You are on page 1of 14

DoD 2005.

1-M

SINGAPORE
SUMMARY OF CLAIMS
_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________
TYPE DATE SOURCE LIMITS NOTES
_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________
TERRITORIAL SEA 1878 Territorial Waters 3nm U.K. colonial legislation.
Jurisdiction Act
_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________
FISHING ZONE/EEZ Apr 66 Fisheries Act, No. 14 Fishing zone; extensive authority to
prescribe limits, licensing, and regulations.
_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________
ENVIRONMENTAL Jan 71 Prevention of Pollution of Territor- Implemented the International Convention
REGULATION the Sea, Act No. 3 ial Sea for the Prevention of Pollution in the Sea by
Oil of 1954.
_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________
MARITIME BOUNDARIES Aug 74 Agreement Territorial sea boundary agreement with
Indonesia EIF.
_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________
LOS CONVENTION Dec 82 Signed Convention.

Nov 94 Ratified Convention; bound by Part XI


Agreement.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MARITIME BOUNDARY AGREEMENT

SINGAPORE - INDONESIA

Excerpts from the agreement and the comments following it are extracted from Limits in the Seas, No. 60, "Territorial Sea Boundary:
Indonesia-Singapore” of 11 November 1974. Indonesia and Singapore signed a territorial sea boundary agreement on 25 May 1973.
Indonesia ratified the agreement on 3 December 1973; Singapore ratified the agreement on 29 August 1974.

The agreement provides in part:

1. The boundary line of the territorial seas of the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of Singapore in the Strait of Singapore shall be a
line, consisting of straight lines drawn between points, the co-ordinates of which are as follows:

TABLE C1.T229.
SINGAPORE - INDONESIA MARITIME BOUNDARY COORDINATES

POINTS LATITUDE NORTH LONGITUDE EAST

1 1°10'46".0 103°40'14".6
2 1°07'49".3 103°44'26".5
3 1°10'17".2 103°48'18".0
4 1°11'45".5 103°51'35".4
5 1°12'26".1 103°52'50".7
6 1°16'10".2 104°02'00".0

U.S. ANALYSIS

The analysis of the Indonesia-Singapore territorial sea boundary has been based upon a plotting of the coordinates on DMAHC Chart
N.O.71242, 17th ed., August 1963, revised October 21,1970.

Indonesia claims a 12 nm territorial sea dating from 1957. Singapore's 3 nm territorial sea claim dates from 1957.

548
DoD 2005.1-M

The territorial sea boundary extends for a distance of 24.55 nm. The average distance between the turning points is 4.91 nm; the minimum
is 1.35 nm; the maximum is 9.85 nm. The water depths along the territorial sea boundary range from 12 to 25 fathoms, with an average
depth of 17.83 fathoms.

Three of the six territorial sea boundary turning points are equidistant from Indonesian and Singaporean territory. The turning points are an
average of 1.90 nm from Indonesian territorial and 2.27 nm from Singaporean territory.

The turning points of the territorial sea boundary, which are equidistant from Indonesia and Singapore, are equidistant from Indonesia and
Singapore, are equidistant between the low-tide elevations of both countries. The median line between Indonesia and Singapore, as
depicted on the attached chart, was constructed between the Indonesian system of straight baselines and the low-tide elevations of
Singapore. As a consequence, points which are stated as equidistant for islands will not necessarily be situated on the equidistant line.

The western terminus of the territorial sea boundary is located in Main Strait. The boundary turning point, which is not equidistant from
Indonesian and Singaporean territory, is 1.70 nm from Pulau Nipa (Singapore) and 2.80 nm from Pulau Sudong (Indonesia). Both points are
islands.

The second turning point is 4.80 nm southeast of Point 1. Point 2 is 1.35 nm from Pulau Takong-besar (Indonesia) and 1.75 nm from Pulau
Satumu (Singapore). In this extent of the territorial sea boundary, the boundary lies south of an Indonesian-Singapore median line.
Moreover, the boundary also crosses over into Indonesian internal waters, i.e., Point 2 is located on the landward side of the Indonesian
straight baselines.

The distance from Point 2 to Point 3 is 4.75 nm miles. Turning Point 3 is not an equidistant point, but rather it is located 1.10 nm from Buffalo
Rock (Indonesia) and 1.80 nm from Pulau Sebarok (Singapore). Point 3 is also located on the Indonesia side of an Indonesia-Singapore
median line.

