Pulau Batu Puteh - Singapore Has Sovereignty Says ICJ

The International Court of Justice today ruled 12 to 4 that Singapore had sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh and 15 to 1 that Malaysia owns Middle Rocks while the South Ledge belongs to the state in which territorial waters it is located.

Pulau Batu Puteh – no larger than half a football field – is about 7.7 nautical miles from Tanjung Penyusop in Johor and 25.5 nautical miles from Singapore.

Middle Rocks is about half a nautical mile from Pulau Batu Puteh and 1.7 nautical miles from South Ledge.

During the submissions, Malaysia had refuted Singapore’s claim that the island was no man’s land when Britain took possession of it between 1847 and 1851.

Malaysia had maintained that Johor had the original title to Pulau Batu Puteh since time immemorial and that Britain had sought Johor’s permission to build the Horsburgh Lighthouse there.

Meanwhile our foreign minister, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim gave a positive spin to the World Court's verdict by saying that the decision is a win-win one. In fact he had remarked a couple of days ago that Malaysia and Singapore have agreed not to cause trouble or problems in bilateral relations after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivers its ruling pertaining to Pulau Batu Puteh.

He said that it means, if the decision favours Malaysia, Singapore would continue to be friendly and would not raise prejudice and vice versa.

"We will respect the decision and continue to realise international friendships and neighbourliness. We should accept it as something normal and in openness.

Perhaps he had anticipated that this is what the ICJ's decision would be.