KOTA KINABALU: Sabah maintains that the Territorial Sea Act (TSA) does not apply to the state and cannot be negotiated by the council tasked with implementing the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
Sabah Attorney-General Datuk Brenndon Keith Soh said the state also maintains that the continental shelf comes under its jurisdiction, as stated in the North Borneo (Alteration of Boundaries) Order in Council 1954.
Soh said Sabah's "non-negotiable" stand on both issues was recorded at the recent Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
As such, these issues remained on MTPMA63's "agree to disagree" list.
"Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the matter will continue to be discussed at the highest level between the Prime Minister, the Sabah Chief Minister, and the Sarawak Premier.
"The Sabah Attorney-General's Department remains committed to continuously defending the state government's position on this matter," he said in a statement.
Previously, the Terengganu assembly unanimously rejected the implementation of TSA, citing its infringement on the state's rights to explore resources and generate revenue within its maritime borders.
Subsequently, the Prime Minister's Office said the law, which was introduced to protect the country's sovereignty and safety, was still valid and in force nationwide.