Point 4 lies 3.80 nm northeast of Point 3. Point 4 is an equidistant point and lies 1.30 nm from Bt. Berhanti (Indonesia) and Pulau Sakijang
Bendera (Singapore). The Indonesia-Singapore median line passes north of Point 4; therefore Point 4; therefore Point 4 lies on the
Indonesian side of the median line.

Point 5 of the territorial sea boundary is an equidistant point located 1.35 nm northeast of Point 4. Point 5 is situated 1.30 nm from Bt.
Berhanti (Indonesia) and an unnamed islet east of Pulau Sakijang Petepah (Singapore). Point 5 is the only turning point which lies on the
Singapore side of the Indonesia-Singapore median line.

The eastern terminus of the territorial sea boundary, Point 6, is located on the Indonesian side of the Indonesia-Singapore median line and is
4.65 nm equidistant from Tg. Sengkuang (Indonesia) and Tg. Bedok (Singapore).

Summary
The Indonesia-Singapore territorial sea boundary utilizes both the equidistant principle (3 turning points) and negotiated positions (3 turning
points). Five of the six turning points lie on the Indonesia side of an Indonesia-Singapore median line. Of particular interest is the location of
Point 2. This turning point is located inside the Indonesian straight baseline system and is therefore in Indonesian internal waters. Islands
were utilized as basepoints for the construction of the territorial sea boundary.

Indonesia–Singapore border
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

549
DoD 2005.1-M

Jump to: navigation, search


The Indonesia–Singapore border is a maritime boundary in the Straits of Singapore between
Indonesia's Riau Islands which lie to the south of the border, and the islands of Singapore which lie
to the north. The Straits of Singapore is one of the region's busiest waterways as it is the main
channel for Singapore's ports.

Only a portion of the maritime border between the two countries has been determined. The
remaining parts, especially those lying to the east of the delimited boundary, may require the
involvement of Malaysia as the country also possesses territorial waters in the area.

[edit] Agreements
The Agreement Stipulating the Territorial Sea Boundary Lines between Indonesia and the
Republic of Singapore in the Strait of Singapore signed by Indonesia and Singapore on 25 May
1973 determines the common territorial sea border as a series of straight lines connecting six
coordinate points located in the Straits of Singapore. Indonesia ratified the agreement on 3
December 1973 while Singapore ratified the agreement on 29 August 1974.[1]

The distance of the border is 24.55 nautical miles (45.47 km). Three of the six coordinates lie
equidistant from Indonesian and Singaporean shores while the remaining are negotiated points with
two lying closer to the Indonesian shores. Point 2 lies towards the landward side of Indonesia's
baseline.

On 10 March 2009, Indonesia and Singapore signed the Treaty between the Republic of Indonesia
and the Republic of Singapore Relating to the Delimitation of the Territorial Seas of the Two
Countries in the Western Part of the Strait of Singapore 2009[2] in Jakarta. The treaty, signed
by their respective Foreign Ministers at that time, namely Hassan Wirajuda and George Yeo,
extended the delimitation of their common maritime boundary by a further 12.1 km westwards from
Point 1 determined in the 1973 agreement, to Point 1C. The treaty came into force upon ratification
through an exchange of Instruments of Ratification on 31 August 2010 in Singapore by then
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and his Singaporean counterpart George Yeo.[3][4]

The new western end-point Point 1C is deemed to be located near but is not the tri-point for
Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and tri-lateral negotiations will be further needed to determine
where the maritime boundaries of the three countries meet.[5]
The 2009 extension uses the basepoints of Pulau Nipah in Indonesia and Singapore's Sultan Shoal,
which has virtually been surrounded by reclaimed land. This is significant in legal terms as it
indicated that Singapore was willing to not assert the use of the shores of reclaimed land as its
baseline. Also significant for Indonesia is that its basepoints, of which Pulau Nipah is one, together
with the baselines which were drawn according to the archipelagic baseline principle, were
recognised by Singapore.[6]

The three coordinates under the 2009 treaty are based on the World Geodetic System 1984
(WGS'84).

