From Bernama – Malaysia, Brunei To Publish Book On Oil Industry

December 23, 2010

Someone please send an autographed copy or two my way. Thanks. From Bernama, dateline 2010-12-18:

Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam will jointly publish two coffee table books on the oil industry and the flora and fauna in Borneo in an effort to step up cooperation in the field of information.

The initiative, to be undertaken by Brunei Darussalam Information Department and the Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA), will also involve photo exhibition to be held in both countries.

These were among the new programmes agreed during the 3rd meeting of the Malaysia-Brunei Darussalam Joint Technical Committee on Information which ended here Saturday.

Deputy Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum said the publication of the two books would promote both countries to the world as well as further enhance cooperation in the field of information.

“I believe the books will be easy to read. Beginning from history, for example, how oil was found in Brunei and in Miri, also is the uniqueness of the flora and fauna in Borneo,” he told reporters.

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Kuala Belait

August 27, 2010

I had some business in Kuala Belait, Brunei (I trust the clients were satisfied). It was the fasting month, and I was inside an office the whole of daylight hours, so I didn’t have many photo opportunities. The following photos were taken at the the sungkai prepared by Riviera Cafe.

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Sabah MP drills deep into oil blocks fiasco

July 11, 2010

The government said that the oil was never really ours in the first place. But, I guess the controversy will keep conspiracy theorists, opponents and ‘tell-all’ expose publishers in business. Anyone want to add more fuel to the fire?

From freemalaysiatoday,  dateline 2010-07-01:

KOTA KINABALU: Tawau MP Chua Soon Bui has called for a White Paper on the controversial ceding of three million acres of Sabah’s oil-rich maritime territory to Brunei.

She said Malaysians were confused and would like to know the truth behind the ceding of the two blocks, in light of the numerous statements made by various government representatives.

The statements, however, failed to answer the many lingering doubts over the move which is estimated to have caused Malaysia to lose about RM320 billion in oil and gas revenue.

“It is not just the loss of valuable oil and gas productions, but it is also the loss of Malaysian territorial waters for transportation, marine life and food resources,” said Chua.

“A White Paper on the matter would be in the interests of all Malaysians, especially to those in Sabah and Labuan.

“It is therefore with sincere intention that I propose to the Prime Minister’s Department to clarify all the doubts and ensure that the rights and interests of the people are always protected,” she added in her adjournment speech in Parliament recently.

And since we’re on the topic of conceding territory to ASEAN neighbours, here’s something from the same e-paper on Batu Puteh.

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From Oil & Gas Journal – Brunei, Malaysia to share revenues from disputed oil blocks

June 20, 2010

Maybe I should have gone to the recent AOGC conference, and reported the events with my own slant on things. Can I get sponsorship for the next one, for the tune of USD1000?

And if Brunei owns oil blocks, why on earth would they share the revenue? Is Malaysia going to share the revenue of our oil blocks?

Dateline 2010-06-09, from Oil & Gas Journal:

Eric Watkins, OGJ Oil Diplomacy Editor

Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman acknowledged that neighboring Brunei owns two formerly disputed oil blocks, but that Malaysia will have a share of revenue produced from them.

Aman said the revenue-sharing was made possible through a commercial arrangement agreed to in March by leaders of the two countries, but that the two sides are still discussing the ratio of the revenues to be shared.

“If we look strictly at the interpretation of the law based on [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] 1982, it clearly belongs to Brunei,” said Aman in response to a question by opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar had asked Aman to state the validity of the decision of the federal government to hand over Blocks L and M to Brunei, and why the issue of sovereignty of territorial waters of that area was not referred to the Malaysian parliament.

Earlier this year, Murphy Oil Corp.’s interests in Blocks L and M off Malaysia were terminated after resolution of a dispute with Brunei over control of the assets.

That agreement ended a dispute that erupted in 2003 when Petronas and Murphy were awarded two offshore leases, SB L and SB M. The blocks overlapped with Brunei’s Blocks J and K, which had been awarded to Total SA and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (OGJ Online, Apr. 22, 2010).

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