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 and former chief justice Tun Md Raus Sharif.
On August 12, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, announced that Raus, along with the commission members, presented the report to His Majesty at Istana Negara.
In February, the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department announced that His Majesty consented to the commission's immediate establishment.
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 said that establishing the RCI is 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
