Malaysia stands firm on sovereignty, no need for new maritime map, says defence minister

JOHOR BARU, Nov 17 — Malaysia sees no need to issue a new maritime boundary map and remains steadfast in defending the nation’s sovereign territories.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin emphasised that Malaysia prioritises diplomacy, engaging in discussions and negotiations to address challenges arising from overlapping claims.

“Following the Philippines’ release of its new map, I believe Malaysia’s decision to issue a new one depends on whether changes to the current map are warranted.

“However, our map remains unchanged. It is not us altering boundaries — it is them (the Philippines) who periodically adjust theirs.

“We don’t make changes, as doing so implies incorporating areas belonging to others. Our map stays as it is, and we will continue to defend our territories and sovereignty,” he said during a press conference after the Wakalah Zakat handover ceremony by Boustead Petroleum Marketing Sdn Bhd at Masjid Al-Muhajirin, Masai, today.

He was responding to a question on whether Malaysia should issue a new maritime boundary map in light of the Philippines’ two new maritime laws, which infringe on Sabah’s maritime borders.

Mohamed Khaled highlighted that the Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency continuously conduct integrated monitoring through a show of presence to assert and protect the nation’s sovereignty and maritime territories.

He added that formal protests under established international laws will be lodged if foreign vessels are detected entering Malaysia’s territorial waters.

“We also implement maritime domain awareness, meaning we monitor and know when other vessels enter into our sovereign waters,” he said.

Last Thursday, Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin confirmed that Malaysia had sent a note of protest to the Philippines regarding its two new maritime laws, which infringe on Sabah’s maritime borders.

The Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on November 8, were reported to have overstepped Malaysia’s 1979 New Map, which was established based on international law.

According to international media reports, these two new Philippine maritime laws are seen as efforts to strengthen Manila’s claims over the South China Sea, which remains a subject of ongoing disputes.

Meanwhile, when asked about the notice of contract termination issued to a supplier for the lease of four UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters for the Malaysian Army, Mohamed Khaled said the ministry would assess whether there is a need to proceed with acquiring the assets.

However, he noted that the procurement process is expected to take a significant amount of time, partly due to the unavailability of helicopters that meet the required specifications.

Previously, Mohamed Khaled stated that the notice was issued after the supplier failed to meet the extended deadline, which was pushed to the end of October. — Bernama