Sabah Crisis

The fundamental issue was overlapping territory, not settled until 2017. Other strains included ethnic heritage, political culture, and domestic policy shifts that came with changes in leadership.

• Sabah was North Borneo under British rule, part of the Sulu Sultanate and ceded by the Sultan of Brunei in 1704.
• The Sultan of Sulu leased rights to the British North Borneo Company in return for an annual payment.
• In 1963 Britain granted independence to Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore, handing sovereignty to Malaysia.
• The Philippines claimed sovereignty, arguing that the US (which had taken the Philippines from Spain) had claimed Sabah as part of Sulu.

1. 11878 - the Sultan of Sulu's agreement with the British North Borneo Company (a dispute over lease versus secession, with a monthly payment).
2. 21946 - North Borneo becomes a British Crown Colony.
3. 31962 - Macapagal revives the Philippine claim, partly to distract from a corruption scandal involving most of his cabinet; also because the US refused the US$73 million in war damages funds promised by Roosevelt.
4. 4July 1963 - the Manila Accord: Sabah's future to be based on its people's opinion.
5. 5September 1963 - Malaysia is formed, including Sabah.
6. 61963 - a tripartite meeting petitions the UN for a commission of enquiry; the UN found sizeable pro-Malaysia support, but Indonesia and the Philippines rejected the findings.
7. 71968 - the Jabidah Massacre: Moro army recruits trained to infiltrate Sabah were killed by the AFP when they protested; the government denied involvement; the Philippines reacted by renewing its claim (argued as a diversion).
8. 8September 1968 - a Philippine Congress resolution included Sabah in Philippine territory; both nations withdrew their embassies; Malaysia refused to attend ASEAN meetings.
9. 9Malaysia supported the Moro separatists - Tunku Abdul Rahman sought international support, and the Sabah chief minister provided supply routes.
10. 101977 - Marcos said the Philippines would set aside the Sabah claim.
11. 111986 - Aquino wanted to drop it but politicians resisted; 1987 Senate Bill 206 to exclude Sabah from Philippine territory failed to pass.
12. 121993 - Ramos's memorandum on cooperation with Malaysia; relations improved from 1993 with Ramos and Mahathir.
13. 131996 - Ramos prioritised ASEAN cooperation and signed a peace agreement with the MNLF.

• Macapagal's annoyance at the US.
• The Jabidah massacre as a diversion.
• Mutual suspicion between the two states.