International margin

Map of the Malaysia-Thailand boundary line The Malaysia–Thailand border divides the countries of Malaysia and Thailand and consists of a land limit run for 595 km ( 370 nautical mile ) across the Malay Peninsula and maritime boundaries in the Straits of Malacca and the Gulf of Thailand / South China Sea. The Golok River forms the easternmost 95 kilometer stretch of the land bound.

The bring border is based on the 1909 treaty between Thailand ( then known as Siam ), and the british which had started to exert its influence over the northerly Malay states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu in the early twentieth hundred, states which were previously under thai control. presently, there are 4 malaysian states ( Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Kelantan ) and four Thai provinces ( Satun, Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat ) that form the borders of Malaysia and Thailand. Malaysia and Thailand have a territorial sea and a continental shelf boundary agreements for the Straits of Malacca which were signed in 1979 and 1971 respectively. The 1979 agreement besides included Indonesia as a signer as it besides determined the park continental ledge boundary line tripoint for the three countries. The 1979 agreement besides established the territorial sea boundary in the Gulf of Thailand while a separate memo of understanding signed in 1979 established a short continental ledge boundary in the area. The limit beyond that agreed is submit to dispute because of overlapping claims over the ocean floor. The overlapping claims led to the constitution of a joint exploitation area in 1990 where both countries agreed to share mineral resources in a 7,250 public square km wedge-shaped area .

Land boundary line [edit ]

A Malaysia-Thailand boundary stone at the Bukit Kayu Hitam-Danok surround crossing . malaysian boundary wall near Padang Besar, Malaysia The 658-kilometre Malaysia-Thailand land boundary consists of 552-kilometre section on land running along the landmark of several batch ranges in northerly Peninsular Malaysia and southerly Thailand, and 106 kilometres running along the thalweg of the Golok River ( Malay : Sungai Golok ). [ 1 ] From west to east, the bound begins at a point which lies precisely north of the Perlis River estuary as defined in the agenda of the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 where the westernmost nation boundary terminus was to be at “ the most seaward point of the northern bank of the estuary of the Perlis River ”. The treaty then states that the surround moves northbound from this point to the Sayun Range, an extension of the Si Thammarat Mountains of Thailand, for about 15 miles ( 24 kilometer ) before heading eastbound along the river basin of Thailand ‘s Lam Yai River and Malaysia ‘s Perlis River towards the ridge of the Kedah-Singgora mountains where it moves southwards along the ridge till it reaches the landmark for the Perak and Pattani Rivers. Mountain point along this department of the border including Lata Papalang. The border then moves eastbound across the northern separate of Peninsula Malaysia ‘s Main Range ( Malay : Banjaran Titiwangsa ) along the river basin of Malaysia ‘s Perak River and Pergau River ( in Kelantan ) on one hand, and Thailand ‘s Pattani and Sai Buri Rivers on the other until it reaches Jeli Hill ( Malay : Bukit Jeli ). Among the mountain peaks located along this section of the bound are Kobeh Hill ( Malay : Bukit Kobeh ), which is the southernmost point of Thailand, and Ulu Titi Basah. At Bukit Jeli, an 8.5 kilometer reach of the boundary line remains disputed by both countries ( see below ). [ 2 ] From Bukit Jeli, the boundary follows the Golok River until the river talk at Kuala Tabar, a outdistance of 95 kilometer. The frame follows the deepest part or thalweg of the river. [ 3 ]

Survey and limit [edit ]

solve to survey and demarcate the landmark limit began on 6 July 1973 and was completed except for the 8.5 kilometer disputed section at Jeli Hill on 26 September 1985. As for the Golok River section, work to survey the boundary began on 1 November 2000 and was completed on 30 September 2009. [ 1 ]

barrier [edit ]

In the 1970s, both Malaysia and Thailand constructed walls along their common border, by and large in Perlis / Satun and Perlis / Songkhla a well as Kedah / Songkhla portions of the frame to curb smuggling. The walls were of concrete, sword, and topped barbed cable vitamin a well as iron wall at other stretches. As both countries constructed their walls on their own district, a strip of “ no man ‘s land ” about 10 m wide was created and this deprive of land became a commodious recourse for smugglers ( not all smuggle was deterred by the wall ) and drug runners. In 2001, the two countries agreed to construct precisely one wall along the border which would be precisely inside Thai territory. The new border wall is 2.5 thousand eminent and made up of a concrete lower half and steel fencing on the upper half. At the base, barbed wire runs along the length of the wall. [ 4 ] The reason given for the construction of the wall was to curb smuggling and impingement. however, security concerns arising from the South Thailand insurgency in the late-1990s and early-2000s have besides been an impulse for the barrier ‘s construction. [ citation needed ]

Maritime surround [edit ]

Malaysia and Thailand share maritime borders in two areas : in the Straits of Malacca and in the Gulf of Thailand/South China Sea .

