Tag: ICJ

Revealed: Malaysia “New Evidence” In Pedra Branca Row Against Singapore

Malaysia’s “new evidence” that it has sovereignty – and not its southern neighbour Singapore – over the rocky outcrop called Pedra Branca comprise a letter by Singapore’s top colonial official in 1958, a naval incident report the same year, and a map of the Lion City in 1966, This Week in Asia has learnt.

These three documents would likely overturn the decision by the International Court of Justice in 2008 to award sovereignty to the disputed island to Singapore, Malaysia claimed in court documents filed on February 3.

“This application is not an appeal against the 2008 judgment. On the contrary, it draws to the court’s attention what has only recently become known to Malaysia, namely, that even after the 1953 correspondence, and at a point at which Singapore had become a self-governing colonial territory, Singapore, at the highest levels of its government, did not have the view that it had sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh,” said court documents seen by This Week in Asia.

“Singapore subsequently carried this appreciation into its federation as part of Malaysia in 1963, and, as it necessarily follows, that appreciation remained controlling on Singapore’s independence in 1965,” the documents said.

“It is Malaysia’s contention, informed by a close reading of the judgment in 2008 and its accompanying opinions, that the court would have been bound to reach a different conclusion on the question of sovereignty over Pedra Branca had it been aware of this new evidence.”

Malaysia on February 3 filed for a revision to the International Court of Justice’s ruling in 2008 that the isle of Pedra Branca, a football-field sized rocky outcrop, belongs to Singapore.

Source: www.scmp.com

February 10, 2017
Malaysia Seeking To Revise Judgment On Pedra Branca Citing New Facts, Singapore Forms Legal Team To Study Challenge

Malaysia, citing “new facts” discovered in recently declassified British documents, has filed a challenge to the 2008 decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that ruled Pedra Branca to be Singaporean territory.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in response that the Republic is “studying Malaysia’s application and documentation closely”, and has formed a legal team to respond to Malaysia’s challenge.

The Singapore legal team includes Attorney-General Lucien Wong, former Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar, Professor Tommy Koh and former Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong.

Malaysian Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali filed the application with the ICJ at The Hague on Thursday (Feb 2) over the sovereignty of Pedra Branca, which is located some 24 nautical miles to the east of Singapore. The Republic was alerted overnight through the formal channels of the High Commission and the International Court of Justice.

“The application was made by Malaysia upon the discovery of some fact of such a nature as to be a decisive factor, which fact was, when the judgment was given, unknown to the Court and also to Malaysia as the party claiming revision,” Mr Apandi said in a statement on Friday.

He added: “We are also confident that the requirements as stipulated under Article 61 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice have been met in that, inter alia, the application for revision is brought within six months of the discovery of the new fact, and within 10 years of the date of the Judgment.”

It is early days yet in the court process, with the panel of judges to hear the case yet to be formed. Both sides will have a say in the appointment of the judges, and the number of judges on the panel is yet to be determined.

The Malaysian statement did not disclose details of the “new facts”. TODAY understands that three new facts were submitted. In response to queries from TODAY, Mr Apandi would only say that these were “discovered after the British Government declassified the documents recently”. Asked to identify the specific documents, he said: “Not now…when Singapore is being notified, they will be served with the relevant papers.”

Source: www.todayonline.com

February 4, 2017
Sultan of Johor Wants Singapore’s Pedra Branca Back After Six Years

THE Sultan of Johor has ordered the state government to look into filing an appeal against the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision six years ago to award Pedra Branca to Singapore.

Pedra Branca – which Malaysia refers to as Pulau Batu Puteh – belonged to Johor and should remain a part of it, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail was quoted by the online portals of Malay-language dailies Utusan Malaysia and Sinar Harian as saying yesterday.

He said he was following the wishes of his father, the late Sultan Iskandar Ismail.

Sultan Ibrahim, who was speaking at the opening of the state legislative assembly session, noted that while foreign affairs came under the jurisdiction of the federal government, it was unwise for Johor not to be consulted on the matter.

“Don’t the Johor people understand their neighbours better than those in Putrajaya? How would the federal government know of the state’s needs or that of its people?” he said.

Pedra Branca, an island the size of a football field located some 40km east of Singapore and home to Horsburgh Lighthouse, was at the centre of a territorial dispute between Singapore and Malaysia that lasted almost three decades.

In 2003, the two countries signed a Special Agreement referring the dispute to the ICJ at The Hague, in the Netherlands.

For three weeks in 2007, legal teams from both sides argued their case before the court. In a ruling that it said was “final, binding and without appeal” in May 2008, the ICJ awarded Pedra Branca to Singapore and outcrops called Middle Rocks to Malaysia.

Of Sultan Ibrahim’s order to appeal against the ruling, Dr Azmi Sharom of Universiti Malaya told The Straits Times that he does not have the authority.

“The ICJ has jurisdiction over disputes presented only by nations or governments. He may request it (an appeal), but it is the government that presents the case to the ICJ.”

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JOHOR BAHRU 29 Mei – Sultan Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar hari ini menitahkan kerajaan negeri supaya menubuhkan pasukan khas untuk memfailkan rayuan bagi membatalkan keputusan Mahkamah Keadilan Antarabangsa (ICJ) tentang Pulau Batu Putih yang sebelum ini memihak kepada Singapura.

Baginda bertitah, negeri ini adalah berbeza dengan negeri-negeri lain kerana mempunyai ‘jiran sebelah’ yang merupakan sebuah negara maju, malah sebenarnya mempunyai hubungan rapat dengan Johor kerana saling bergantung antara satu sama lain.

“Oleh yang demikian, walaupun hal ehwal luar negara terletak di bawah kuasa Kerajaan Persekutuan, adalah tidak wajar jika kerajaan Johor tidak dimaklumkan atau tidak dibawa berunding dalam perkara yang melibatkan kepentingan Johor dan Singapura. Bukankah orang Johor lebih memahami tentang jirannya berbanding orang di Putrajaya?

“Bagaimanakah pihak Persekutuan lebih tahu tentang keperluan atau kehendak negeri dan rakyat Johor? Inilah kesannya apabila orang luar yang tidak faham tentang sejarah dan kedaulatan negeri Johor (tetapi) diberikan tugas untuk mempertahankan kes tersebut,” titah baginda.

Sultan Ibrahim bertitah demikian ketika merasmikan penggal kedua Sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri Johor Ke-12 di Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim, Bukit Timbalan, di sini hari ini.

November tahun lalu, Kerajaan Persekutuan memaklumkan tiada rayuan semula dibuat selepas kalah dalam kes tuntutan Pulau Batu Putih kepada Singapura pada 2007 kerana ketiadaan bukti kukuh dan fakta lengkap namun tetap meneruskan usaha mencari bukti dan maklumat baharu untuk persediaan masa hadapan dengan kerjasama Arkib Negara.

Malah pada penghujung bulan yang sama, Malaysia dan Singapura bersetuju menubuhkan sebuah jawatankuasa kecil baharu bagi membincangkan penandaan sempadan maritim Pedra Branca atau Pulau Batu Putih, Batuan Tengah dan Tubir Selatan – kelompok batu yang muncul di laut kedua-dua negara.

Source: The Straits Times, Utusan Malaysia

May 30, 2014