Malaysia Establishes Royal Inquiry into Sovereignty of Singapore Strait Islets

The move follows Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's call for a review of a 2008 International Court of Justice ruling that awarded Pedra Branca to Singapore.

Malaysia's Cabinet has decided to establish a royal commission of inquiry to study the handling of cases involving the sovereignty of islets Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks, and South Ledge in the Singapore Strait.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had previously called for a review of a 2018 decision by Malaysia to drop its application to revise an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that Singapore had sovereignty over Pedra Branca.
The dispute over Pedra Branca dates back to 1979, when Malaysia published a map indicating that the island was within the country’s territorial waters.
In a 2008 ruling, the ICJ awarded the Middle Rocks formation to Malaysia while nearby Pedra Branca was given to Singapore.
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in 2022 that the country stood ready to 'robustly defend' its sovereignty over Pedra Branca.