Bernama
JOHOR BAHARU, June 6 (Bernama) — Malaysian government surveyors are carrying out survey and mapping on Middle Rocks which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has awarded to Malaysia in its ownership dispute with Singapore over Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge.
Bernama understands that 19 staff from the Department of Survey and Mapping headquarters started their work there several days ago, travelling to the rocks in the morning and returning to the Johor mainland in the evening.
“The work we are doing includes verifying the size and number of rocks, establishing a control point and carrying out topographic measurements,” a source told Bernama.
The source said the survey and mapping work, which would carry on until next week, was preliminary prior to demarcating the country’s boundaries at Middle Rocks.
The survey team comprises staff from the Topographic and Geodetic Section of the Department of Survey and Mapping headquarters.
The source said the survey team members stayed at Pekan Sungai Rengit in Pengerang on the Johor mainland while conducting the survey on Middle Rocks.
On May 23, the ICJ, in delivering its judgement at The Hague, awarded sovereignty over Batu Puteh to Singapore and that over Middle Rocks to Malaysia and said South Ledge would belong to the country in the territorial waters of which it is located.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said recently that the two main outcrops of Middle Rocks, which were between 500 and 600 metres apart, would be joined together to increase the surface area.
— BERNAMA