The Invisible Kids

AJ+ has published a new movie about the situation of kids in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia: “The Invisible Kids”. A majority of the people in the movie are Bajau Laut who stay without legal documents in Malaysia.

The Malaysian government started to deport illegal migrants on a higher scale after the Lahad Datu terrorist attack in 2013, where sex civilians and ten Malaysian security forces were killed. But the problem is that innocent stateless people without political connections also get affected. How many Bajau Laut claim that Sabah should be a part of the Sultanate of Sulu? Very few – the sultanate was just another empire they were alienated from. A majority of the Bajau Laut just want to live their lives in peace.

Bajau Laut have been living in the region for centuries, before any formation of national states. They do not belong to “Philippines”, “Malaysia” or “Indonesia”.