ICJ to decide on May 23 sovereignty of Pulau Batu Puteh

source: nstonline
Six months after the end of the hearing of oral submissions over the sovereignty of Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is set to decide which country - Malaysia or Singapore — should have sovereignty over the disputed island and the two marine features.

The ICJ, which is based at The Hague in the Netherlands, will give its verdict on May 23, bringing to a close a 28-year-old territorial dispute over the island and the two features.

The court heard lengthy submissions from both countries from Nov 6 to 23 last year. Malaysia and Singapore had pledged to abide by the decision of the ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, whose decision is final and not subject to appeal.

Both the Malaysian foreign minister, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, and his Singapore counterpart, George Yeo, had said the outcome of the case would not strain ties between the two neighbours. – Bernama