Putrajaya rejects report of Sebatik land loss, says Malaysia gained 662ha in broader border deal

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — The Malaysian government has challenged a news report claiming that 127.3 hectares of territory on Pulau Sebatik now belongs to Indonesia, labelling the assertion as inaccurate and inconsistent with official records.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) clarified that the border realignment on the island was part of a larger, comprehensive resolution with Indonesia that resulted in Malaysia achieving a net gain of 662 hectares of territory.

The rebuttal follows a report on April 15, which quoted the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian President’s Office, Muhammad Qodari, as saying that 127.3 hectares on Pulau Sebatik, previously in Malaysia, was now officially Indonesian territory, with Malaysia receiving 4.9 hectares in return.

In a statement today, NRES Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup explained that the final border demarcation was a technical correction based on the 1891 Boundary Convention, which fixed the border along the 4° 10′ North latitude line.

After decades of negotiations to resolve discrepancies found in 1983, a resolution was agreed upon in 2018.

According to Kurup, the resolution was packaged with border realignments at two other locations, Sg Sinapad and Sg Sesai. 

On Pulau Sebatik, an area of 123 hectares previously within Malaysia is now within Indonesia, while Malaysia gained five hectares from Indonesia.

At Sg Sinapad and Sg Sesai, Malaysia gained an additional 780 hectares that were previously Indonesian territory.

This results in a total net gain of 662 hectares for Malaysia.

The final alignment was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on February 18, 2025, concluding over 45 years of technical and diplomatic cooperation.

“To ensure that state interests are always safeguarded, the Sabah State Government has been consistently involved at every stage of negotiations,” Kurup said, citing the participation of the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department and the Sabah Land and Survey Department.

He stressed that the entire process was based on mutual agreement and international law, not on principles of compensation or a trade-off.

“The finalisation of the land boundary alignment on Pulau Sebatik provides legal and administrative certainty,” the minister added, enabling better delivery of government services, security management, and development planning.

NRES also advised the media to seek confirmation from authoritative sources before publishing reports on sensitive national boundary issues to avoid public confusion.