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Top 5 at 5: Did Malaysia Really Cede Territory to Indonesia?

41 mins·17:00, 10 Feb 2026
podcast image

Top 5 at 5: Did Malaysia Really Cede Territory to Indonesia?

41 mins
·
17:00, 10 Feb 2026
·

Guest: Associate Professor Dr Hazmi Rusli, Head Researcher, International Law Unit, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

Last week, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, rejected reports claiming Malaysia ceded over 5000 hectares of land to Indonesia as part of border arrangements. This came after Indonesian media reported that three villages in Indonesia’s Nunukan regency, near the Sabah-Kalimantan border, were designated as Malaysian territory and that Indonesia would receive 5,207 hectares “in compensation”. We dive into the legal realities of border demarcation with Associate Professor Dr Hazmi Rusli. (Starts at 22:02)

• New water fest goes from splash to clash: Malaysians are questioning whether an upcoming water music festival, organised by the Tourism Ministry and inspired by Thailand's Songkran festival, is actually Malaysian. We discuss whether national events have to be rooted in local culture. (Starts at 16:08)

• Surprising results in Thai elections: Although the reformist People's Party stood high on opinion polls, the conservative Bhumjaithai party ultimately clinched victory with 194 seats in Thailand's 500-seat parliament. We unpack the results with Dr Termsak Chalermpalanupap, visiting senior fellow at the Thailand Studies Programme of ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. (Starts at 11:43)

• SARA aid 2.0 rolls out: The second Sara disbursement launched yesterday, with an overall allocation of RM 2.2 billion. We discuss what's new about this second rollout. (Starts at 05:16)

• Offensive or unconstitutional?: Last week, the court reinstated the words “offensive” and “annoying” in Section 233, ruling that they do not violate constitutional guarantees of free expression. At the same time, it stressed the need to narrowly interpret the law to prevent unwarranted prosecutions. We speak to Heidy Quah about her legal battle which prompted this, and to constitutional lawyer New Sin Yew on what this judgment means (Starts at 00:22)

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Presenter: Sharaad Kuttan, Susan Tam

Producer: Sudais Ferhard, Dashran Yohan, Alia Zefri, Sneha Harikannan

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