Straits of Malacca [edit ]

At the western terminus of the land limit, the 1909 Anglo-Siamese treaty determines the beginning of the maritime boundary as :

With regard to the islands close to the west coast, those lying to the north of the parallel of latitude where the most seaward point of the north bank of the estuary of the Perlis River (the western terminus of the Malaysia-Thailand land boundary) touches the sea shall remain to Siam, and those lying to the south of the parallel shall become British.”
The island known as Pulau Langkawi, together with all the islets south of the mid-channel between Tarutao and Langkawi, and all the islands south of Langkawi shall become British. Tarutao and the islets to the north of mid-channel shall remain to Siam.

The territorial sea boundary agreement between the two countries signed on 24 October 1979 [ 5 ] determined the mid-channel point between Langkawi and Tarutao to be at which was made the easterly starting point of the territorial ocean limit. Both countries besides have a continental shelf limit agreement for this segment of their maritime limit. The agreement, signed 21 December 1978, included Indonesia as a signer to enable the establishment of the coarse tripoint at. [ 6 ]

Point Latitude (N) Longitude (E) Remarks
Territorial sea border end and turning points
1 6° 28′.5 99° 39′.2
2 6° 30′.2 99° 33′.4
3 6° 28′.9 99° 30′.7
4 6° 18′.4 99° 27′.5
Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand common point
CP 5° 57′.0 98° 1′.5 The border is a straight line connecting the common point with Point 1 below
Outer limit border turning point coordinates[5]
1 6° 18′.0 99° 6′.7 The border connects to the common point above via a straight line
2 6° 16′.3 99° 19′.3
3 6° 18′.4 99° 27′.5 This point is the same as Point 4 of the territorial sea border

Gulf of Thailand/South China Sea [edit ]

Agreements The 1909 Anglo-Siamese Treaty states that the maritime boundary between the two countries as follows :

“All islands adjacent to the eastern States of Kelantan and Terengganu, south of the parallel of latitude drawn from the point where the Sungei Golok reaches the coast at a place called Kuala Tabar, shall be transferred to Great Britain, and all islands to the north of that parallel shall remain to Siam.”

subsequently, the two governments signed respective agreements over their common nautical boundary in the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea. The 1973 continental ledge boundary agreement between the two governments merely covered the Straits of Malacca segment and did not cover the surround in the Gulf of Thailand but on 24 October 1979, an agreement [ 5 ] and a memo of understanding [ 7 ] were signed to determine the common maritime boundary of the two countries in the Gulf of Thailand. The first agreement established the territorial ocean boundary from the talk of the Golok River at to. The MOU established the continental ledge boundary from the northerly end-point to with one turning steer in between.

The boundary beyond the northern end-point is submit to dispute ( see Disputes section below ). however, both countries have come to an agreement to put aside the border dispute and allow for the joint exploitation of natural resources of the challenge area. The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Establishment of a Joint Authority for the Exploitation of the Resources of the Sea-Bed in a Defined Area of the Continental Shelf of the Two Countries in the Gulf of Thailand on 21 February 1979, followed by an Agreement on the Constitution and Other Matters Relating to the Establishment of the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Authority on 30 May 1990 establishing a joint development area ( JDA ). Both agreements do not settle disputed nautical edge and sovereignty offspring of the disputed sphere and the countries continue staking their overlap continental shelf claims. Malaysia’s 1979 map and Thailand’s EEZ proclamation In December 1979 merely after the two countries signed the MOU on the roast exploitation area, Malaysia published a map [ 8 ] showing its territorial ocean and continental ledge and continued to assert its reign over the entire articulation growth area. Malaysia ‘s continental shelf boundary on the map corresponds with the western and northern limit of the joint development area. On 16 February 1988, Thailand issued a royal announcement to establish its exclusive economic zone boundary with Malaysia, establishing the limits of its claims in the challenge area. The boundary follows the eastern boundary of the Joint Development Area. [ 9 ] A small triangle in the northern part of the roast development area is besides subjected to an overlapping claim by Vietnam. In 1999, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam agreed to apply the joint development principles to this area. See section below .

