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Abstract

Sebatik Island is a disputed territory between Indonesia and Malaysia, known as one of the Outstanding Boundary Problems (OBP). The island was divided into two parts by the Dutch and British, based on the 1891 Boundary Convention and the 1915 Boundary Agreement. In 2019, after a long negotiation process, the two countries agreed to re-demarcate the boundary line by planting new boundary pillars. The results of the re-demarcation have not yet been agreed upon by Indonesia and Malaysia, resulting in unclear boundaries of sovereignty and jurisdiction. This study aims to examine the negotiation model of dispute resolution on Sebatik Island. The research methodology employed is doctrinal or normative legal research, which uses both primary and secondary legal data as sources, such as regulations, treaties, court decisions, and doctrines. The study found that the current bottom-up negotiation model has caused delays in reaching an agreement on Sebatik Island. To speed up the settlement of the dispute, it is recommended to modify the model to a top-down approach with a back-to-back or simultaneous mechanism.

Bahasa Abstract

Pulau Sebatik merupakan salah satu segmen sengketa yang dikenal dengan Outstanding Boundary Problem (OBP) antara Indonesia dan Malaysia. Pulau Sebatik dibagi menjadi dua bagian oleh Belanda dan Inggris berdasarkan Konvensi Batas tahun 1891 dan Perjanjian Batas tahun 1915. Setelah melalui proses negosiasi yang panjang, pada tahun 2019 kedua negara sepakat untuk melakukan kembali demarkasi garis batas dengan menanam pilar batas baru. Hingga kini hasil re-demarkasi tersebut belum disepakati oleh Indonesia dan Malaysia yang mengakibatkan tidak jelasnya batas kedaulatan dan yurisdiksi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mempelajari proses negosiasi penyelesaian sengketa Pulau Sebatik. Pendekatan kualitatif yang diterapkan meliputi teknik wawancara mendalam, observasi serta studi dokumen terkait. Dari hasil kajian ditemukan bahwa model negosiasi bottom-up yang dilakukan selama ini menyebabkan tertundanya kesepakatan Pulau Sebatik. Dalam penelitian ini disarankan untuk memodifikasi model top-down dengan mekanisme back-to-back atau simultan untuk mempercepat penyelesaian sengketa Pulau Sebatik.

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Minutes of the Forty Second Meeting of the Joint Indonesia- Malaysia Boundary Committee on Demarcation and Survey of the International Boundary between Indonesia (Kalimantan Utara & Kalimantan Barat) and Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak) 2018.

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Minutes of the Tenth Meeting of Joint Working Group on the Outstanding Boundary Problems (JWG OBP) of the Joint Demarcation and Survey of the International Boundary between Malaysia (Sabah) and Indonesia (Kalimantan Utara) 2018.

Minutes of the Tenth Meeting of Joint Working Group on the Outstanding Boundary Problems (JWG OBP) of the Joint Demarcation and Survey of the International Boundary between Malaysia (Sabah) and Indonesia (Kalimantan Utara) 2018.

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Minutes of the Thirty Sixth Meeting of the Co Project Director for Kalimantan Timur and Sabah 2009.

Minutes of the Twelfth Meeting of Joint Working Group on the Outstanding Boundary Problems (JWG OBP) of the Joint Demarcation and Survey of the International Boundary between Malaysia (Sabah) and Indonesia (Kalimantan Utara) 2023.

Minutes of the Twenty Ninth Meeting of the Joint Indonesia- Malaysia Boundary Committee on Demarcation and Survey of the International Boundary between Indonesia (Kalimantan Utara & Kalimantan Barat) and Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak), 2005.

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