The shameful statelessness of South-East Asia’s sea nomads
Some 1m water-dwellers are citizens of nowhere
ON THE FLOOR of a hut perched over the shallows off the island of Pulau Gaya the head of the household, Bilbayati, sits cross-legged, surrounded by a flock of grandchildren, fingering an official-looking piece of paper. The notice informs him of the recent death of his son, Aminrati, the family breadwinner, in a hospital on the other side of Sabah, the Malaysian state occupying the northern portion of Borneo. He had been taken ill with blood poisoning and died.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Peripheral visions”
From the October 15th 2022 edition
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