Singapore says Malaysia’s RCI on Batu Puteh shouldn’t affect bilateral ties

 

Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan said the RCI, which was established in Feb 2024 to look into matters related to the sovereignty of Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge, was Malaysia’s internal matter. (AP pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

Malaysia’s royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge should not affect the strong ties between Singapore and Malaysia, says Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

In a written parliamentary reply today, Balakrishnan said maritime boundaries were among the issues Singapore prime minister Lawrence Wong and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim discussed during the 11th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat which concluded today.

“The RCI is an internal matter (of Malaysia) and should not affect the good bilateral relations between Singapore and Malaysia,” said Balakrishnan.

“The two prime ministers have agreed to continue discussions on outstanding issues constructively.”

Balakrishnan said a joint technical committee on the implementation of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) judgment on Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks, and South Ledge continues to be an important platform for the two countries to meet and discuss outstanding matters in a “constructive manner”.

He also said both Singapore and Malaysia had agreed to accept and abide by the ICJ’s decision, which is final and binding on both countries.

Balakrishnan added that under the ICJ Statute, an application for revision could not be made after the expiry of 10 years from the date of the ICJ’s 2008 judgment.

He was responding to the recent debate in the Malaysian Parliament on the RCI report into Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks, and South Ledge.

Putrajaya filed an application on Feb 3, 2017, to review the ICJ’s decision, handed down nine years earlier, to award Singapore sovereignty over Batu Puteh.

The ICJ awarded Middle Rocks to Malaysia, while the ownership of South Ledge, situated about 4km from Batu Puteh, was left for determination based on the delimitation of territorial waters.

On June 30, 2017, Putrajaya filed an application to interpret the ICJ’s judgment to address its ambiguities and implications, particularly regarding the status of South Ledge.

However, upon wresting control of Putrajaya at the general election in May 2018, the Pakatan Harapan government, with Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the prime minister, withdrew both applications before they came up for hearing in June 2018.

The RCI which was established in Feb 2024 to look into matters related to the sovereignty of Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge found that Mahathir had likely acted deliberately to influence the Cabinet to discontinue the applications despite the views of international consultants who said they had a reasonable likelihood of success. - FMT