Kuala Lampur, Jan. 12 -- The question of Kedah's status before 1909 has re-emerged in public discourse, particularly following claims that the state was once under Siamese sovereignty and was later "handed over" to the British under the Bangkok Treaty. Such assertions, however, reflect Siam's unilateral perspective and do not represent the historical or legal position of the Malay Sultanates themselves.

Such claims do not align with historical records and contradict the fundamentals of traditional international law. To understand this matter properly, one must view the Bangkok Treaty of 1909 within a wider context, similar to earlier imperial agreements such as the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494 and the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, which d...