Homegrown Statelessness in Malaysia
2NGO
3NGO
NGO that helps
street kids.
Helping out kids and
discovering they are
stateless. Discovered
there is a market for
babies. Founder of
NGO adopted a
stateless child that
could not be sold to
anyone.
Former
employee of a
network of
NGOs.
NGOs in network
working with stateless.
4NGO
Representative
of international
organization.
Works predominantly
with refugees.
5NGO
International
organization
that works on
statelessness.
Lawyer who
started an NGO
that is an
umbrella group
Experience working
with stateless persons.
6NGO
Engages in out of court
advocacy work for
stateless children.
Refers cases to lawyers.
133
stateless persons of Indian descent
in Malaysia. Identified following
as stateless:
- Those working at
plantations before
Malaysian independence
(mostly of Indian descent)
Baja Laut (nomadic
population)
- Filipino refugees
- Migrant workers from the
Philippines and Indonesia
- Indigenous people
Case 1: Founder’s child is an
abandoned stateless baby that was
sold to her. Daughter is 10 years
old and still stateless today.
Case 2: Two stateless kids with
Malaysian father and Indonesian
mother. Children were adopted.
Biological father in prison and
mother is untraceable. Adopted
mother could not handle kids and
abandoned them. A US couple
wanted to adopt but was prevented
because only Muslims can adopt
Muslim children. US couple
converted. When applying for
adoption, court denied to foreign
couple on basis that fear that
couple would just convert back to
Christianity. US adoption was
denied as well. Children now
entering early teens.
Case 1: 70 year old man in
detention. See 7NGO
Case 2: Aware of cases of stateless
persons of Filipino descent
deported to the Philippines even
though never set foot there. People
agree to getting deported because
better than staying in detention.
Some come back to Malaysia.
Aware of stateless persons in
detention. People get picked up
because don’t have identification.
Not everyone gets refugee
document from UNHCR and that
problem creates limbo and grey
zones for people.
Confirmed 4NGO information.
Case 1: Child born when parents
were not married. Parents married
for 10 years now and child is now
12. Father Malaysian (Chinese