Malaysian foreign ministry to summon Philippine envoy over Locsin tweet on Sabah

The Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia will be summoned by the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs after Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. tweeted that Sabah is not part of Malaysia.

The Twitter post in question is Locsin's comment on the tweet by the US Embassy on the assistance given to Filipinos repatriated from Sabah, Malaysia and are now staying in Zamboanga City and Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.

“Sabah is not in Malaysia if you want to have anything to do with the Philippines,” Locsin said Monday.

Sabah is not in Malaysia if you want to have anything to do with the Philippines. https://t.co/dWZs1gsndE

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) July 27, 2020

“This is an irresponsible statement that affects bilateral ties. @MalaysiaMFA will summon the Philippines Ambassador on Monday to explain. Sabah is, and will always be, part of Malaysia,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein replied to Locsin's post on Wednesday.

This is an irresponsible statement that affects bilateral ties. @MalaysiaMFA will summon the Philippines Ambassador on Monday to explain. Sabah is, and will always be, part of Malaysia. https://t.co/KcUnDxOySl

— Hishammuddin Hussein ???????? (@HishammuddinH2O) July 29, 2020

Locsin has yet to respond to Hussein’s statement.

It was in February 2019 that Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Charles Jose previously drew flak for saying that the Philippines maintained its claim over Sabah.

Sabah, located on the island of Borneo just south of Mindanao, has long been the subject of a territorial dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia.

The heirs of the Sultan of Sulu claim that the original Filipino sultan controlled the territory for centuries.

It was in 1963, however, that the United Nations recognized Sabah as part of Malaysia. -- BAP, GMA News