Malaysia: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim clarified that the ongoing determination of the Malaysia-Indonesia land border, particularly concerning Sabah and Kalimantan, is not influenced by compensation, reciprocity, or profit-and-loss considerations.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Anwar emphasized that the border determination process adheres strictly to international conventions, laws, and agreements. These include the 1891 Boundary Convention between the British and Dutch governments, the 1915 Boundary Agreement specific to Sabah, and the 1928 Boundary Convention, which was signed in The Hague on March 26, 1928, covering a small sector in Sarawak.
In addressing the disputes over the Outstanding Boundary Problem (OBP) areas of Sungai Sinapad and Sungai Sesai, Anwar stated that the boundary alignment relies on the 1891 Boundary Convention and the 1915 Boundary Agreement. He reiterated this stance during a special briefing on the Malaysia-Indonesia border issue in the Dewan Rakyat.
Anwar explained that the agreements require territorial determination based on the estuaries of Sungai Sinapad and Sungai Sesai along latitude four degrees 20 minutes (4°20') north. Northern areas of this latitude were under British North Borneo (Sabah), while southern areas were under Dutch rule (Indonesia).
He noted that joint boundary demarcation efforts between Malaysia and Indonesia began in 1977. Although original maps from the 1915 agreement placed the estuaries south of latitude 4°20' north, subsequent field measurements revealed that the estuary of Sungai Sinapad is actually north of this latitude.
"Based on these findings, Malaysia's position is that all river basins flowing north of latitude 4°20' north belong to Malaysia," Anwar asserted. However, he also acknowledged that the OBP areas remain unresolved negotiation zones with boundary determinations pending finalization.
Anwar detailed that the total land border length between Malaysia and Indonesia is about 2,064 kilometers, divided into two sectors: the Sabah-North Kalimantan sector at approximately 419.4 km and the Sarawak-West Kalimantan sector at 1,644.6 km.
He mentioned that only the boundary measurements for the North Kalimantan sector have been finalized, covering two OBP areas: Pulau Sebatik and Sungai Sinapad-Sungai Sesai within OBP B2700-B3100. Investigations and measurements were conducted from February to November 2019 for Pulau Sebatik, resulting in a final distance of 23.842 km. For Sungai Sinapad and Sungai Sesai, joint efforts continued up to August 2022 and October 2023, establishing a final distance of 11.545 km.