550
DoD 2005.1-M

Point Latitude (N) Longtitude (E) Remarks


Territorial sea boundary end and turning point coordinates under 2009 treaty
1C 1° 11' 43.8" 103° 34' 00.0"
1B 1° 11' 55.5" 103° 34' 20.4"
1A 1° 11' 174" 103° 39' 38.5"
Territorial sea boundary end and turning point coordinates under 1973 agreement
1 1° 10' 46" 103° 40' 14.6"
2 1° 7' 49.3" 103° 44' 26.5"
3 1° 10' 17.2" 103° 48' 18.0"
4 1° 11' 45.5" 103° 51' 35.4"
5 1° 12' 26.1" 103° 52' 50.7"
6 1° 16' 10.2" 104° 2' 00.0"

[edit] Undefined border


With the signing of the 2009 maritime boundary agreement, the delimitation of the "western
segment" of the Indonesia-Singapore boundary was deemed completed, save for the gap between the
new western end point and the eventual western tri-point of the boundaries of Indonesia, Malaysia
and Singapore. This final gap will require trilateral negotiations among the three countries which are
not expected to take place soon as it is dependent on the delimitation of the Indonesia-Malaysia
maritime boundary in the southern portion of the Straits of Malacca, as well as the delimitation of
the remaining portion of the Malaysia-Singapore border in the western part of the Straits of
Singapore.
The remaining portion of the undefined boundary is called the "eastern segment" as it lies to the east
of the boundary delimited by the 1973 agreement, in the eastern portion of the Straits of Singapore
between Singapore and Indonesia's Riau Islands. Singapore has indicated that this segment would be
made up of two portions. The first, between Singapore island off the Changi Coast and Indonesia's
Batam island, will run from the eastern terminus determined in the 1973 agreement to an Indonesia-
Malaysia-Singapore tri-point. Another portion will be located further east between Pedra Branca,
which the International Court of Justice awarded to Singapore in 2008 in a dispute with Malaysia,
and Indonesia's Bintan island. A stretch of the Indonesia-Malaysia border will lie in between the two
portions. Tri-lateral negotiations among Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore would be needed to
determine the three tri-points.[5]
The signing of the 2009 treaty has given momentum for talks to determine the eastern segment to
begin. During a press conference after the exchange of the Instruments of Ratification for the 2009
treaty, Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo said Indonesia and Singapore were going to begin
the process of demarcating the portion of their common border between Singapore and Batam.[7]
The solving of the sovereignty dispute between Malaysia and Singapore over Pedra Branca, Middle
Rocks and South Ledge has also resulted in Malaysia and Singapore starting technical negotiations
to determine their common border, which is necessary before the tripoints can be determined.

[edit] History
The Indonesia–Singapore border came into being as part of the imaginary line created by the 1824
treaty between Great Britain and the Netherlands which divided up the Malay archipelago into

551
DoD 2005.1-M

spheres of influence between the two colonial powers. The current border in the Straits of Singapore
is based on this line whereby territories north of the line were placed under British influence (and
ultimately colonisation) while those south of the line were under Dutch influence. Singapore was
already a British settlement at that time and was allowed to remain so.
The line became the boundary between British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, and later between
the colony of Singapore and independent Indonesia, the successor state of the Dutch East Indies.
Between 16 September 1963 and 4 August 1965, the border became part of the maritime frontier
between Indonesia and Malaysia when Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia as a constituent
state. In then became independent on 9 August 1965.

Malaysia–Singapore border
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

552
DoD 2005.1-M

The Johor-Singapore Causeway as viewed from the Woodlands Checkpoint in Singapore towards
Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The end of Singaporean territory and start of Malaysian territory can be
clearly seen with the differences in road surface and markings near the mid-section of the Causeway.
The Malaysia–Singapore border is an international maritime border between the Southeast Asian
countries of Malaysia, which lies to the north of the border, and Singapore to the south. The
boundary is to a large extent formed by straight lines between maritime geographical coordinates
running along or near the deepest channel of the Straits of Johor (Malay: Selat Tebrau).[1]
The western portion of the border beyond that delimited by the 1995 agreement goes into the
western section of the Singapore Straits while the eastern portion of the border beyond the eastern
terminus of the defined border continues into the eastern section of the Singapore Straits. Outside the
border defined by the 1995 agreement, there is still no formal agreement between the two countries
to delimit their common borders and this has resulted in several overlapping claims. Singapore
claims a three nautical mile (6 km) territorial sea limit, while Malaysia claims a 12-nautical-mile
(22 km) territorial sea limit.

