PUTRAJAYA - The Cabinet on Oct 29 agreed to form a special task force to review the actions and legal issues regarding the Pulau Batu Puteh, Batuan Tengah and Tubir Selatan case. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanki Jaafar said the team, which will be led by former attorney-general (AG) Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, will ensure the best course of action on the matter.
"This decision is a commitment by the government to review the laws in regards to the Pulau Batu Puteh, Batuan Tengah and Tubir Selatan cases after the review results and interpretation of the case after the government discontinued pursuing it on May 17, 2018. We will also take into account the interests of the country and financial implications," he said in a statement today.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob early last month announced a special task force to carry out a in-depth and holistic research as well as recommending the best course action for the Pulau Batu Puteh, also known as Pedra Branca, issue.
According to Wan Junaidi, the Cabinet's memorandum on the task force also includes terms of reference, membership and financial implications that will be presented for consideration and the approved by the Cabinet soon. He said the team will present the findings and recommendations to the Cabinet within six months, as agreed upon on Oct 29.
On Feb 3, 2017, the Malaysian government filed an appeal to review the International Court's of Justice (ICJ) on May 23, 2008, which ruled in favour Singapore, awarding Batu Puteh to the republic.
Malaysia filed the review application based on three documents as recently disclosed by the United Kingdom.
Those documents include letters from authorities colonising Singapore in 1958, a report of an incident filed in 1958 by a British navy officer and a map with notes about the naval operations in the 1960s.
On Feb 17, 2017, Mohamed Apandi, who was the AG at the time, said he had headed a team of experts to review the matter at the ICJ at the Hague, Netherlands.
However, in 2018, the Pakatan Harapan government under Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad withdraw the application before the case coould be heard as scheduled on June 11, 2018 at the ICJ.
On May 28 this year, a man named Mohd Hatta Sanuri, 45, filed a suit against the Prime Minister and Malaysian government at the High Court demanding a written explanation on the withdrawal of the review.
Wan Junaidi said besides Mohamed Apanda, the team also includes two local lawyers, Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin and Datuk Abu Bakar As-Sidek Mohd Sidek, who had handled the case between 2016 and 2017, as well as representatives from the Foreign Ministry, AG Chambers, Survey and Mapping Department and Johor state government.
"The Legal Affairs Division, the Prime Minister's Department, the AG Chambers and Foreign Affairs Ministry will act as the secretariat for this special task force," he said. - BERNAMA