Point Latitude (N) Longitude (E) Remarks
Territorial sea border end and turning points
1 6° 14′.5 102° 5′.6
2 6° 27′.5 102° 10′.0
Continental shelf border end and turning points
1 6° 27′.5 102° 10′.0 Same point as northern terminus of the territorial sea border, also Point 47 on Malaysia’s 1979 continental shelf claim map
2 6° 27′.8 102° 9′.6 Same as Point 46 on Malaysia’s 1979 continental shelf claim map
3 6° 50′.0 102° 21′.2 Same as Point 45 on Malaysia’s 1979 continental shelf claim map
Continental shelf border end and turning points claimed by Malaysia
45 06° 50′.0 102° 21′.2 Same point as the northern terminus of the agreed continental shelf border; also Point A of Joint Development Area.
44 07° 10′.25 102° 29′.0 Same as Point B of Joint Development Area
43 07° 49′.0 103° 02′.5 Same as Point C of Joint Development Area
Exclusive economic zone border end and turning points claimed by Thailand
1 6° 14′.5 102° 5′.6 Southern terminus of territorial sea boundary
2 6° 27′.5 102° 10′.0 Northern terminus of territorial sea boundary and southern terminus of agreed continental shelf border; same as Point 47 on Malaysia’s 1979 map
3 6° 27′.8 102° 9′.6 Same as Point 46 on Malaysia’s 1979 map
4 06° 50′.0 102° 21′.2 Northern terminus of the agreed continental shelf border; same as Point 45 on Malaysia’s 1979 map; also Point A of Joint Development Area.
5 06° 53′.0 102° 34′.0 Same as Point G of Joint Development Area
6 07° 03′.0 103° 06′.0 Same as Point F of Joint Development Area
7 07°20′.0 103° 39′.0 Same as Point E of Joint Development Area
8 07° 22′.0 103° 42′.5 Same as Point D of Joint Development Area, located on Malaysia’s continental shelf border between Point 43 and Point 42 on 1979 map

history [edit ]

The border between Thailand or Siam and the sultanates of the Malay Peninsula ( Peninsular Malaysia today ) has varied throughout history. The southerly part of today Thailand has always been populated by Malays and traditional Malay sultanates of Kedah ( of which Perlis, Setul was partially ), Kelantan, Pattani ( which consist of the areas of Singgora, Yala, Ligor ) and Terengganu came under thai influence in the nineteenth hundred. The Malay states immediately to the south, namely Perak and Pahang were independent sultanates until the british started asserting influence over them in the former 1800s. In 1785, the british obtained the island of Penang from the Sultan of Kedah. The channel between the island and the mainland of peninsular Malaysia became the margin between british territory and Kedah. On 6 May 1869, the United Kingdom and Siam signed an agreement known as the Bangkok Treaty of 1869 where Siam ceded a firearm of district on the mainland face-to-face Penang to the United Kingdom. The district became known as Province Wellesley ( known as Seberang Perai today ). The treaty besides defined the border between british and thai district and this molding remains the limit line between Penang and Kedah today, although both are now component states of Malaysia. On 9 July 1909, the United Kingdom and Siam signed another agreement in Bangkok. Known as the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, the agreement stated the states of Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu belong to the United Kingdom while Pattani fell into thai hands. The treaty, in one of its four annexes, defined the surround between british and siamese cat territories. This molding ultimately became today ‘s border between Malaysia and Thailand. thailand regained influences of the Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu during World War II when the Japanese handed them over to the kingdom, thus moving the Malay States-Siamese margin southwards again. The states were returned to the british at the conclusion of the war. [ 10 ]

Disputes [edit ]

The Sadao checkpoint in Danok, precisely across the Malaysia-Thailand frame marked by the molding stone in front. Photo taken from the Malaysian ( Kedah ) side of the border. There are two stretches of the Malaysia–Thailand molding which is subject to dispute. The first involves the land surround in the Bukit Jeli ( Jeli Hill ) at the headwaters of the Golok River and the second involves the continental ledge boundary in the Gulf of Thailand. Neither dispute has resulted in aggression between the two countries .

Bukit Jeli [edit ]

The alignment of an 8.5 kilometer stretch of the country frame in the area known as Bukit Jeli ( Jeli Hill ) near the headwaters of the Golok River is presently being disputed by both countries. The resulting challenge territory has an area of 42 hectares. Negotiations to resolve the quarrel through the joint subcommittee on co-operation along the margin is ongoing. The dispute arise in the 1990s when line work for the land frame about reached completion. Malaysia ‘s early Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying that the failure was because of the inability to reach a consensus over a formula to solve the dispute. He said problems arose because the geographic features as described in frame protocol of the 1909 Anglo-Siamese Treaty had changed. [ 11 ]

Gulf of Thailand [edit ]

