Some ethnic minorities from Malaysia, including some ethnic Indians, Indonesians, and Filipinos, are potentially stateless or potentially at risk of statelessness. Furthermore, children born abroad to single Malaysian mothers, or out of wedlock, are not automatically entitled to Malaysian citizenship and are potentially stateless or potentially at risk of statelessness (Razali 2017, 8). Ethnic Tamils from India During British rule, many Tamils from India were brought to western Malaysia to work on plantations. Historically, neither Malaysia nor India has recognized them as citizens (Razali 2017, 6). Since 2011, however, the Malaysian government, together with NGOs and the UNHCR, has launched several campaigns (e.g., MyDaftar, Mega MyDaftar) to register stateless Indians (DHRRA Malaysia et al. 2018, 5; Razali 2017, 6). In 2018, the Malaysian government granted citizenship to Indians over 60 years old with permanent residency (UNHCR 2018). Ethnic Indian Tamils from Malaysia that left that country prior to 2018 are potentially stateless or potentially at risk of statelessness, as some have not been granted Malaysian citizenship. Ethnic Indonesians and Filipinos Many children of Indonesian and Filipino parents in the Malaysian region of Sabah are potentially stateless or potentially at risk of statelessness. In the 1970s and 1980s, Muslim refugees fled violence in the southern Philippines and settled in Sabah. At the same time, many Indonesian migrant workers settled in Sabah to work in the timber and oil palm industries (Allerton 2014, 28). Many remained in Malaysia without obtaining legal status. Malaysia has strict citizenship requirements and children of refugees and undocumented immigrants are not recognized as citizens (Razali 2017, 5). While some children may be eligible for Filipino or Indonesian citizenship, they face significant obstacles. Most Sabah-born children with Indonesian parents are eligible for Indonesian citizenship but must register at the consulate and pay fees. If their parents do not register them, they are at risk of statelessness (ibid., 30). Children born in Sabah to Filipino refugees must return to the Philippines to claim citizenship. Many cannot do so due to security concerns and mobility restrictions imposed by the Malaysian government (ibid., 31). Ethnic Indonesians and Filipinos from Malaysia are thus potentially stateless or potentially at risk of statelessness. Some ethnic Vietnamese and Vietnamese Khmer (Khmer Krom) in Cambodia are stateless. Most of the stateless ethnic Vietnamese come from families that have lived in Cambodia for generations. In the 1970s, persons with ties to Vietnam were deported en masse by the government and the Khmer Republic and, subsequently, the Khmer Rouge. Many have since re-entered Cambodia (Minority Rights Organization [Cambodia] et al. 2019, 5). While some possess Cambodian citizenship, most are not recognized as citizens by Cambodia or Vietnam. Many have been issued cards identifying them as Vietnamese, and ethnic Vietnamese children are systematically denied birth certificates (Minority Rights Organization [Cambodia] et al. 2019, 9). Moreover, many individuals’ identity documents were lost or confiscated during their displacement, and the Khmer Rouge destroyed 29

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