Hoax Debunked: Indonesia Did Not Take Over Sabah and Sarawak

A video circulating on YouTube falsely claims that Indonesia has taken over the territories of Sabah and Sarawak. The video’s thumbnail features a picture of President Prabowo Subianto alongside several officials appearing to sign a document, with a backdrop stating a ministerial-level meeting involving Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Sabah, and Sarawak. The upload also narrates that the governments of Sabah and Sarawak wish to establish direct cooperation with Indonesia without the involvement of the Malaysian government. The narration in the upload states: ‘INDONESIA TAKES OVER SABAH & SARAWAK!! THE SABAH SARAWAK GOVERNMENT WANTS DIRECT COOPERATION WITH RI!’ However, is it true that Indonesia has taken over Sabah and Sarawak? Based on investigation, no information or official statement was found indicating that Indonesia has taken over Sabah and Sarawak. To date, Sabah and Sarawak remain states of Malaysia. An examination using the AI Detector Hive Moderation tool showed that the image of the signing in the thumbnail has a 96 per cent probability of being an artificial intelligence (AI) creation. Thus, the image is not authentic documentation that can be used as evidence of a takeover. In fact, relations between Indonesia and Malaysia, including with the regions of Sabah and Sarawak, take place in the form of cross-sector cooperation. As reported by ANTARA, Malaysia continues to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia, one example being through the promotion of medical tourism. Tourism Malaysia Director General Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim stated that Sabah and Sarawak are also recommended as medical tourism destinations for the Indonesian public. Furthermore, historically, Sabah and Sarawak officially became part of the Federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. The formation of the federation went through a lengthy process involving negotiations, public consultations, a poll by the Cobbold Commission, and the signing of the Malaysia Agreement on 9 July 1963. Both territories also obtained various special autonomy rights as part of the agreement to form Malaysia. Therefore, the claim that Indonesia has taken over Sabah and Sarawak is false information, or a hoax.