Following the International Court of Justice decision on 23 May 2008 on the sovereignty of Pedra
Branca which gave the island to Singapore, the new portion of the Malaysia-Singapore maritime
border around the island will also need to be determined. The island lies 24 nautical miles (44 km)
or 44 km east from the eastern most point of Singapore, and 7.7 nautical miles (14.3 km) or 14.2 km
southeast of the Malaysian coastline.
There is also a dispute involving the alleged incursion into Malaysian territorial waters by land
reclamation works by Singapore at the western entrance to the Straits of Johor.
There are two structural crossings along the border. They are the Johor-Singapore Causeway and the
Malaysia-Singapore Second Link (as known in Malaysia), or the Tuas Second Link (as known in
Singapore). There is also an international ferry service between Pengarang at the southeastern tip of
Johor and Changi Village at the eastern of the island.

[edit] Delimited boundary


A large extent of the Malaysia–Singapore border is defined by the Agreement between the
Government of Malaysia and the Government of the Republic of Singapore to delimit
precisely the territorial waters boundary in accordance with the Straits Settlement and Johore
Territorial Waters Agreement 1927 as being straight lines joining a series of 72 geographical
coordinates roughly running about 50 nautical miles (93 km) along the deepest channel (thalweg)
between the western and eastern entrances of the Straits of Johor. This delineation was arrived at and
agreed to jointly by the two governments and resulted in the agreement being signed on 7 August
1995.[2]
The coordinates, which are stated in Annex 1 of the agreement, are as follows:
Point Latitude Longitude Point Latitude Longitude Point Latitude Longitude
East of Johor-Singapore Causeway
01° 27' 103° 46' 01° 25' 103° 56' 01° 26' 104° 02'
E1 E17 E33
10.0" 16.0" 49.5" 00.3" 38.0" 27.0"
E2 01° 27' 103° 47' E18 01° 25' 103° 56' E34 01° 26' 104° 03'

553
DoD 2005.1-M

54.5" 25.7" 49.7" 15.7" 23.5" 26.9"


