Malaysia plans to build island on strategic Singapore Strait rocks

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysia’s prime minister said on Wednesday his government planned to develop some offshore rocks which were the subject of a territorial dispute with Singapore, days after he cancelled a big rail project with his southern neighbour.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded the outcrop, known as Middle Rocks, near the opening of the Straits of Singapore, to Malaysia in 2008. At the same time, the Netherlands-based court ruled the nearby Pedra Branca island belonged to Singapore.

Malaysia sought a review of that ruling last year, in the hope of restaking its claim to Pedra Branca. Singapore opposed Malaysia’s bid to review the ruling and the Singapore foreign ministry said on Wednesday the ICJ had informed it Malaysia had withdrawn that request.Malaysia’s newly elected prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, told a news conference that Malaysia had already been building structures on Middle Rocks.

“It is our intention to enlarge Middle Rocks so we can form a small island for us,” he said.

Mahathir declined to elaborate saying the plan had not been finalised.

The Singapore government did not immediately have a comment on the Malaysian plan to build on the rocks.