KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 — The report concerning Batu Puteh by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) will be tabled in Parliament and the recommendations to be debated, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
In a statement today, she said the RCI Report on sovereignty issues concerning Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge was tabled at the Cabinet Meeting yesterday by RCI chairman Tun Md Raus Sharif, who is former chief justice.
Last August 12, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, through a post on his Facebook page, announced that Md Raus, along with the commission members, presented the report to His Majesty at Istana Negara.
Last February, the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) of the Prime Minister’s Department (JPM) announced in a statement that Sultan Ibrahim consented to the immediate establishment of the commission.
The RCI’s formation was carried out under the Commissions of Enquiry Act 1950 (Act 119).
On May 23, 2008, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Singapore has sovereignty over Batu Puteh, while Middle Rocks, located less than one kilometre away, belongs to Malaysia.
The ICJ also ruled that ownership rights over South Ledge, approximately four kilometres from Batu Puteh, would be determined according to the maritime boundaries of the controlling country.
Before this, Azalina was reported to have said that the establishment of the RCI was aimed at finding a resolution and moving forward with improvements regarding issues on the country’s sovereignty, rather than assigning blame to any party. — Bernama
