Venue

The dialogues in the series will be held in hybrid mode, i.e. in-person on the ANU Campus, and virtually on zoom.

IN-PERSON: Institutes Boardroom, HC Coombs Extension Building, 9 Fellows Road, ANU, Acton, ACT, 2601.

ONLINE: Zoom. Please select the relevant ticket, in-person or online, according to your preferred attendance mode.

Untangling the History of the Sabah Dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia: Exploring narratives, contexts, and implications

The Sabah dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia originated from historical claims by the Philippines over territory that was previously a British crown colony and then became part of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.

The Philippines bases its claim on inheritance from the Sultan of Sulu, questioning whether an 1878 agreement "ceded" or "leased" the territory. The claim was temporarily set aside during the negotiations to form ASEAN but diplomatic relations between Malaysia and the Philippines were suspended in 1968 over a Philippine law claiming Sabah. The dispute was resolved bilaterally in 1969 and while ASEAN maintained a non-interference approach, the dispute threatened to derail the association in its early years and has not been completely resolved.

In this seminar, Dr Sue Thompson will untangle the history of the Sabah dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia by exploring its narratives, historical contexts, and broader implications.

Speaker

Dr Sue Thompson is an associate professor at the National Security College in the Crawford School of Public Policy. She researches on the history of Southeast Asian regional cooperation. Her work focuses on Southeast Asian agency, especially within ASEAN, and foreign power and external policy influences in the development of Southeast Asian regionalism.

The ANU Philippines Institute Research Seminar Series is a recurring seminar series that showcases the work of scholars working on political, social and cultural issues in the Philippines and the wider region, with the goal of encouraging greater exchange, collaboration and networking amongst the research community.

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