Leigh R. Wright in the journal article “Historical Notes on the North Borneo Dispute” published in The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 24, No 3 (May, 1966) made some rather interesting and salient points to the discussion. She notes that while the Sulu claim of sovereignty over North Borneo prior to the 1878 treaty with Baron Overbeck is open to dispute
Tag / Asia
1903 “Confirmation of Cession of Certain Islands” Agreement of the Sulu to the British North Borneo Company
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 →