Govt urged to declassify maritime agreement with Indonesia amid Ambalat concerns

Sabah Perikatan Nasional chairman Ronald Kiandee has urged the government to declassify a maritime agreement signed with Indonesia in June, in order to put to rest concern following Putrajaya's denial that the pact included the Ambalat block off the coast of Sabah.

In a statement, he said that declassifying the agreement would not only show the extent to which the Sulawesi Sea Treaty did not involve the Ambalat block, but would also put to rest speculation over the maritime boundaries between the two countries in the Sulawesi Sea.

"The Ambalat block, an area measuring 15,000 sq km in the centre of the disputed territory off the coast of Sabah, contains the biggest crude oil deposits in the world and has long been defended by Malaysia, meaning that it cannot be compromised at all," he said. 

Adding that maritime experts involved in efforts to protect Malaysia's territorial rights had warned against the signing of new agreements to resolve the long-standing border dispute with Indonesia, he said no compromise could be made in the matter of national sovereignty, especially in the waters off Sabah which also involve the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the continental shelf between Malaysia and Indonesia.

"It is important to reveal what was signed in the agreement, so that speculation can be put to rest, and to clearly show that the agreement does not directly involve the areas referred to by Malaysia as Block ND6 and Block ND7 or Ambalat.

"Immediate action to declassify the content of this agreement is essential to ensure that the issue can be resolved. The government has a moral duty to explain the Ambalat issue openly, and to thoroughly address the doubts and concerns of the people, especially those in Sabah."

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Joko Widodo signed a number of treaties on June 8, including on the delimitation of territorial seas in the Sulawesi Sea and the Straits of Melaka, amid reservations from maritime experts over proposals to settle the dispute. 

Deputy Foreign Minister Mohamad Alamin previously rejected a claim by Warisan assemblyman Assaffal Alian that Malaysia had surrendered its claim to Indonesia.

Alamin said the recent maritime agreements, hailed by both leaders as ending an 18-year dispute, had nothing to do with the Ambalat block or any other area more than 200 nautical miles from the EEZ.

"We also have not negotiated on anything relating to the Ambalat border," he said on Aug 15.

An exclusive report by CNBC last month however said Malaysia and Indonesia would cooperate in exploiting the oil and gas resources in the Ambalat block.