01° 28' 103° 48' 01° 25' 103° 56' 01° 26' 104° 04'
E3 E19 E35
35.4" 13.2" 40.2" 33.1" 04.7" 16.3"
01° 28' 103° 48' 01° 25' 103° 57' 01° 25' 104° 04'
E4 E20 E36
42.5" 45.6" 31.3" 09.1" 51.2" 35.3"
01° 28' 103° 49' 01° 25' 103° 57' 01° 25' 104° 05'
E5 E21 E37
36.1" 19.8" 27.9" 27.2" 03.3" 18.5"
01° 28' 103° 50' 01° 25' 103° 58' 01° 24' 104° 05'
E6 E22 E38
22.8" 03.0" 19.8" 20.7" 55.8" 22.6"
01° 27' 103° 51' 01° 25' 103° 58' 01° 24' 104° 05'
E7 E23 E39
58.2" 07.2" 19.0" 00.5" 44.8" 26.7"
01° 27' 103° 51' 01° 25' 103° 58' 01° 24' 104° 05'
E8 E24 E40
46.6" 31.2" 19.0" 20.7" 21.4" 33.6"
01° 27' 103° 51' 01° 25' 103° 58' 01° 23' 104° 05'
E9 E25 E41
31.9" 53.9" 27.9" 47.7" 59.3" 34.9"
01° 27' 103° 52' 01° 25' 103° 59' 01° 23' 104° 05'
E10 E26 E42
23.5" 05.4" 27.4" 00.9" 39.3" 32.9"
01° 26' 103° 52' 01° 25' 103° 59' 01° 23' 104° 05'
E11 E27 E43
56.3" 30.1" 29.7" 10.2" 04.9" 22.4"
01° 26' 103° 53' 01° 25' 103° 59' 01° 22' 104° 05'
E12 E28 E44
06.5" 10.1" 29.2" 20.5" 07.5" 00.9"
01° 25' 103° 53' 01° 25' 103° 59' 01° 21' 104° 04'
E13 E29 E45
40.6" 52.3" 30.0" 34.5" 27.0" 47.0"
01° 25' 103° 54' 01° 25' 103° 59' 01° 20' 104° 05'
E14 E30 E46
39.1" 45.9" 25.3" 42.9" 48.0" 07.0"
01° 25' 103° 55' 104° 00' 01° 17' 104° 07'
E15 E31 01° 25' 14.2 E47
36.0" 00.6" 10.3" 21.3" 34.0"
01° 25' 103° 55' 01° 26' 104° 01'
E16 E32
41.7" 24.0" 20.9" 23.9"
West of Johor-Singapore Causeway
01° 27' 103° 46' 01° 26' 103° 41' 01° 21' 103° 28'
W1 W10 W19
09.8" 15.7" 14.1" 00.0" 26.6" 15.5"
01° 26' 103° 45' 01° 25' 103° 40' 01° 21' 103° 38'
W2 W11 W20
54.2" 38.5" 41.3" 26.0" 07.3" 08.0"
01° 27' 103° 44' 01° 24' 103° 40' 01° 20' 103° 37'
W3 W12 W21
01.4" 48.4" 56.7" 10.0" 27.8" 48.2"
01° 27' 103° 44' 01° 24' 103° 39' 01° 19' 103° 37'
W4 W13 W22
16.6" 23.3" 37.7" 50.1" 17.8" 04.2"
01° 27' 103° 43' 01° 24' 103° 39' 01° 18' 103° 37'
W5 W14 W23
36.5" 42.0" 01.5" 25.8" 55.5" 01.5"
01° 27' 103° 42' 01° 23' 103° 39' 01° 18' 103° 36'
W6 W15 W24
26.9" 50.8" 28.6" 12.6" 51.5" 58.2"
01° 27' 103° 42' 01° 23' 103° 39' 01° 15' 103° 36'
W7 W16 W25
02.8" 13.5" 13.5" 10.7" 51.0" 10.3"
W8 01° 26' 103° 41' W17 01° 22' 103° 38'

554
DoD 2005.1-M

35.9" 55.9" 47.7" 57.1"


01° 26' 103° 41' 01° 21' 103° 38'
W9 W18
23.6" 38.6" 46.7" 27.2"

The Straits Settlement and Johore Territorial Waters Agreement of 1927 signed between the
Britain and the Sultanate of Johor on 19 October 1927, defines the territorial sea border between
Malaysia and Singapore as:
"... an imaginary line following the centre of the deep-water channel in Johore Strait,
between the mainland of the State and Territory of Johore on the one side, and the northern
shores of the islands of Singapore, Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong Kechil, and Pulau Tekong
Besar on the other side. Where, if at all, the channel divides into two portions of equal depth
running side by side, the boundary shall run midway between these two portions. At the
western entrance of Johore Strait, the boundary, after passing through the centre of the deep-
water channel eastward of Pulau Merambong, shall proceed seaward, in the general direction
of the axis of this channel produced, until it intersects the 3-mile (4.8 km) limit drawn from

555
DoD 2005.1-M

the low water mark of the south coast of Pulau Merambong. At the Eastern entrance of
Johore Strait, the boundary shall be held to pass through the centre of the deep-water channel
between the mainland of Johore, westward of Johore Hill, and Pulau Tekong Besar, next
through the centre of the deep-water channel between Johore Shoal and the mainland of
Johore, southward of Johore Hill, and finally turning southward, to intersect the 3-mile
(4.8 km) limit drawn from the low water mark of the mainland of Johore in a position
bearing 192 degrees from Tanjong Sitapa."[3]
The boundary drawn by the 1995 agreement follows closely but, by virtue of being straight lines
between points, does not exactly correspond with the deepest channel of the Straits of Johor as
described in the 1927 agreement. As the 1995 agreement supersedes the 1927 agreement as far as
any inconsistency goes, the thalweg method of determining the precise borderline is therefore
replaced with the use of geographical coordinates. The 1995 agreement also states that the border
will be final and, therefore, not be influenced by any variation of the depth or alignment of the
deepest channel of the Straits of Johor. This is important considering frequent reclamation activities
by both Malaysia and Singapore in the Straits of Johor which could alter the depth of the waterway.

