Hajiji: Sabah stands firm on claim to disputed oil-rich Ambalat maritime region

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 27 — Malaysia and Indonesia have yet to come to any agreement over the maritime boundary that includes the controversial Ambalat region off Sebatik Island, near Tawau, which is shared by both countries, said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

He said that Sabahans need not be concerned over their territory as Sabah has been a part of bilateral meetings recently, but no agreement had yet been reached.

“We have not agreed to Indonesia’s claims in the Sulawesi Sea. It is still under negotiation.

“Sabah is being represented by the attorney general and the state secretary and we have made our stand clear. We will not give away our rights to any claim in the Sulawesi Sea,” he told the state legislative assembly today.

He said that although discussions were led by the Foreign Ministry, Sabah had been actively involved in negotiations and any proposals involving its territorial boundaries would be referred to the state Cabinet first.

He was asked by Opposition leader Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal to clarify the status of Sebatik Island under the Sulawesi Sea Treaty, with the latter saying that he wanted to know what Indonesia was demanding and whether the agreement had been finalised.

Hajiji told the House that the state’s boundary on Sebatik Island follows a straight line along 4°10’, starting from the East Pillar to the Low Water Line on the east side of Sebatik Island.

He said the latest round of negotiations through the Special Technical Meeting (STM) was held last week in Tangerang, Indonesia, but did not yield any outcomes as both parties maintained their respective positions.

“The boundary involving Sebatik Island, particularly the Intertidal area, is still under negotiation,” said Hajiji.

The Maritime Boundary, signed under the Sulawesi Sea Treaty, involves only 12 nautical miles and does not put Sabah at a disadvantage on its stand over the Sebatik border, he added.

“Negotiations for establishing maritime boundaries beyond 12 nautical miles up to 200 nautical miles in the Sulawesi Sea (in areas ND6 and ND7), constituting the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), have not commenced.

Meanwhile, Tungku assemblyman Assaffal Alian was asked to apologise and withdraw his statement made during the state assembly sitting last August where he alleged that Sabah had lost the oil-rich Ambalat area under the signing of the Sulawesi Treaty.

Assaffal apologised and told the House that he did not mean to mislead the assembly, but it was his right to seek clarification.