Malaysia merupakan negara pesisir bagi Selat Melaka dan Singapura selain Indonesia dan Singapura. Sebelum zaman penjajahan Barat, sempadan maritim yang tetap tidak wujud merentasi Selat Melaka dan Singapura. Perjanjian Inggeris-Belanda 1824 telah membahagikan Selat Melaka dan Singapura kepada dua pengaruh, yang kemudiannya menjadiwilayah-wilayah bagi negara-negara Indonesia, Malaysia dan Singapura. Di sebelah timur pula, menerusi Perjanjian 1878 dan Perjanjian 1903, Sabah yang asalnya milik Kesultanan Sulu telah menjadi jajahan British dan akhirnya merdeka dalam Malaysia pada tahun 1963. Sebagai sebuah negara berdaulat, Malaysia telah menandatangani beberapa perjanjian dengan negara-negara jirannya dalam menetapkan sempadan wilayah dan maritimnya. Namun, terdapat beberapa segmen kawasan maritim milik Malaysia yang sempadan maritimnya belum ditetapkan dengan jelas. Kekurangan ini boleh menimbulkan kesulitan dalam menetapkan bidang kuasa dalam kawasan maritim milik Malaysia. Dengan penularan wabak COVID-19, bertambah pentinglah batas maritim ini ditetapkan bagi mengekang kemasukan secara haram pendatang asing ke Malaysia selain menjalankan penguatkuasaan yang lebih tegas. Artikel ini membuat kesimpulan bahawa Malaysia harus terus bekerja lebih rapat dengan tetangga-tetangganya agar masalah perbatasan maritim dapat diselesaikan dengan tuntas.

This article focuses on the regulation of maritime autonomous surface vessels from the perspective of international law of the sea. The article discusses on the possibility of developing a legal framework to regulate autonomous maritime navigation based on laws and regulation of autonomous driving of landed vehicles. The authors opine that existing legal framework does not conform to the goal of regulation of autonomous navigation. However, the regulation of autonomous car testing and exploitation could be imitated to design a new legal framework for autonomous shipping. Despite the divergent approaches, some principles remain in common particularly of cybersecurity and privacy. As computer systems are replacing the need of a master and crew for digitally managed ships, low level of cybersecurity implies an increase in risk of losing control over the vessel. The authors are of the opinion that that current legal acts, standards and their drafts do not pay necessary attention to the problem of cybersecurity of autonomous ships. Moreover, current legislations do not provide mechanisms of influence on behavior of shipowner and shipbuilder to make them apply the best measures. The similar situation is with privacy. Factually, an autonomous ship is a natural tool for surveillance, as to effectively navigate through the seas, it must collect and process information pertaining to navigational safety and other related matters. The question raises how this information has to be collected, kept, processed and deleted. Thus, the maritime community may consider adopting the approach on privacy from regulation for autonomous cars.

On March 18, 2020, Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin declared the nationwide enforcement of the Movement Control Order to curb the spread of COVID-19. In September 2020, Malaysia entered the third wave of the outbreak. Active cases rose from 60 to more than 13,000. The government’s Ops Benteng stops illegal migrants, who are at high risk of bringing COVID-19 into Malaysia. This includes illegal Rohingya migrants, who enter Malaysia to flee persecution in their home country, Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Rohingya migrants in Malaysia and more are expected. This article examines the main reason behind the influx of Rohingya illegal migrants and discusses whether the Malaysian government should tighten its borders to safeguard against COVID-19. The government must prioritise its own citizens over the Rohingyas; the responsibility of managing this humanitarian disaster should be shared with other nations, particularly those party to the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees 1951.