Sipadan and Ligitan Islands: A Stumbling Block Between Indonesia and Malaysia

Article in Elibrary

Received: 05/23/2023

Accepted: 03/25/2024

Keywords: Indonesia; Malaysia; territorial disputes; boundary delimitation; the Sulawesi Sea; the International Court of Justice

Available in the on-line version with: 13.06.2024

To cite this article

Olga K. Kalendar Sipadan and Ligitan Islands: A Stumbling Block Between Indonesia and Malaysia. // Lomonosov Oriental Studies Journal. 2024. Vol. 68. N 1,68 p.5-14 https://doi.org/10.55959/MSU0320-8095-13-68-1-1.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Olga K. Kalendar (Lomonosov Moscow State University)

Abstract

In the article some features of the development of the territorial problem in Indonesia — Malaysia relations in the late XX — early XXI centuries are revealed, in particular the recent dispute over the islands of Sipadan and Ligitan is reviewed. The author emphasizes the importance of the issue for the development of bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Malaysia and for the process of interstate border final delimitation in today’s conditions. In conclusion, the author attempts to identify possible ways to solve the problem taking into consideration its historical and legal background.

References

Agreement between the Government of Malaysia and the Government of Indonesia on the Delimitation of the Continental Shelves Between the Two Countries, 27 October 1969 // The United Nations. URL: https://www.un.org/depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/PDFFILES/TREATIES/MYS-IDN1969CS.PDF (accessed: 10.05.2023).
Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, the Government of Malaysia and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand Relating to the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf Boundaries in the Northern Part of the Strait of Malacca // Limits in the Seas. Maritime Boundaries: Indonesia — Malaysia — Thailand. No. 81 (1978). P. 6–8.
Case Concerning Sovereignty over Pulau Ligitan and Pulau Sipadan (Indonesia/Malaysia), Judgment of 17 December 2002. Herndon: United Nations Publications, 2004. 686 p.
Convention between Great Britain and the Netherlands Defining Boundaries in Borneo, 1891 // Maxwell W. G., Gibson W. S. (eds.). Treaties and Engagements Affecting the Malay States and Borneo. London: Jas. Truscott & Son Ltd., 1924. P. 215–216.
Druce S.C., Baikoeni E.Y. Circumventing Conflict: The Indonesia–Malaysia Ambalat Block Dispute // Oishi M. (eds.). Contemporary Conflicts in Southeast Asia: Towards a New ASEAN Way of Conflict Management. Berlin: Springer, 2016. P. 137–156.
Hendrapati M., Ashri M., Ruslan A., Muchtar S., Patittingi F., Noor S. M., Hambali R., Sumardi J. Today’s Ambalat: Neglecting the Basepoints of Sipadan and Ligitan Islands for Maintaining the Equidistance Principle in the Disputed Area // East Asian Observer. Vol. 10, No. 1 (2017). P. 283–296.
Hirakawa S., Kato M., Minamikawa K. Petroleum Production Industry and Engineering in Japan: Past and Present // Bulletin of the Japan Petroleum Institute. Vol. 10 (1968). P. 68–82.
Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea (Romania v. Ukraine), judgment of 3 February 2009. URL: https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/132/132-20090203-JUD-01-00-EN.pdf (accessed: 10.05.2023).
Memorial Submitted by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia. Vol. 1 (1999). URL: https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/102/8558.pdf (accessed: 10.05.2023).
Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 37 Tahun 2008 tentang Perubahan Atas Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 38 Tahun 2002 Tentang Daftar Koordinat Geografis Titik-Titik Garis Pangkal Kepulauan Indonesia [Government Amendment Regulation Number 37 Year 2008 to Government Regulation Number 38 Year 2002 regarding the List of Geographic Coordinates of Baseline Points of Indonesian Archipelago]. URL: https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Home/Details/4851/pp-no-37-tahun-2008 (accessed: 10.05.2023).
Salleh A. Dispute Resolution through Third Party Mediation: Malaysia and Indonesia // Intellectual Discourse. Vol. 15, No. 2 (2007). P. 147–165.
Special Agreement for Submission to the International Court of Justice of the Dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia Concerning Sovereignty over Pulau Sipadan and Pulau Ligitan. URL: https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/102/7177.pdf (accessed: 10.05.2023).
The Turtle Preservation Ordinance, 1917. URL: https://asiadivingvacation.com/blog/6-facts-about-sipadan/1024-official-gazette-ordinance-no-5-of-1917-1-june (accessed: 10.05.2023).
Treaty between the Republic of Indonesia and Malaysia Relating to the Delimitation of the Territorial Seas of the Two Countries in the Strait of Malacca // International Boundary Study. Series A. Limits in the Seas: Indonesia and Malaysia Territorial Sea Boundary. No. 50 (1973). P. 1–7.