Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim clarifies that Malaysia gained land in the border agreement with Indonesia, dismissing claims of ceding territory as malicious.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has gained an additional 780 hectares following the resolution of two Outstanding Boundary Problem areas along its border with Indonesia.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the re-measurement and re-demarcation of the Sungai Sinapad and Sungai Sesai sectors confirmed the area as Malaysian territory.
“This places Kampung Kabulangalor, Kampung Lepaga and Kampung Tetagas within Sabah,” he told the Dewan Rakyat during a special briefing.
He firmly dismissed circulating claims that Malaysia had ceded land as compensation.
“So the claims that Malaysia ceded 5,207 hectares to Indonesia as compensation for three villages in Nunukan are untrue and misleading, if not outright malicious,” Anwar said.
The Prime Minister detailed that joint technical work by both nations’ mapping officers concluded in 2022 and 2023.
It established a final agreed border distance of 11.545 kilometres for the Sungai Sinapad-Sungai Sesai area.
For the Pulau Sebatik sector, a separate demarcation exercise in 2019 fixed the border at 23.842 kilometres.
Anwar stressed that every detail was negotiated with the Sabah state government before federal approval.
The agreements were formalised at a high-level bilateral meeting in February 2025.
“Through a memorandum of understanding inked at the meeting, Malaysia gained an additional 0.05 square kilometres, or five hectares, in the Sebatik OBP, and 7.8 square kilometres, or 780 hectares, in the Sungai Sinapad-Sesai OBP,” he explained.
He provided historical context for the 5,987-hectare disputed zone in the Sungai Sinapad-Sesai area.
Anwar noted it had long been under Indonesian administrative control based on an unfinalised map.
“However, because the map was never finalised, Malaysia did not agree,” he stated.
The Prime Minister added that the area had not been actively disputed by successive governments since 1915.
