Pulau Batu Puteh. -filepic
JOHOR BARU: The establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to study issues related to the sovereignty of Batu Puteh, Batuan Tengah and Tubir Selatan will shed light over the legality of ownership, according to a local historian.
Assoc Prof Datuk Dr Kassim Thukiman said he welcomed the government’s move in setting up the RCI as it can re-examine the decision made by International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2008.
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“The issue came when ICJ ruled that Pedra Branca (Batu Puteh) belonged to Singapore.
“However, based on historical facts, Johor modern sultanate – which was established in 1855 – has always stressed on Johor’s sovereignty.
“This led to many border agreements made in Johor, which have been gazetted, including Batu Puteh following the British intention to develop a port in Singapore back in 19th century.
“The British wanted two islands that belonged to Johor, which is Batu Puteh on the eastern side and Pulau Pisang on the western side,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Kassim added the British wanted to build lighthouses in Batu Puteh and Pulau Pisang to help trade ships enter the port in Singapore.
He said historical research shows that the British received approval from the Johor sultanate to construct the two lighthouses in Batu Puteh and Pulau Pisang.
“This only proves that Johor, under the leadership of Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail and current Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, had always stressed upon the sovereignty of Batu Puteh,” he added.
Kassim said Batu Puteh was much nearer to Malaysia because in terms of geographical position it is 5.5 nautical miles to Pengerang in Johor compared to 25.5 nautical miles from Singapore.
He added that this also proves that Batu Puteh belongs to the Johor sultanate where Malaysia has also set up maritime security base near Tanjung Pengelih, not far from the disputed area.
“The area is also known as a fish catchment location for fishermen from Pengerang. When ICJ decided that Batu Puteh belongs to Singapore, our local fishermen could no longer fish there.
“Johor also has a port in Pasir Gudang where the main route is through Batu Puteh. To make sure Batu Puteh is returned to the Johor sultanate, authorities must produce official documents to prove that it legally belongs to Malaysia in general,” he added.