[edit] Undetermined boundaries


The border outside the points agreed to in the 1995 agreement has not been determined and is
subject to some level of contention. In 1979, Malaysia published a map[4] unilaterally defining its
territorial waters and continental shelf, and "picks up" from where the 1927 agreement left off as far
as the Malaysia–Singapore border is concerned.

Western segment
According to the 1979 map, on the western entrance to the Straits of Johor, the border stars at "Point
21", which lies near the western terminus of the border as defined by the 1927 agreement and the
terminus of the border agreed to in the 1995 agreement (knowns as Point W25). The Malaysian
border then extends southwards until "Point 17" where it then goes northeasterly till it meets the
southern terminus of the Indonesia-Malaysia border delimited by the Indonesia-Malaysia continental
shelf boundary agreement of 1969 and the Indonesia-Malaysia territorial waters agreement of 1971.
The border between Malaysia and Singapore only runs part of the way between Point 21 and Point
15 where it should intersect the Indonesia-Singapore maritime border. The meeting point of the
territorial sea of the three countries however has not been determined.
Point Longitude (E) Latitude (N) Remarks
Turning points along the continuation of Malaysia's maritime border to the west of Singapore
as in its 1979 map
Same as Point 10 (southern terminus) of the continental shelf
15 103° 22'.8 1° 15'.0
boundary and Point 8 of the territorial sea boundary
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
16 103° 26'.8 1° 13'.45
border
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
17 103° 32'.5 1° 1'.45
border
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
18 103° 34'.2 1° 11'.0
border
19 103° 34'.95 1° 15'.15
20 103° 37'.38 1° 16'.37

556
DoD 2005.1-M

This point lies close but does not correspond with Point W25
21 103° 36'.1 1° 15'.85
of the 1995 territorial waters agreement
Eastern segment

The eastern continuation of the territorial waters border defined by the 1979 Malaysian map starts
near the eastern terminus of the 1927 agreement border at "Point 22", whereby it suddenly goes
westwards towards Singapore to Point 23 before travelling southeasterly towards its southmost point
at Point 27. It then continues in a general easterly direction to meet the southern terminus of the
Indonesia-Malaysia border as defined by their continental shelf boundary agreement of 1969. The
Indonesia-Singapore border should intersect this boundary at some point but the meeting point of the
maritime territories of the three countries has not been determined.
Point Longitude (E) Latitude (N) Remarks
Turning point coordinates along the continuation of Malaysia's maritime border to the east of
Singapore as in its 1979 map
This point lies close but does not correspond with Point E47
22 104° 7'.5 1° 17'.63
of the 1995 territorial waters agreement
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
23 104° 2'.5 1° 17'.42
border
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
24 104° 4'.6 1° 17'.3
border
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
25 104° 7'.1 1° 16'.2
border
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
26 104° 7'.42 1° 15'.65
border
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
27 104° 12'.67 1° 13'.65
border
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
28 104° 16'.15 1° 16'.2
border
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
29 104° 19'.8 1° 16'.5
border
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
30 104° 29'.45 1° 15'.55
border
This turning point may form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia
31 104° 29'.33 1° 16'.95
border
This point is the same as Point 11 (southern terminus) of the
32 104° 29'.5 1° 23'.9
1969 Indonesia-Malaysia continental shelf boundary
Malaysia's maritime boundary in its 1979 map is not recognised by Singapore[5] and Singapore
disputes many parts of the territorial sea and continuental shelf claimed by Malaysia. Among them is
a slice of territorial waters called the "Point 20 sliver" (see below), and previously, the sovereignty
of Pulau Batu Puteh/Pedra Branca which lies within the 12-nautical-mile (22 km) territorial waters
claimed by Malaysia but has since been decided by the International Court of Justice in Singapore's
favour.

With the award to Singapore of the sovereignty of the island, further determination of the maritime
boundary between the two countries as well as with Indonesia whose territorial waters are also in the
area, would have to be done to fill in the various gaps and determine the tripoints.

