KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia must use its full diplomatic and political strength to counter two new maritime laws passed by the Philippines that infringe on Sabah's Continental Shelf, says Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) chairman Datuk Yong Teck Lee (pic).
He said that Sabah’s Continental Shelf is under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and that the state's maritime territorial rights have been established since at least 1954 under the Order in Council of the United Kingdom.
"There was never any dispute over Sabah's (then North Borneo) maritime territory at the time, and most definitely none from the Philippines," he said in a statement on Sunday (Nov 10).
Yong, a former Sabah chief minister, said that finds it peculiar that the Philippines has only now taken legislative actions to claim new maritime territories.
The Philippines has recently enacted two new laws to claim the territorial sea: the Philippines Maritime Zones Act (Republic Act 12064) and the Philippines Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act (RA12065).
These two laws were signed by Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on day (Nov 8).
According to Yong, the Philippines Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act also attempts to regulate sea lanes at Balabac Strait (bordering Sabah's Kudat/Banggi) and Celebes/Sulu maritime area on Sabah's East Coast.
"Urgent clarity is needed to show that the Philippines authorities are not trying to encroach into Sabah's territorial sea lanes," he added.
According to Marcos Jr, the two laws were intended, among other purposes, to reinforce the Philippines’ entitlement and responsibility within its maritime zones.
He was quoted in a Philippines online portal as saying that these laws are "significant laws that emphasise the importance of our maritime and archipelagic identity."
