KOTA KINABALU, April 30 — Sabah has stressed that its interests remain protected and prioritised in all negotiations involving national borders, particularly those concerning the Malaysia–Indonesia boundary at Pulau Sebatik.
Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said the state government has been consistently involved at every stage of technical and diplomatic discussions to ensure Sabah’s rights are not compromised, according to a report by Berita Harian.
He said representatives from the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department, the State Attorney General’s Chambers, and the Lands and Surveys Department have been part of the process.
“To ensure the state’s interests are always safeguarded and prioritised, the Sabah government is consistently involved at every stage of technical and diplomatic negotiations,” he said while winding up the debate for the Chief Minister’s Department during the Sabah state assembly sitting.
Joniston added that under Article 2 of the Federal Constitution, any changes to state boundaries cannot be made without the consent of the state legislative assembly, thereby safeguarding Sabah’s position in such decisions.
On the land boundary issue at Pulau Sebatik, he said the matter was finalised through the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) No. 23 on February 18, 2025 between Malaysia and Indonesia.
He said claims that 100 hectares of land on the island had been handed over to Indonesia do not amount to a loss of sovereignty, but rather reflect compliance with existing international agreements.
“The determination of the land boundary at Pulau Sebatik is based on the 1891 Boundary Convention, which sets the border along latitude 4°10’ North,” he said.
Joniston said joint technical reviews conducted in 1983 found discrepancies between the boundary alignment on the ground and the prescribed latitude line.
As a result, investigations, demarcation and re-surveying works were carried out in 2019 using modern technology to ensure accuracy.
He added that the realignment of the boundary at Pulau Sebatik was resolved as part of a package deal involving Sungai Sinapad and Sungai Sesai, resulting in Malaysia gaining an additional 780 hectares of territory.
“The entire process was carried out based on mutual agreement between both countries in accordance with international law, without involving compensation or trade-offs,” he said.
However, he noted that Malaysia–Indonesia border negotiations have yet to be fully concluded.
This includes unresolved areas such as an 870-metre intertidal stretch on the eastern side of Pulau Sebatik and four Outstanding Boundary Problem (OBP) areas along the Sarawak–West Kalimantan sector.
“Negotiations between Malaysia and Indonesia are ongoing to resolve these areas,” he added.