International Boundary Studies Series

The Contested Maritime and Territorial Boundaries of An International Law Perspective

R. Haller-Tirost

KLUWER LAW INTERNATIONAL LONDON - THE HAGUE - BOSTON Table of Contents

Acknowledgements xv Preface xvii Abbreviations xxi Table ofInternational Law Cases and Arbitrations xxix

Introduction 1 1. Malaysia 1 2. The Application of International Law 3 3. Reactions to the Malaysian Map 7 4. The Scope of the Study 8

PARTI

MARITIME CLAIMS

Chapter 1: The Malaysian Map of 1979 13

1. The History 13 2. Description 19 3. The Internal Waters and Territorial Sea Demarcations 20 4. The Continental Shelf and Territorial Sea Demarcations 21

Chapter 2: Maritime Delimitations According to Treaties 23

1. Delimitations with Indonesia 24 1.1. Turning Points 4-5 25 1.2. Turning Points 5-15 25 1.3. Turning Points 32-41 31 1.4. Turning Points 48-52 32 2. Delimitations with the Philippines (Turning Points 66-76) 39 3. Delimitations with 44 3.1. Brunei's Maritime Charts 45 3.2. Brunei Bay 49

ix The Contested Maritime and Territorial Boundaries of Malaysia

3.3. Overlapping Claims in the 53 3.3.1. Territorial Sea 54 3.3.2. Continental Shelf 55 3.3.3. EEZ and Fishery Zone 57 3.4. Effects of Islands and Rocks 58 3.4.1. Western Boundary 59 3.4.2. Eastern Boundary and Louisa Reef 59 4. Delimitations with Singapore (Turning Points 21-22) 66 5. Delimitations with Thailand 68 5.1. Turning Points 1-3 70 5.2. Turning Points 44-47 72 5.3. Turning Point 43 77 5.4. EEZ and Fishing Rights 78

Chapter 3: Maritime Delimitations According to Unilateral Declarations 83 1. West Coast of the Peninsula 84 1.1. Baselines along the Northern Coast of the Straits of Malacca 84 1.2. Baselines along the Southern Coast of the Straits of Malacca 90 2. Southern Coast of the Peninsula 91 2.1. Turning Points 16-21 91 2.2. Baselines in the Strait of Johore 92 2.3. Turning Points 22-32 93 3. East Coast of the Peninsula 96 3.1. Baselines 96 3.2. Continental Shelf (Turning Point 42) 97 4. Coast 98 4.1. Baselines 98 4.2. Continental Shelf (Turning Point 53) 102 5. Coast 103 5.1. South China Sea 103 5.1.1. Baselines 103 5.1.2. Continental Shelf (Turning Points 54-66) 105 5.2. Sulu Sea 106 5.2.1. Baselines 106 5.3. Celebes Sea 108 5.3.1. Baselines 108 5.3.2. Continental Shelf (Turning Points 76-84) 112 Contents

PARTH

TERRITORIAL CLAIMS

Chapter 4: Sabah 119 1. Determination of the Critical Date 120 2. Territorial Sovereignty over North prior to 1878 123 2.1. The 18th-Century Treaties 125 2.1.1. The 1673/1704 "Cession" 125 2.1.2. The HEIC-Sulu Treaties 128 2.2. The Brunei Treaties 138 2.2.1. 138 2.2.2. The 1877 Treaties with Overbeck/Dent 141 3. The Sulu Treaties of 1878 144 4. The Rights of the Contracting Parties 146 4.1. The Sultan of Sulu 146 4.2. Overbeck and Successors 149 5. Interpretation of the Treaties 152 6. State Practice prior to 1962 155 6.1. The Netherlands 156 6.2. The United States of America 157 6.3. The Philippines 158 6.3.1. With Respect to the Sultan of Sulu 158 6.3.2. The Constitution of 1935 162 6.3.3. The Proclamation of 1957 and the Baseline Act of 1961 165 6.4. GreatBritain 168 7. The Announcement of the Claim in 1962 169 7.1. The "Cession" by the Sultan's Heirs 172 8. State Practice after 1962 174 8.1. The Recognition of Malaysia and the Baseline Act of 1968 174 8.2. The Philippine Constitutions of 1973 and 1986 179 9. Proof of Territorial Title 182

Chapter 5: The Sarawak Districts and Louisa Reef 189 1. Brunei's Territorial Claims to Parts of Sarawak 189 2. The UK-Brunei Treaties of 1888 and thereafter 190 3. The Origin of the Claims 193 3.1. The Limbang and Rangau 196 3.2. The Trusan and the Lawas 203 3.3. The Transfer of Sarawak in 1946 and 1963 207 4. Legal Assessment 209 4.1. Change of Tenure and Sovereignty 211 4.2. Alienation of Territory 212 4.3. Protected States 213

