Sabah Assembly: Pulau Sebatik, Sarawak-Kalimantan Boundary Talks Ongoing

KOTA KINABALU, April 29 (Bernama) -- Land boundary negotiations between Malaysia and Indonesia involving Pulau Sebatik and the Sarawak-West Kalimantan sector are ongoing and have yet to be finalised, the Sabah State Legislative Assembly was told today.

Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said matters still under discussion include the intertidal area on the eastern side of Pulau Sebatik, as well as four Outstanding Boundary Problems (OBPs) in the Sarawak-West Kalimantan sector.

“To ensure the state’s interests are consistently safeguarded and prioritised, the Sabah government is actively involved at every stage of the technical and diplomatic negotiations through representatives from the Chief Minister’s Department, the State Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Sabah Lands and Surveys Department,” he said.

He said this when winding up the debate for the Chief Minister’s Department on the State Government Policy Speech 2026 delivered by Sabah Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Musa Aman.

Joniston also assured that the state government will not compromise in defending Sabah’s sovereignty.

During the debate, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Senallang) had sought clarification on the current status of the negotiations and whether the matter had been finalised.

Previously, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup was reported to have said that claims that Malaysia had lost 127.3 hectares in Pulau Sebatik to Indonesia were inaccurate and inconsistent with the official records of both countries.

He said based on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed by both countries on Feb 18, 2025, Indonesia only holds 123 hectares in Pulau Sebatik, while Malaysia gained an additional five hectares previously under Indonesian territory.

The sitting continues tomorrow.

-- BERNAMA