Disputes - international:
involved in complex dispute over Spratly Islands with China,
Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and possibly Brunei; claimants in
November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in
the South China Sea," a mechanism to ease tension but which fell
short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; disputes over
deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation
on Johor, maritime boundaries, and Singapore-occupied Pedra Branca
Island/Pulau Batu Putih persist - parties agree to ICJ arbitration
on island dispute within three years; ICJ awarded Ligitan and
Sipadan islands off the coast of Sabah, also claimed by Indonesia
and Philippines, to Malaysia; a small section of the
Malaysia-Thailand boundary in the Kolok River remains in dispute
Illicit drugs:
transit point for some illicit drugs; drug trafficking prosecuted
vigorously and carries severe penalties