The quarrel over the continental ledge boundary between Malaysia and Thailand arises from the different baselines for Thailand which the two countries adopt in calculating the equidistant line for boundary. Thailand ‘s proclaim baseline runs from the terminus at Kuala Tabar ( the eastern terminus of the Malaysia-Thailand down boundary line as defined by the 1909 Anglo-Siamese Treaty ) northwards to Ko Losin isle and then northwestwards to Ko Kra. Malaysia however does not regard Ko Losin as valid baseline point and calculates the equidistant lineage on a service line running along the land. [ 12 ] While both countries have agreed on 24 October 1979 [ 13 ] on their nautical boundary for this sphere running 29 nautical miles ( 54 kilometer ) out to sea, the limit beyond the northeastern destination of the territorial ocean is capable to dispute. Malaysia ‘s continental ledge limit extends from the terminus at coordinate 07° 49 ‘ N, 103° 02 ‘ 30 ” e which corresponds to Point 43 in a 1979 map published by Malaysia denoting its territorial ocean and continental shelf. Thailand claims its continental shelf boundary extends from the terminus to co-ordinate 07° 22’.0 N, 103° 42 ‘ 30 ” E. A humble slice of the disputed area is besides subjected to a claim by Vietnam. As a irregular solution to the challenge, Malaysia and Thailand on 21 February 1979 signed a memo of understanding to create a 7,250 kilometer squarely roast growth area encompassing the entire challenge area. This was late followed by an agreement on 30 May 1990. The agreement allows for roast exploitation and benefit of lifelike resources in the joint exploitation area. In 1999, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam reached an agreement based on the principle of joint development for the area where the three countries have overlapping claims. All the agreements specifically state that they do not compromise each country ‘s reign claim over the challenge area. [ 12 ]

Joint development area [edit ]

The Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area is a 7,250 kilometer square area in the Gulf of Thailand which was created as an interim measure to deal with the overlapping claims of the continental shelf between the two countries. The convention allows for both countries to contribution the inanimate natural resources from the sphere on a 50:50 basis. It however does not extinguish the reign claims by both countries over the area .

Point Latitude (N) Longitude (E) Remarks
Joint Development Area boundary turning points
A 6° 50′.0 102° 21′.2 Northern terminus of agreed continental shelf border; Point 45 on Malaysia’s 1979 map; Point 4 of Thailand’s EEZ border
B 7° 10′.25 102° 29′.0 Same as Point 44 on Malaysia’s 1979 map
C 7° 49′.0 103° 02′.5 Same as Point 43 on Malaysia’s 1979 map; Point C (eastern terminus) of the agreed Thailand-Vietnam continental shelf boundary.
D 7° 22′.0 103° 42′.5 Same as Point 8 of Thailand’s EEZ border; located on Malaysia’s continental shelf boundary between Point 43 and Point 42 in the 1979 map.
E 7° 20′.0 103° 39′.0 Same as Point 7 of Thailand’s EEZ border
F 7° 03′.0 103° 39′.0 Same as Point 6 of Thailand’s EEZ border
G 6° 53′.0 102° 34′.0 Same as Point 5 of Thailand’s EEZ border
Coordinates of area within the joint development area claimed by Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam
1 7° 48′.0 103° 02′.5 Same as Point C of the Malaysia-Thailand JDA boundary; Point 43 on Malaysia’s 1979 map; and Point C (eastern terminus) of the agreed Thailand-Vietnam continental shelf boundary.
2 7° 22′.0 103° 42′.5 Same as Point D of the Malaysia-Thailand JDA
3 7° 20′.0 103° 39′.0 Same as Point E of the Malaysia-Thailand JDA; same as Point B of the Malaysia-Vietnam joint development defined area boundary.
4 7° 18′.31 103° 35′.71 Located along the south-eastern border of the Malaysia-Thailand JDA between Point E and Point F; same as Point C of the Malaysia-Vietnam joint development defined area boundary. The boundary then continues back to Point 1.

malaysia ‘s continental ledge limit claim is from Point A to Point C via Point B and thence to Point G while Thailand ‘s single Economic Zone claim limit is from Point A to Point G through Points D, E, and F. It has not delimited its continental shelf limits beyond Point G .

Border crossings [edit ]

road [edit ]

railroad track [edit ]

No Malaysia Thailand
Railway Station Geographical coordinates Opening hours Notes Railway Station Geographical coordinates Opening hours Notes
1 Padang Besar, Perlis, Malaysia 24 hours Both Malaysian and Thai ICQS facilities are co-located in this station Padang Besar, Malaysia 24 hours Both Malaysian and Thai ICQS facilities are co-located in this station
2 Rantau Panjang, Kelantan Not in operation Railway tracks crossing the border not used. Su-ngai Kolok 24 hours No cross border train services, only train services within Thailand. Railway tracks crossing the border not used.

ferry [edit ]

Airline connections [edit ]

See besides [edit ]

References [edit ]