557
DoD 2005.1-M

The area around Pedra Branca is expected to be complicated. Pedra Branca lies beyond the three
nautical mile (6 km) zone claimed by Singapore but within the 12-nautical-mile (22 km) zone
claimed by Malaysia. Singapore has indicated that the Indonesia-Singapore and Malaysia–Singapore
borders in this area would not run continuously from the waters adjacent to the main Singapore
island to the Pedra Branca area and a stretch of the Indonesia-Malaysia border would lie in between.
[6] Further complications could arise by the awarding of Middle Rocks, which lies 0.6 nautical miles
(1.5 km) south of Pedra Branca (i.e away from the Johor coast), to Malaysia. A joint technical
committee has been formed to determine the maritime border.[7]

[edit] History
The border between Malaysia and Singapore only came into existence in the 19th century with the
establishment and subsequent of cession of the island to the British East India Company by the
Sultanate of Johor in 1824. Prior to that, Singapore was an integral part of the Johor Sultanate and
subsequently, the Johor-Riau Sultanate.
The border changed from being an international border to a sub-national boundary (boundary of a
division within a country) and vice-versa several times. It became an international border after the
cession of Singapore to the East India Company by Johor in 1824 as Johor was de jure a sovereign
state. In 1914, the border became that of between two British-ruled territories when Johor became a
British protectorate while Singapore remained a British crown colony.

On 31 August 1957, the Federation of Malaya (which consisted of only Peninsular Malaysia), which
included Johor as a component state, became independent and the Johor-Singapore border again
became an international boundary between the sovereign state of Malaya and the self-governing
British territory of Singapore. On 16 September 1963, Singapore merged with and become a
component state of the Federation of Malaysia, rendering the border one between two component
states of Malaysia. The border again became an international border when Singapore separated from
Malaysia on 9 August 1965 to become an independent, sovereign nation.

[edit] Disputes
The Malaysian and Singaporean governments have been involved in a range of disputes and
disagreements which have tested the bilateral relations between the two countries. Most of these,
including that over Keretapi Tanah Melayu, or Malayan Railway, land in Singapore, are not
territorial or border disputes as they do not involve questions of sovereignty over territory or
territorial waters.

There have, however, been two disputes concerning sovereignty of territory along the Malaysia–
Singapore border. The more well-known one is that over Pedra Branca, which the International
Court of Justice decided in Singapore's favour on 23 May 2008. Another case arose from a
"complaint" by Malaysia over reclamation carried out by Singapore at territorial waters adjacent to
the border with Malaysia. The dispute was submitted to the International Tribunal for the Law of the
Sea in Hamburg by Malaysia on 4 September 2003.

[edit] Sovereignty of Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh


Main article: Pedra Branca dispute

558
DoD 2005.1-M

Pedra Branca (as the island is known in Singapore) or Pulau Batu Puteh (as it is known in Malaysia)
is an island located at the eastern entrance to the Singapore Straits to the southeast of the
southeastern tip of Johor, Malaysia. Together with two other marine features called Middle Rocks
and South Ledge, they were subject to a sovereignty dispute between Malaysia and Singapore. On
23 May 2008, the International Court of Justice decided that Singapore had sovereignty over Pedra
Branca while Malaysia had sovereignty over Middle Rocks. It left the question of sovereignty over
South Ledge, which only appears during low tide, to be determined later by stating that its
sovereignty would depend on whose territorial waters it was located in. The decision settles a long-
standing barrier to the negotiation process for the determination of the maritime boundary between
the two countries and both Malaysia and Singapore said immediately after the ICJ decision that a
joint technical committee would be set up to determine the maritime border in the waters around
Pedra Branca.

[edit] Singaporean land reclamation case


This dispute resulted from reclamation works carried out by Singapore in two areas, namely in the
southwestern end of the island called the Tuas development, and in the waters adjacent to Pulau
Tekong in the Straits of Johor. The latter does not involve any encroachment into the territorial
waters of Malaysia, and Malaysia merely argued that the reclamation works would affect the
environment of the Straits of Johor as a shared waterway.

