Brunei denies Sarawak border dispute resolved

(The Straits Times) – Brunei has denied claims that the sultanate and Malaysia had resolved their territorial dispute over Limbang in Sarawak.

Brunei's Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng, on Tuesday set the record straight by denying there was any discussion on Limbang during talks on Monday between Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the Borneo Bulletin reported yesterday.

“In actual fact, the claim on Limbang was never discussed. What was discussed was the demarcation of land boundaries on the whole,” Lim said in response to a question at the Legislative Council session.

He said a joint press statement issued on Tuesday mentioned that the demarcation of the land boundaries would be resolved on the basis of five existing historical agreements between Brunei and Sarawak.

“After that, a working group comprising general surveyors of the two countries will follow with the technical aspect to solve the land border issue.''

Malaysian media had widely reported Abdullah as saying that Brunei had dropped its claim on Limbang. The Limbang dispute can be traced back to the cession of the territory by Brunei to Sarawak's White Rajahs in 1890. The cession had been strongly disputed by the sultanate, which regarded the transfer as annexation by Sarawak.

The move had resulted in a significant reduction of Brunei's territory and cut the sultanate into two.