JOHOR BARU: The Sultan of Johor said he would never forget that Pedra Branca was part of Johor and would do whatever it takes to reclaim the rock.

Sultan Iskandar had used a significant platform to express his views on the Pedra Branca's sovereignty when he said this in his opening speech for the first term of the 12th State Assembly at the Bukit Timbalan here yesterday.

"I would like to remind all that I have not forgotten Batu Puteh (Pedra Branca). It was not Singapore's but Johor's. Forever, I shall look for ways to return it to Johor."

He earlier read a prepared speech calling the elected state assemblymen to fulfil their responsibilities with honesty, sincerity and full understanding of the people's needs.

At the end of the 10-minute speech officiating at the opening of the assembly, Sultan Iskandar continued with the impromptu remark, firmly expressing his feelings on Pedra Branca.

Meanwhile, Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, in response to the sultan's speech, said the state government was clear on the sultan's expression.

"We heard him loud and clear," he said but declined to elaborate.

On May 23, the International Court of Justice awarded the sovereignty of Pedra Branca to Singapore, and the ownership of nearby Middle Rocks to Malaysia.

Singapore had on Feb 14, 1980 protested against the 1979 map published by Malaysia clearly placing Pedra Branca in the country's territory.

Singapore then expanded its claims to the nearby Middle Rocks and South Ledge in February 1993. On Feb 6, 2003, Malaysia and Singapore signed a special agreement to refer the matter to the ICJ.

The 16-member court's final decision, by a 12-4 majority, rested largely on Singapore's consistent conduct over the last 100 years. Singapore had argued that it had exercised sovereign powers over the island since the Horsburgh lighthouse opened in 1851.

The ICJ also noted that the strength of Singapore's claim lay in a letter sent by the state secretary of Johor in 1953 to the Singapore government.