XI The Contested Maritime and Territorial Boundaries of Malaysia

4.4. The Geographical Extent of the Limbang 217 4.5. Annexation ^1° 4.6. Uti Possidetis Iuris 222 5. Louisa Reef 225

Chapter 6: Pulau Sipadan and Pulau Iigitan 227 1. Description 227 1.1. Pulau Sipadan 227 1.2. Pulau Ligitan 228 2. The Origin of the Dispute 229 3. Relevant Treaties 230 3.1. The UK-Dutch Treaties of 1891, 1915 and 1928 231 3.2. The Sulu Treaties of 1878 and the Confirmation of 1903 237 4. State Practice 240 4.1. Indonesia 240 4.1.1. Indonesia's Territory 240 4.1.2. Indonesia's Baselines 242 4.2. Malaysia 246 4.2.1. North Borneo/Sabah 246 4.2.2. The Verbal Statement of 1969 251 5. Cartographic Evidence 252 6. Attempted Dispute Settlement 256

Chapter 7: Pulau Batu Puteh/Pedra Branca 261 1. Description 261 2. The Claims 262 3. The Question of Sovereignty 264 3.1. The English East India Company (HEIC) 265 3.2. Johore 272 4. Documents Relating to Pulau Batu Puteh 281 5. The Territories of Singapore and Malaysia 286 6. State Practice 289 6.1. Singapore 290 6.2. Malaysia 290 7. Attempted Dispute Settlement 292

Chapter 8: The 295 1. Geographical Aspects 295 2. Strategie Aspects 297 3. National Claims 299 3.1. The Situation before World War II 300 3.2. The Situation after World War II 310 3.3. The Claim of Malaysia 323 xii Contents 4. Chinese Claims to Historie Waters 329 5. State Practice since 1987 332 6. Existing Legal Framework 339 6.1. The Rules of Territorial Acquisition 339 6.2. The UN Security Council and the International Court of Justice 341 6.3. The ASEAN High Council 346 6.4. Treaty Obligations 347 6.5. Joint Development 350 7. Attempted Dispute Settlement 358

Conclusion 365

1. Maritime Boundaries 365 1.1. The Malaysian Map 365 1.2. Treaty Boundaries 366 1.2.1. Indonesia 366 1.2.2. The Philippines 367 1.2.3. Brunei 367 1.2.4. Singapore 368 1.2.5. Thailand 368 1.2.6. Pending Treaties 369 1.3. Unilaterally Declared Boundaries 370 2. Territorial Boundaries 370 2.1. Sabah 371 2.2. Brunei 371 2.3. Pulau Sipadan and Ligitan 373 2.4. Pulau Batu Puteh 373 2.5. The Spratly Islands 375 3. Emerging Developments 380

APPENDICES

General:

1 Malay Glossary 389 2 Chronological List of Main Treaties, Legislation and other Documents 395 3 Genealogy of Sulu Rulers since the 18th Century 429 4 Coordinates of the Turning Points of the Malaysian Map 1979 431 5 National Maritime Zones 433 6 Signatories to the UN Conventions on the Law of the Sea 435 7 Malaysia-Singapore Agreement Relating to the Strait of Johore (1995) 437 8 List of Spratly Islands 441 9 ASEAN (Manila) Declaration on the South China Sea (1992) 457 10 ASEAN Statement on the South China Sea (1995) 459 xiii The Contested Maritime and Territorial Boundaries of Malaysia

11 South China Sea Code of Conduct between the Philippines and the PRC (1995) 461 12 Decision by the PRC on the Ratification of UNCLOS III and Declaration of Baselines (1996) 463 13 Statement of the Philippines on the PRC's Ratification of UNCLOS III (1996) 467 14 Vietnam's Objection to the PRC's Baseline Declaration (1996) 469

Maps:

15 473 16 States of West Malaysia 475 17 States of East Malaysia 477 18 Malaya 479 19 Inferred Baselines of Malaysia 481 20 Malaysia's Maritime Claims (West Malaysia) 483 21 Malaysia's Maritime Claims (East Malaysia) 485 22 Delimitations in the Northern Straits of Malacca 487 23 Delimitations in the Straits of Malacca 489 24 Delimitations in the Strait of Johore 491 25 Delimitations in the Straits of Singapore 493 26 UK-Siam Boundary of 1909 495 27 Delimitations between Malaysia and Thailand in the Gulf of Thailand 497 28 Brunei Darussalam 499 29 Maritime Claims of Brunei 501 30 Brunei Bay 503 31 Treaty Limits of the Philippines 505 32 Maritime Claims of the Philippines 507 33 Overlapping Claims between Malaysia and the Philippines in the South China Sea and the Kalayaan Island Group 509 34 Claims of the PRC in the South China Sea 511 35 Claims of the ROC in the South China Sea 513 36 East Borneo 515 37 Maritime Delimitations in the Sulu Sea and the Celebes Sea 517

Bibliography 519

Index 563

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