The Middle Rocks ( ms, Batuan Tengah; Jawi: باتون تڠه; ) are two uninhabited small rocks separated by of open water at the eastern opening of the

Strait of Singapore The Singapore Strait is a , strait between the Strait of Malacca in the west and the South China Sea in the east. Singapore is on the north of the channel, and the Indonesian Riau Islands are on the south. The two countries share a mar ...

on the western edge of the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...

. The islands were

disputed territory A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of land between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the possession of natural resources ...

between

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

(known as the Pedra Branca dispute) until, on 23 May 2008, the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordan ...

decided that sovereignty over Middle Rocks belonged to Malaysia by 15 votes to one.

Geography

The Middle Rocks are to the southeast of the

n state of

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares mariti ...

and just south of Pedra Branca, and stand between and above sea level.

Ownership dispute

Together with Pedra Branca and another rock formation within the vicinity known as South Ledge, Middle Rocks were the subject of a

territorial dispute A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of land between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the possession of natural resources s ...

between Malaysia and

. For Middle Rocks and South Ledge, the dispute arose when Singapore claimed both islets in 1993. The matter was settled by the

in 2008, which ruled that Middle Rocks belonged to Malaysia and Pedra Branca to Singapore. The status of South Ledge remains unresolved. Following the decision, Singapore and Malaysia said they would hold discussions to establish the

maritime border A maritime boundary is a conceptual division of the Earth's water surface areas using physiographic or geopolitical criteria. As such, it usually bounds areas of exclusive national rights over mineral and biological resources,VLIZ Maritime Bo ...

around the area. Both countries established the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Technical Committee (MSJTC) to implement the court's judgement. According to Malaysia, the MSJTC reached an impasse in November 2013. Malaysia clarified that one of the key reasons is that "the parties have been unable to agree over the meaning of the 2008 judgement as it concerns South Ledge and the waters surrounding Pedra Branca. Malaysia sent a team from its Mapping and Survey Department which constructed a flag pole, five markers and a monument between 4 and 12 June 2008. The

Malaysian flag The national flag of Malaysia, also known as the Stripes of Glory ( ms, Jalur Gemilang), is composed of a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the ''Bintan ...

was raised and the team sang the Malaysian national anthem, '' Negaraku'', during a ceremony which was covered by the press on 13 and 14 June 2008.

Establishment of Abu Bakar Maritime Base

On 5 August 2017, ''

Jane's Defence Weekly ''Jane's Defence Weekly'' (abbreviated as ''JDW'') is a weekly magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs, edited by Peter Felstead. It is one of a number of military-related publications named after John F. T. Jane, an Englishman who ...

'' reported that Malaysia had established a new maritime installation, the Abu Bakar Maritime Base, on Middle Rocks, which consists of two clusters of rocks located 1 kilometre south of Pedra Branca (which was awarded to Singapore in the aftermath of the 2008 ICJ ruling) that Malaysia is currently challenging. The base, built across the eastern opening of the Strait of Singapore, comprises a 316-metre jetty, a helipad, and a lighthouse. According to the Sultan of Johor, the installation, which is a project under the auspices of the National Security Council, "is aimed at safeguarding Malaysia's sovereign territory and waters, and for conducting marine scientific research". The base also seeks to reaffirm "Malaysia's absolute sovereignty over the Middle Rocks". On 11 August, Malaysia deployed a missile-capable fast-attack craft Perdana to its new Maritime Base on the Middle Rocks.

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of op ...

chief Admiral Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin confirmed the deployment when he posted photographs of Perdana's arrival at the base. Photos posted by the Navy chief showed two armed guards on an observation deck, as well as a communications system fitted with surveillance equipment, as pointed out by ''Jane's Defence Weekly''. In late May 2018, Malaysia announcing their plan to convert Middle Rocks into an island. In announcing Malaysia's plans on the week of 2 Jun 2018, Dr Mahathir said: "We have already built features there on Middle Rocks. Our intention is to enlarge it so that we can form a small island for us. He added "That is something we are thinking of." When pressed to clarify Malaysia's plans, he said: "We haven't made a full decision yet." When asked about Malaysia's plans to expand Middle Rocks, a spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “Sovereignty over Middle Rocks belongs to Malaysia. We have no comments on Malaysia’s activities on Middle Rocks as long as they are in accordance with international law.”

Geography

Ownership dispute

Establishment of Abu Bakar Maritime Base

References

Further reading