KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will send a note of protest to the Philippines today regarding its new maritime acts that infringe upon Sabah's maritime boundaries, said Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin.
He said one of the two acts was confirmed to extend beyond Malaysia's New Map of 1979, which was developed based on international law.
He added that the reference documents related to the same act also touched on the Philippines' claim over Sabah.
The act in question is the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Nov 8. He also referred to another act that infringed on Sabah's maritime boundaries, the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, but did not provide further details.
"Therefore, I would like to state that the Foreign Ministry is always sensitive and attentive to issues involving regional and international maritime boundary delimitation and related matters.
"As such, we have finalised and considered several key issues to include in our protest note.
"This protest note will be sent today to demonstrate our commitment to defending the sovereignty of Sabah and our nation," he said while wrapping up the committee-level debate on the 2025 Supply Bill for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Meanwhile, regarding Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's controversial CNN interview yesterday, where he was reportedly acknowledging that Israel has the right to exist and defend itself, he clarified that Anwar was actually conveying the message that Palestine should be given the right to form an independent country.
On Nov 11, Anwar called on world leaders at the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit to unite in suspending or expelling Israel from the United Nations.
In his national statement at the summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Anwar called for a strong international response to what he described as Israel's "barbaric" actions against the Palestinians.
MalaysiaNow reported yesterday that, in an interview with CNN, Anwar recognised Israel's right to exist and defend itself, a position likely to raise questions.
He also criticised the Western media for ignoring the decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories by spreading a one-sided narrative since the Oct 7 attacks by Hamas last year.