The Tuas development, however, can be deemed a case of territorial dispute as Malaysia claims the
reclamation works has encroached into its territorial waters in an area called the "Point 20 sliver".
[8] The "sliver", regarded as an anomaly by Singapore, arises as a result of the unilateral declaration
of Malaysia's territorial waters boundary as defined by a 1979 map published by Malaysia where,
between turning points No 19 and No 21, Point 20 strikes out to the east of the general continental
shelf boundary towards Singapore, thus forming a triangle of Malaysian territorial waters extending
eastwards from the general north-south territorial waters boundary. The Tuas development
reclamation project encroaches into this sliver of territorial waters. Singapore does not recognise the
1979 continental shelf boundary and, thus, does not recognise the "point 20 sliver" as under
Malaysian sovereignty.[9]

In 2003, Malaysia submitted a case to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and
requested for provisional measures against Singapore's reclamation works, including that concerning
Point 20. On 8 October 2003, the tribunal decided that:
Malaysia has not shown that there is a situation of urgency or that there is a risk that its rights
with respect to an area of its territorial sea would suffer irreversible damage pending
consideration of the merits of the case by the arbitral tribunal. Therefore, the Tribunal does
not consider it appropriate to prescribe provisional measures with respect to the land
reclamation by Singapore in the sector of Tuas.[10]

[edit] Border crossings

This "Welcome to Malaysia" sign at the entrance of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station was removed in
2004. The station as well as all the land on which the railway is built, although owned by Malaysia,
are located within Singapore's sovereign territory, and not Malaysia's.

559
DoD 2005.1-M

There are two border crossings which are physical structures across the Straits of Johor, namely the
Johor-Singapore Causeway and the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link (known officially as Tuas
Second Link in Singapore, Linkedua in Malaysia). Besides the two road crossings, there is also a sea
crossing between Pengerang in Johor and Changi in Singapore. There is also the unique Tanjong
Pagar railway station/Woodlands Train Checkpoint "crossing", an anomaly which resulted from
colonial rule in Malaysia and Singapore.

[edit] Johor-Singapore Causeway


Construction of the Johor-Singapore Causeway was completed in 1923 and besides a road, it also
has a railway line allowing the Malayan Railway network to terminate at Tanjong Pagar in the
southern part of Singapore. Checkpoints for identity card checks were set up in 1966, and passport
checks began in 1967.[11] Malaysian immigration is located on the Johor Bahru side (where there
are several checkpoints, namely the Johor Bahru Causeway for private vehicles, and Tanjung Puteri
for commercial vehicles like buses and trucks), while Singaporean immigration is located on the
Woodlands side of the causeway.

[edit] Malaysia-Singapore Second Link


The Second Link, the second border crossing between the two countries, connects Tuas on the
Singaporean side to Tanjung Kupang on the Malaysian side, was completed and opened to traffic on
2 January 1998.

[edit] Changi Point-Pengerang sea crossing


There is also a sea crossing between Malaysia and Singapore between Pengerang in the southeastern
tip of Johor and Changi Point near Changi Village in the northeastern tip of Singapore. The
Singapore immigration post in Changi Point was set up in November 1967.[12]

[edit] Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and the Woodlands Train Checkpoint
Another border crossing between Malaysia and Singapore can be said to exist at the Tanjong Pagar
Railway Station on Keppel Road in Singapore. Although located away from the actual physical
border and deep in Singaporean territory, Tanjong Pagar Railway Station used to be the processing
point for passengers leaving or entering Singapore to or from Malaysia by train. The station used to
house both Malaysian and Singaporean customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ). This changed
on 1 August 1998 when Singapore closed its CIQ checkpoint at the station and moved it to the
Woodlands Train Checkpoint which is part of the Woodlands CIQ complex located at the northern
part of the island just before the Causeway. Malaysia, however, refused to move its immigration
checkpoint and maintains it at the railway station, creating a bilateral relations row between the two
countries.[13] This created the unusual situation where a person entering Malaysia by train gets
processed first for entering Malaysia by Malaysian immigration at the railway station, before being
processed for exiting Singapore by Singaporean immigration at Woodlands. For a person entering
Singapore by train, Malaysian immigration procedures are carried out on the train in Johor Bahru
while Singaporean immigration procedures are done at the Woodlands checkpoint; therefore,
passengers arriving at Tanjong Pagar no longer have to go through immigration at the railway
station. Passengers may even choose to disembark at Woodlands after clearing Singaporean
immigration.

560
DoD 2005.1-M

On 24 May 2010, Malaysia and Singapore agreed to relocate the station and Malaysia's CIQ to the
Woodlands Train Checkpoint.[14][15]
For more, see Malaysia–Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990

561

You might also like