claimed that he, the alien, had sought to influence Singaporean decision makers).
Malaysia has recently increased its economic integration with
China (big developments in Malaysia being constructed by Chinese companies and funded by debt to both Chinese companies and the Malaysian govt). And rumours that Malaysia is about to buy some missiles from China (the rumours have been denied). Malaysia however has a track
record of military cooperation with US and other forces. As well, of course, of rumours and records of corruption (involving everything from
buying submarines from
France that cannot submerge in tropical
water to private persons (and perhaps the prime minister) diverting
money from a Malaysian govt investment fund to buy luxury property in NY City, fund a Leo de Caprio
movie, and gift gems etc to female
movie stars and the wife of the person the US Dept of Justice refers to as "Malaysian Official No. 1".