Disputes over a rock

As a rule, the blog we’ve got here sticks to conservative topics and hobbies; like eating in Singapore, and little muses about lives’ experiences. Ling knows however that I’m keenly interested in current affairs. Every night when we drive home from work she’ll get my capsule version of the news headlines of the day.

So, here’s a break from the norm. Those of us who read the local news would be aware of a current legal tussle between Singapore and Malaysia in the International Court of Justice over who exactly owns a tiny island that’s closer to Malaysia than Singapore. I suspect that the current story’s well-known already among locals, but for those of us who’re not, the summary goes: Singapore has been operating a lighthouse on the island since 1847, and all was well until 1979 when Malaysia published a map claiming the island for their own. When diplomacy did not resolve the dispute, the case went to the ICJ and both countries right now have been presenting their cases over the last fortnight.

And why this entry now? Well, the tussle took an – unexpectedly – hilarious turn 2 days ago when it was revealed that the Malaysian team had used a photograph from a plagiarized blog to support their case.

And if using material from dubious sources weren’t bad enough, apparently the photograph itself was not representative of fact even but instead seemed to create an illusion of proximity between the island and mainland.

After Singapore pointed out the true source of these photos, bloggers have been having a field day. The plagiarism was originally discovered by one blogger here; and Jeff Ooi – a well-regarded Malaysian blogger – entry is probably the best read of the lot at the moment. And of course, the poor fellow who not only plagiarized Wikipedia but also apparently clandestinely altered key parts of the text, is getting royally barbequed. His blog, and his attempt at defence, can be read here.

The two photographs that sparked the storm are over here, source The Straits Times.