NEGOTIATIONS on the maritime boundaries of the Ambalat Block between Malaysia and Indonesia remain at an impasse, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said.
However, he said Sabah is actively involved in bilateral meetings led by the Foreign Ministry with Indonesia and ensures that all negotiations are presented to the state cabinet for thorough deliberation.
“The Sabah government maintains a clear and consistent stance and will not deviate from any attempts by neighbouring countries to ensure that the national borders, especially those of Sabah, are preserved and not challenged.
“The state government asserts that the boundary of Sabah on Pulau Sebatik follows a straight line along 4°10' starting from the East Pillar to the Low Water Line on the east side of Pulau Sebatik.
“Negotiations for determining the maritime boundary beyond 12 nautical miles up to 200 nautical miles in the Sulawesi Sea (in areas ND6 and ND7), which constitute the Exclusive Economic Zone, have not yet commenced,” said Hajiji during the Sabah legislative assembly question-and-answer session in Kota Kinabalu today.
He was responding to the question by Sabah opposition leader, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal over the Ambalat Sea Block located over the disputed Malaysia-Indonesia Sulawesi Sea border.
Currently, Malaysia and Indonesia are engaged in discussions concerning the ownership of the Ambalat Block, subsequent to the signing of the Sulawesi Sea Treaty, which excluded this specific area.
The treaty was signed in June this year.
Hajiji clarified that the maritime boundary encompasses only 12 nautical miles, ensuring that Sabah is not disadvantaged in its territorial claim.
“The boundary involving Pulau Sebatik, specifically the ‘Intertidal’ area, is still under negotiation.
“The latest round of negotiations through the Special Technical Meeting held on November 16-17 in Tangerang, Indonesia, concluded without any developments as both parties maintained their respective positions,” said Hajiji, without elaborating Indonesia’s claim over the area.
The issue made headlines in the state legislative assembly in August when Tungku assemblyman Assafal Alian from Warisan alleged that Sabah had handed over the oil-rich area during the signing of the Sulawesi Treaty.
This triggered a response from Wisma Putra, calling Assafal’s allegations as “slanderous, misleading and highly irresponsible”.
Assafal has since apologised and retracted his statements. – The Vibes, November 27, 2023
