Malaysia has requested its attorney general to clarify its claims on Pedra Branca, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday (Dec 14), adding that he intends to have conversations with Singapore to ensure that there are no issues between the two nations.
Mr. Anwar, using Malaysia's name for the island, stated during a Cabinet meeting, "We requested the attorney-general to address the dispute surrounding the claims for Batu Puteh, which the International Court of Justice has now given to Singapore."
Mr Anwar said his government will also seek that "related consequences" are explored anew so there can be more "serious and immediate" negotiations with Singapore. He stated that this is to assure that there are no issues in the relationship between the two "friendly" nations.
This is the first time Mr. Anwar has raised the subject of Pedra Branca as the country's leader, after his predecessor Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced in October that his Cabinet had agreed to pursue legal action at the ICJ on the matter.
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) answered then that Singapore stands ready to "robustly defend" its sovereignty over Pedra Branca, located near the eastern entrance of the Straits of Singapore, some 44km east of mainland Singapore.
The controversy over Pedra Branca goes back to 1979, when Malaysia issued a map showing that the island was located inside its territorial seas.
The dispute was submitted to the ICJ in 2003, and on May 23, 2008, it found that Singapore possessed sovereignty over Pedra Branca, while Middle Rocks was granted to Malaysia and South Ledge belonged to the state in whose territorial seas it is located.
"After the Court's ruling, both Singapore and Malaysia confirmed publicly that they will accept and abide by the Court's ultimate decision," the MFA stated.
"In 2017, Malaysia filed a petition for rehearing and a request for clarification of the Court's 2008 ruling. Malaysia withdrew both petitions in 2018.
"According to the Court's Statute, a request for a rehearing cannot be filed until May 2018, which is 10 years from the date of the Court's 2008 ruling."
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