Malaysia Gains Additional 780 Hectares in Border Realignment with Indonesia: PM Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 4: Malaysia has secured an additional 780 hectares of territory following the measurement and re-demarcation of the Malaysia-Indonesia border at Sungai Sinapad and Sungai Sesai, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced in Parliament today.

The new territory brings Kampung Kabulangalor, Kampung Lepaga, and Kampung Tetagas officially under Malaysian administration, Anwar said, dismissing claims that Malaysia had ceded 5,207 hectares of land to Indonesia as compensation. “Those allegations are false and misleading,” he added.

According to the Prime Minister, the re-demarcation and surveying of the disputed border areas at Sungai Sinapad and Sungai Sesai were carried out until August 2022 and October 2023, resulting in a final agreed border length of 11.545 kilometers.

Regarding the Pulau Sebatik border area, Anwar said re-surveying was conducted from February to November 2019, with the final measurement between the East Pillar and the New West Pillar reaching 23.842 kilometers.

“Every inch of land was negotiated and approved by the Sabah state government before being finalized with the governments of Malaysia and Indonesia. Once finalized, it will be presented at the 45th Indonesia-Malaysia Joint Border Committee meeting (JIM-45) on Feb. 18, 2025,” the prime minister explained.

Under the forthcoming Memorandum of Understanding, Malaysia will gain five hectares in Pulau Sebatik and 780 hectares in the Sungai Sinapad–Sungai Sesai area, he added.

Anwar also clarified that the total disputed area in OBP Sungai Sinapad–Sungai Sesai, covering OBP blocks B2700–B3100, spans 5,987 hectares and has historically been under Indonesian administration. He noted that while maps previously had not been formalized, the land has not been disputed by either the British administration or the Malaysian government since 1915.