Dumping In Malaysian Seas: An Assessment of The Present Situation vis-a-vis International Legal Regimes

Malaysia is almost entirely surrounded by sea. The west coast of Peninsular Malaysia faces the Malacca Strait which is 765 kilometres long and is the busiest strait in the world used for international navigation. The rest of Malaysia is bounded by the South China Sea, the Sulu Sea, the Celebes Sea and other narrower straits and waterways. Malaysia’s marine environment with its diverse ecology is constantly subjected to marine pollution. The dumping of wastes into Malaysian seas is but one of the many marine pollution occurrences which have escalated in recent years. Surveillance and enforcement measures have been enhanced, but without firm legal provisions particularly for enforcement beyond territorial waters, efforts to curb indiscriminate dumping will continue to be a frustrating task. This article reviews these issues and suggests that it is imperative that current national laws be supplemented by those provisions of international law which
govern the dumping of wastes and other matter.