Hikmahanto said here on Wednesday Malaysia should respect
the status quo and assume that nothing had been settled in relation to the boundary coordinates in the Tanjung Datu Outstanding Border Problem (OBP) which were currently being questioned by the House of Representatives` Commission-I.
The international law observer made the statement in relation to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the Tanjung Datu Outstanding Boundary Problems signed by Indonesia and Malaysia in 1978.
According to Hikmahanto, the Indonesian government should make field checks to see if Malaysia had put up stakes in accordance with the coordinates in the 1978 MoU.
"If Malaysia has put up stakes in other ways, Indonesia should firmly request Malaysia to dismantle the stakes," Hikmahanto said.
He said this was because the coordinates agreed on the 1978 MoU were not binding and should not become a reference border in the Tanjung Datu Outstanding Border Problem.
Hikmahanto noted that the 1978 MoU was not not a border agreement between Malaysia and Indonesia, and the MoU had never been ratified by the House of Representatives.
"Based on international law, a border-related agreement to become effective must be ratified by the House of Representatives," he said.
(Uu.O001/HAJM/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
