Brunei–Malaysia relations In 2011, around 61,470 Malaysian has visited Brunei while Malaysia received 1,238,871 Bruneian tourist in 2013. The states of Sarawak and Sabah in East Malaysia are connected to Brunei via the Pan Borneo Highway through the Brunei–Malaysia Friendship Bridge. Before 2009, Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang was in dispute. Brunei and Malaysia agreed to cease gas and oil exploration in their disputed offshore and deep water seabeds until negotiations progressed into an agreement over allocation of disputed areas in 2003. In March 2009, it seemed a solution was achieved between the two governments when the Malaysian press reported
Brunei–Malaysia border Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd and US-based Murphy Sabah Oil Co. Ltd for two areas, which Malaysia calls Block L and Block M, which lie exactly within the area claimed by Brunei as part of its continental shelf/EEZ. Later in March 2003, a Bruneian gunboat was sent to drive away a Murphy drilling ship in the area. The following month, the Malaysian navy sent several gunboats into the disputed area to block the arrival of a Total ship. After a tense stand-off involving a single patrol craft from Brunei, Total backed off and both sides stopped work in the disputed areas.