The Pedra Branca issue is back in the news again.

Well, sort of.

News of Malaysia setting up a new maritime installation on Middle Rocks, near Pedra Branca, has in a way focused attention on the bilateral issue that is going through new international law proceedings.

As reported in the Malaysia state media Bernama and defence magazine IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, the Abu Bakar Maritime Base built across the uninhabited features comprises a 316-metre jetty, a helipad, and a lighthouse.

Safeguarding Malaysia's sovereign territory and waters

As what you can see from the video posted on Facebook by the Sultan of Johor, Ibrahim Ismail Iskandar, who officially opened the installation on Aug. 1 , it's quite an impressive structure:

He said in his post that the new base, a project by the Malaysia National Security Council, “is aimed at safeguarding Malaysia’s sovereign territory and waters and for conducting marine scientific research”. The base also seeks to reaffirm “Malaysia’s absolute sovereignty over the Middle Rocks”.

S$20 million to build

Bernama quoted the Malaysian Maritime director-general Admiral Datuk Zulkifili Abu Bakar saying that the base operates around-the-clock and is manned by three officers and 14 personnel, and is equipped with state-of-the-art remote surveillance system, solid waste system and climate station system.

The construction had begun in April 2012 and was completed last August at a cost of RM61.5 million (approximately S$20 million).

He said: “Malaysian Maritime is the main user of the base, but the facilities and jetty will also be used by the Marine Department, Fisheries Department, Malaysian Armed Forces, Royal Malaysian Police, and also local fishermen.”

Pedra Branca: Physical and Geographical setting

Okay, so what is Middle Rocks? And what Pedra Branca issue?

Well, you are forgiven if you have no idea, given that you most probably don't even know where the dung covered island Pedra Branca is.

Remember this map?

Or this photo?

To put it in words, the "Pedra Branca issue" is essentially over three features:

• Pedra Branca, an island measuring 137 metres long, with an average width of 60 metres, covers an area of about 8560 square metres at low tide. It lies 45km to the east of Singapore, at the eastern entrance to the Straits of Singapore. It sits almost exactly in the middle of the Straits of Singapore, 14.3 km from the Southern coast of Johor (Malaysia).
• Middle Rocks, which comprise two small granite rocks is located about 1km south of Pedra Branca
• South Ledge is also formed of granite and is a low-tide elevation. It lies 3.9km to the south of Pedra Branca.

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The 2008 ICJ ruling and developments so far

That's quite a lot of information to remember. And there's more.

It is useful to recap what was the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) ruling and the developments so far:

• May 2008: The ICJ had awarded Singapore sovereignty over Pedra Branca, while Middle Rocks was awarded to Malaysia. The ICJ also ruled that South Ledge "belongs to the State in the territorial waters of which it is located."
• Feb 2017: Malaysia filed an application for the revision of the ICJ's judgement based on purported newly discovered facts. Speaking on the issue in Parliament on March 2, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in Parliament in Mar 2017, that Singapore “strongly believes” that the newly found documents presented by Malaysia in its bid to overturn the original judgement do not satisfy the criteria under which it applied for a revision.
• June 2017: Malaysia filed a “separate and autonomous” application requesting the ICJ to declare that: (a) The waters surrounding Pedra Branca remain within the territorial waters of Malaysia, and (b) South Ledge is “located in the territorial waters of Malaysia and consequently sovereignty over South Ledge belong to Malaysia. Singapore MFA has responded that it considers Malaysia’s application for interpretation "unnecessary and without merit".

Well, to see things in context, the new base at Middle Rocks actually has nothing to do with the Pedra Branca sovereignty issue. But against the backdrop of the ongoing disputes, it certainly is a pretty assertive display of national sovereignty by Malaysia.

To Malaysia: Noted thanks.

*Editors Note (Aug 6, 2.45pm): The article has been edited for accuracy. In May 2008, the ICJ did not award South Ledge to Singapore. It ruled that South Ledge "belongs to the State in the territorial waters of which it is located."

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