Kota Kinabalu: Historical antecedents suggest that the modern “Sulu heirs” have no legal basis to claim sovereignty over Sabah especially in regard to the 1878 and 1903 treaties.
Professor Datuk Dr Danny Wong Tze Ken of the Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya said the terms of the agreements clearly stated that the transfer of North Borneo territories, involving annual payment of cession money, would be done in perpetuity.
“The initial stage was to get a concession from Brunei and then later there was the original concession given to the American trading company and later on the treaty was renewed.
