Open Letter: Concerns on Forced Eviction of Members of the Bajau Laut Community, Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia
The Bajau Laut community living in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia (also referred here as the "Community"), is a part of the larger Bajau Laut community living in the historically shared region of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The current citizenship status of the Community is categorised as stateless. The Bajau Laut community is known as one of the sea nomadic communities of the world, and inherited invaluable cultural heritage from their ancestors. Their houses include traditional stilt houses built on the water, in a number of water villages. On 5 June 2024, the houses were burnt down and destroyed, and the members of the Community have been forcefully evicted. It is highly concerning as the Community members are involuntarily disconnected from their cultural spaces, and the cultural ties to the sea is now severed, with possibly irreparable and irreversible consequences. The eviction process is on-going as at 12 June 2024.
Disclaimer:
The support given by signatories here is personal and does not necessarily represent the view of any institution with which a signatory is associated.
Supporting online sources:
The Star, 'Hundreds of Bajau Laut left without homes after demolition op in Semporna', thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/06/07/hundreds-of-...
Malaysiakini, 'NGO: Hentikan pengusiran, buat dialog dengan komuniti Bajau Laut', https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/707936
The Star, 'Displaced Palau have moved to other islands and villages, says NGO', thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/06/12/displaced-pa...
The Malaysian Insight,'Bajau Laut community deserves more humane treatment', themalaysianinsight.com/index.php/s/484068...
South China Morning Post, 'Malaysia evicts 500 Bajau Laut from offshore Borneo homes in migrant crackdown, activists say', scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3265649/...
Updates and additional notes :
The Bajau Laut depend on the sea for their sustenance and livelihood. Evicting them from their coastal homes disrupts their ability to fish and engage in traditional practices, pushing them into extreme poverty and food insecurity. Their traditional knowledge, maritime skills, and cultural practices risk being lost forever as they are forcibly removed from the environments that have sustained them for generations. We are deeply concerned and dismayed. Semporna has been identified for development, where a township will be built in the area where the Bajau Laut maritime community is known to live. One of the maritime villages, Kampung Air, has been demolished, and the residents will be relocated to Kampung Tinagayan. Unfortunately, this will mean that the community will be forced to abandon their cultural heritage as sea community (sea people), and be forced to adapt to the life on the land.
Supporting online resource :
Borneo Post, "RM478 mln township to be built in Semporna", theborneopost.com/2024/06/13/rm478-mln-township-to...