Brunei-Malaysia border

The border between Brunei and Malaysia consist of a 481.3km land border and substantial lengths of maritime borders stretching to the edge of the continental shelf in the South China Sea. Except for its South China Sea coastline, Brunei is entirely surrounded by Malaysia's Sarawak state and its unique shape of being made up of two non-connected enclaves has resulted in the Brunei-Malaysia land border being broken into two segments.

The border

Land borders

From west to east, the Brunei-Malaysia border begins where the border of the Baram and Belait river basins meet the South China Sea at a point six nautical miles east of Tanjung Baram with coordinates coord|4|35|20|N|114|5|00|E. It then travels along the basin border for about 30km to the Pagalayan Canal. It then goes a further 44km to the Teraja Hills. From, the border is along the watershed between the Belait and Tutong rivers on one hand, and the Baram and Limbang rivers on the other. It then proceeds along the border of the Brunei and Limbang river basins till it reaches Brunei Bay.

The land border between Malaysia and Brunei's Temburong District (which is separated from the other part of Brunei) starts at the estuary of the Pandaruan River along the entire length of the river. It then runs along the watershed and river basin borders between the Temburong River on one hand, and the Limbang and Trusan rivers on the other until it reaches Brunei Bay.

The total length of border is 481.3km, of which 207.3km have been delimited and demarcated through agreements. The portions of the border which delimited are that along the Pandaruan River ["Agreement between Government of Brunei and the Government of Sarawak relating to the Pandaruan River and District signed by G.E. Cator (British Resident Burneit) and H.S.B. Johnson (Resident Fifth Division, Sarawak) dated the 4th of February, 1920 covering a distance of 78.0km," quoted incite paper | author = Ahmad Fauzi, Nordin | coauthors = | title = Land and River Boundary Demarcation and Maintenance - Malaysia's Experience | version = Working paper at International Symposium on Land and River Demarcation and Maintenance in Support of Borderland Development | publisher = | date = 2006 | url = http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/ibru/conferences/thailand/malaysia.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 2008-04-11] , a stretch of the eastern border of Temburong District ["Agreement between the Government of Brunei and the Government of Sarawak regarding the boundary beteen the States of Brunei and Sarawak between Trusan and Temburong from the coast to Bukit Sagan signed by the British Resident, Brunei and the Resident, Fifth Division, Sarawak dated the 31st of October 1931, covering a distance of 19km" quoted in Ahmad Fauzi Nordin.] , the western border from a point between the Baram and Belait Rivers to the Palagayan Canal ["Agreement between the Government of Brunei and the Government of Saraak regarding the boundary beteen the States of Brunei and Sarawak between the Belait and the Baram rivers from the sea coast to the Pagalayan Canal, signed by the British Resident, Brunei and H.D. Aplin (Resident, Fourth Division, Sarawak) dated the 25th of August 1931 covering a distance of 29.7km," quoted by Ahmad Fauzi Nordin.] , between the Palagayan Canal and Teraja Hills ["Agreement regarding the boundary between the State of Brunei and the State of Sarawak from the Pagalayan Canal to the Teraja Hills, signed by the British Resident, Brunei and the Resident, Fourth Division, Sarawak, dated the 4th of November, 1939, covering a distance of 43.6km" quoted in Ahmad Fauzi Nordin.] , and the stretch from the Brunei Bay to a point west of Gadong Hill along the river basin border of the Brunei and Limbang rivers. ["Agreement between the Government of Brunei and the Government of Sarawak regarding the boundary beteen the States of Brunei and Sarawak between Limbang and Brunei from the coast to a point west of Bukit Gadong signed by the British Resident, Brunei and the Resident, Fifth Division, Sarawak dated the 24th of February 1933, covering a distance of 37.0km" quoted by Ahmad Fauzi Nordin.]

Maritime borders

Brunei's border with Malaysia can be divided into three sectors, namely the Eastern Sector continuing seaward from here the Sultanate's eastern land border touches the sea in the Bay of Brunei, the Western Sector which continues seaward from the point where its western border reaches the coast between the Baram and Belait Rivers (see Land Border above), and Western Brunei Bay Sector where a segment of Malaysian waters adjacent to the mouth of the Limbang River is enclosed by Brunei waters.

Eastern Sector

This sector starts from the point inherited from Sarawak (Definition of Boundaries) Order in Council in 1958 which defined the boundary between Brunei and Sarawak, then both ruled by Britain. The powers were derived from the British Colonial Boundaries Act of 1895. After leaving Brunei Bay, the border is the equidistant line between Malaysia's Pulau Keraman and the Brunei shore until the 100 fathom point which forms the terminus according to the Order in Council. [cite book | last = Prescott | first = Victor | authorlink = | coauthors = Schofield, Clive | title = Undelimited Maritime Boundaries of the Asian Rim in the Pacific Ocean | publisher = International Boundary Research Unit | date = 2001 | location = | pages = 6-8 | url = http://books.google.com.my/books?id=-RT2lGdMZucC&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=brunei+malaysia+boundary&source=web&ots=YGJyLbkl1g&sig=eUEwWsBb4VnTQ-u_JB3DX5cuBN4&hl=en#PPA7,M1| doi = | id = | isbn =]

Brunei asserts that its eastern boundary of its claimed exclusive economic zone extends from the 100 fathom isobath to coord|8|15|13.8|N|111|56|16.2|E, located along the equidistant line from Vietnam but ignoring offshore Vietnamese islands. The border then proceeds southwesterly along the Brunei-Vietnam equidistant line until coord|7|35|19.2|N|111|05|30|E, the northern terminus of its western maritime border with Malaysia. [cite book | last =Dzurek | first =Daniel J| authorlink = | coauthors = Schofield, Clive | title =The Spratly Islands Dispute: Who's on First?| publisher = International Boundary Research Unit| date =1996 | location = | pages =45 | url =http://books.google.com/books?id=o5P4U4UlucMC&pg=RA1-PA45&lpg=RA1-PA45&dq=brunei+continental+shelf&source=web&ots=44SC2BEKBp&sig=Z1D3ivT9kypNESfDxuo5xqs3mDk&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#PRA1-PA45,M1| doi = | id = | isbn =]

Malaysia does not recognise this extension and asserts that Brunei's maritime claims ends at the 100 fathom isobath. In its 1979 territorial waters and continental shelf map, Malaysia claims the area beyond the 100 fathom isobath as part of its continental shelf.

See below for more on the dispute between the two countries.

Western Sector

From the terminus of the land boundary at coord|4|35|20|N|114|5|00|E, the Brunei-Malaysia maritime boundary continues into sea following the equidistant line for five nautical miles to coord|4|47|33|N|114|11|34.8|E. It then diverges from the equidistant line towards the northwest to the 100 fathom isobath. The border which Brunei asserts then proceeds to coord|7|35|19.2|N|111|05|30|E, which is on the equidistant line beteen Brunei and Vietnam.

Malaysia does not recognise this extension, claiming that Brunei's maritime territories ends at the 100 fathom isobath. In the 1979 map, Malaysia claims the rest of Brunei's exclusive economic zone as belonging to it.

Western Brunei Bay Sector

History

Disputes

Limbang

Continental shelf

Border crossings

ee also

*Indonesia-Malaysia border
*Malaysia-Singapore border
*Malaysia-Thailand border
*Malaysia-Vietnam border

References