Malaysia did not cede any land to Indonesia, Anwar insists

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told Parliament on Wednesday that his government had not agreed to hand over any land to neighbouring Indonesia, calling claims of a large territorial concession “not true” and “a lie”.The row erupted after Indonesian officials were quoted in local media as saying that parts of three villages in Nunukan regency, North Kalimantan, had been designated Malaysian territory and that Jakarta would receive 5,207 hectares (12,866 acres) “in compensation” to develop new border posts and a free-trade zone.In a special briefing, Anwar said border demarcation on the island of Borneo was determined by long-running technical work and historical agreements, not through any “compensation, reciprocity or profit-and-loss” logic.“The determination of the Malaysia–Indonesia border is not based on compensation … as claimed by some parties,” he told Parliament. “The border is set according to conventions and agreements that have been formally established.”Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks in Parliament in 2023. Photo: Malaysia’s Department of Information/AFPAnwar outlined the legal framework defining Malaysia’s borders with Indonesia, citing colonial-era instruments such as the British-Dutch Convention of 1891, a 1915 boundary agreement covering Sabah, and a 1928 convention relating to a small area in Sarawak.