SINGAPORE – Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has agreed to listen to Malaysia’s argument and reasoning against the reclamation of land at Pulau Batu Puteh, also known as Pedra Branca.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told a press conference that it was one of the issues he had raised with his counterpart during his first official visit here, today.
“The Singaporean prime minister has agreed to look into the reasons given by the (Malaysian) taskforce on the environmental damage and border issues before making a final decision, but this won’t have any impact on the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision.
“ICJ’s decision placed Batu Puteh as Singapore’s sovereign territory. So in terms of land reclamation, they (Singapore) are following a legal decision.
“We have asked them to look into it because each time they reclaim the land, it has an impact on the environment and border. This issue must be resolved, and I’ve received their prime minister’s agreement to listen to our argument soon,” said Anwar.
However, he conceded that there is no way Malaysia can regain the island, seeing that the previous administration under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had failed to contest or appeal the ICJ decision favouring Singapore.
Anwar said he voiced his disagreement to Lee, but also acknowledged that there is nothing more that he can do to regain the territory. – The Vibes, January 30, 2023
