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PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reaffirmed that the delineation of Malaysia’s border with Indonesia is grounded entirely on historical treaties and conventions, dismissing assertions that compensation, reciprocal arrangements, or profit and loss considerations played any role in the process.
Speaking during a special briefing on the Malaysia–Indonesia border alignment in Parliament, Anwar said the international land boundary between the two nations is determined by established conventions and formal agreements.
“The determination of the Malaysia–Indonesia border is not based on compensation, reciprocity, or profit and loss, as claimed by some parties,” the Prime Minister stated. “The border is set according to conventions and agreements that have been formally established.”
Anwar explained that Malaysia’s land boundary with Indonesia relies primarily on two conventions and a formal treaty. For the entirety of Sabah and Sarawak, the main reference is the 1891 Boundary Convention between the British and Dutch governments.
“For Sabah, the boundary agreement between the British and Dutch governments applies, and for a small sector in Sarawak, it involves the Boundary Convention signed in The Hague on 26 March 1928,” he added.
The clarification comes following reports by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRES) that media claims suggesting Malaysia had ceded 5,207 hectares of land to Indonesia as compensation for the three villages in Nunukan, near the Sabah-Kalimantan border, are inaccurate.
Anwar’s remarks underscore the government’s position that border negotiations with Indonesia are being conducted according to international law and historical treaties, not through ad hoc land transfers or financial arrangements. - February 4, 2026