Philippines, Malaysia spar over Sabah ownership, reviving long-standing dispute

Philippine foreign secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr responded to a US embassy tweet, saying ‘Sabah is not in Malaysia’

Malaysia’s foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein lashed out at the remark, calling it an ‘irresponsible statement that affects bilateral ties’

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Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr. Photo: AP

Published: 1:14pm, 30 Jul 2020Updated: 5:25pm, 30 Jul 2020

The Philippines’ top diplomat this week sparked a row on Twitter by asserting ownership over the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, reviving a long-standing territorial dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr said on Twitter that “Sabah is not in Malaysia if you want to have anything to do with the Philippines”, reacting to a US embassy item describing the area straddling both nations as part of Malaysia.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, on his official Twitter account, said he would summon the Philippine ambassador on Monday in response to his Philippine counterpart’s tweet made on July 27.

“This is an irresponsible statement that affects bilateral ties,” Hishammuddin said. “Sabah is, and will always be, part of Malaysia.”

Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. File photo: Reuters

Locsin also said he would summon Malaysia’s ambassador.