Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) verdict out today at 4:00pm (GMT + 8:00 hours)
- From: cksf <chow-kow@sick-fûçkk.org>
- Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 19:28:16 +0800
Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) verdict out today at 4:00pm (GMT + 8:00 hours)
||||Today 09:28 AM|Simply Jean
The verdict on the Pedra Branca case (yes, the one where I wrote about the other
side using a fake blog). Of course, the blog has since became a "private blog"
which was still public except that readers can?t leave comments and that there
hadn?t been any more updates since then. I still can?t get over the use of the
blog as evidence to present to the courts. Goodness!
Nonetheless, the hearing begins at 10am Netherlands time, which is 4pm Singapore
time. Instead of getting the verdict there and then, the judgement will last for
about 2 hours before the final verdict is given. During the 2 hours, various
points that were bring brought up in court will be discussed. It?s definitely
going to be a nerve-wrecking 2 hours for everyone in court and for those in
Singapore.
If anything is to go by, the dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia was ruled in
favour of Malaysia and being a pessimist, I think Malaysia will emerge
victorious in today?s ruling. Of course, I am hoping that Singapore will get it,
but again, being such a pessimist, I would say that Singapore will get the 1 of
the 2 rocks at the outskirts of Pedra Branca at best. Or should I start calling
it Pula Batu Puteh now?
Malaysia boleh! Umno boleh!
IN THE HAGUE - THE Singapore delegation is in for a nerve-racking couple of
hours this afternoon at the Peace Palace here, where the world court will
deliver its judgment on the Pedra Branca case.
Leading the delegation are Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar, Chief Justice
Chan Sek Keong and Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh.
Only a handful of the original 33-strong team involved in the hearing last
November are in The Hague this time.
The rest from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Attorney-General?s Chambers and
other agencies will catch the live telecast of the judgment in Singapore.
Malaysia?s delegation to The Hague is led by its Foreign Minister Rais Yatim and
Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Mohamad, who is Adviser to the Prime Minister.
Today?s judgment will bring to a close a 29-year dispute between Singapore and
Malaysia over the sovereignty of Pedra Branca, a small island that is home to
Horsburgh Lighthouse.
The hearing begins at 10am Netherlands time (4pm Singapore time), when Judge Awn
Shawkat Al-Khasawneh, acting president of the International Court of Justice
(ICJ), will read out the judgment.
If the court?s 2002 judgment in favour of Malaysia in its dispute with Indonesia
over the islands of Sipadan and Ligitan is anything to go by, one can expect
today?s reading to be a suspenseful session for the two legal teams.
The court will first recount the arguments they had presented in several rounds
of written and oral pleadings.
It will then explain why it does not accept certain arguments of one state, and
the same for certain arguments of the other state.
Only at the end of the hearing - expected to last up to two hours - will the
disputing parties find out the outcome.
As Ambassador Koh said with a smile at a press conference on Wednesday: ?Those
of us in court will have a nervous breakdown before the judges tell us the
conclusion, to whom they will award sovereignty.?
Pedra Branca, which Malaysia calls Pulau Batu Puteh, is strategically located at
the eastern entrance of the Strait of Singapore, the world?s busiest strait that
is used by 900 ships each day.
DPM Jayakumar said last week he was ?quietly confident? that the judgment would
be in Singapore?s favour.
But he added that the nature of court proceedings was such that the judgment
could go the other way, and Singapore must be mentally prepared for such an
outcome.
Leaders on both sides had said they would accept the court?s decision and
stressed that whichever way it went, it would not affect bilateral ties.
The two countries have also set up a Joint Technical Committee to enforce the
court?s decision.
Its members have agreed to meet for a second time shortly after today?s
judgment.
lydia@xxxxxxxxxx
Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 23rd May 2008
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/simplyjean/~3/296216591/
cksf.
aka running dog chow-kow-sick-fûçkk(cksf)
- Prev by Date: Today's News at Malaysia Kini
- Next by Date: World Court awards contested island of Pedra Branca to Singapore
- Previous by thread: Goodbye Pulau Batu Putih ...
- Next by thread: World Court awards contested island of Pedra Branca to Singapore
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
