On 22nd April 1903, Sultan Jamalul Kiram of the Sulu Sultanate signed a document known as “Confirmation of Cession of Certain Islands”, under which he has “ceded” additional islands in the neighbourhood of the mainland of North Borneo from Banggi Island to Sibuku Bay, to British North Borneo Company. The sum 5,000 dollars a year payable every year increased to 5,300 dollars a year payable every year. Note that this Agreement further clarifies the treaty of 1878, where it further affirms that the original word padjak clearly means cession, and not “lease”. Continue reading →
Indon means Indonesia
There have been claims by some Indonesians that the abbreviation “Indon” which Malaysians commonly use to refer to Indonesians (and Indonesia in general) is some sort of discriminating slur. Some have even gone as far as to say that “Indon” means “slave” or “whore” in Arabic (a totally fictional claim). When I first came across this argument, I laughed it off as some sort of sick joke. But apparently the Indonesian media have whipped up such disinformation to such an extent that it became “common knowledge” to the Indonesian layman, without truly understanding the meaning of the term. Continue reading →
Sabahans Reject Sulu & Philippines Claim On Sabah / Sabah Menolak Tuntutan Sulu Dan Filipina Terhadap Sabah
Online petition by “Concerned Citizens of Sabah” denouncing the Sulu and Philippines historical claims over the state. It concerns the desire of Sabahans to permanently reject the Sultanate of Sulu’s claim on their state and to remain within the Federation of Malaysia by their own self-determination. The text of this petition is as follows. Continue reading →
Brunei on Sabah and the Sulu claims
Here is an interesting alternative account of the Sulu claim over Sabah from the Brunei perspective. As attested by early modern accounts of written history in Brunei, it is noted that the Sulu were given possession of Sabah or parts of Sabah for help rendered to Sultan Muhydin, the 14th Sultan of Brunei who fought a civil war against the 13th Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Abdul Mubin. However, there are other sources which disputes this and claims that Sabah had always belonged to Brunei. Continue reading →
Madrid Protocol of 1885 cedes all rights of the Sulu over Sabah
The Madrid Protocol of 1885 is an agreement between Great Britain, Germany and Spain to recognize the sovereignty of Spain over the Sulu Archipelago as well as the limit of Spanish influence in the region (Articles I and II). The most interesting point to note that under the agreement (specifically, Article III), Spain as the colonial power ruling the Philippines islands — including the Mindanao and Sulu areas — clearly relinquishes all claims to Borneo. Continue reading →