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ICJ hearings in June for Malaysia’s Pedra Branca challenge

SINGAPORE — The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hold public hearings from June 18 to 22 regarding Malaysia’s challenge to the 2008 Pedra Branca judgement.

The island of Pedra Branca, where Singapore administers a lighthouse, sits at the entrance to the Singapore Strait about 30 km (19 miles) east of the city state and 15 km off peninsular Malaysia's southern coast.

The island of Pedra Branca, where Singapore administers a lighthouse, sits at the entrance to the Singapore Strait about 30 km (19 miles) east of the city state and 15 km off peninsular Malaysia's southern coast.

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SINGAPORE — The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hold public hearings from June 18 to 22 regarding Malaysia’s challenge to the 2008 Pedra Branca judgement.

In a press release on Thursday (April 5), the ICJ said that the hearing will concern “the revision of the judgement of 23 May, 2008 in the case concerning sovereignty over Pedra Branca/ Pulau Batu Puteh."

The first round of oral argument will take place from June 18 to 19, followed by another round from June 21 to 22.

The row over the ownership of Pedra Branca dates back to 1979, when Malaysia published a map indicating the island to be within the country’s territorial waters.

Singapore lodged a formal protest with Malaysia in early 1980.

It took more than 20 years for the dispute to be brought before the ICJ in July 2003. In May 2008, after several rounds of written pleadings and public hearings, the court ruled Pedra Branca to be Singapore territory.

Malaysia has filed two applications challenging the court's ruling to award the tiny island to Singapore.

Putrajaya filed the first application in February last year, citing what it claimed was the discovery of new facts from three documents recently discovered in the United Kingdom’s national archive, which it said would have resulted in a “different conclusion” by the ICJ.

Singapore filed a rebuttal to Malaysia's first application on May 24.

Malaysia then filed a second application on June 30 challenging the 2008 ruling.

Putrajaya had asked the court to award waters around Pedra Branca, which sits at the entrance to the Singapore Strait about 30km east of the Republic, and a maritime feature south of it called South Ledge, to Malaysia.

Singapore filed another rebuttal on Oct 30.

Commenting on the Republic's rebuttal to Malaysia's second application, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in October: "Singapore’s written observations are a comprehensive rebuttal to Malaysia’s request for interpretation of the May 23, 2008 judgment.

"Singapore is confident of its case and its legal team. After the written proceedings, the next step is for the parties to present their oral arguments after the ICJ has fixed the schedule for the oral proceedings."

 

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