Irregular Migrants and the Sea at the Borders of Sabah, Malaysia : Pelagic Alliance

This book is an exploration of the relationship between irregular migrants, many originating from southern Philippines and the sea, in their struggle against the realities of state power in Sabah. As their numbers grow exponentially into the 21st century, the only solution currently provided by the Malaysian government is routine repatriation. Yet, despite increased border security, they continue to return. Thus the question: why do deported migrants return, time and again, despite the serious risk of being caught? This book explores the ways in which these irregular migrants contest inconvenient national sea boundaries, the trauma of detention and deportation, and other impositions of state power by drawing on supernatural support from the sea itself. The sea empowers them, and through individual narratives of the sea, we learn that the migrants’ encounter with the state and its legal system only intensifies rather than discourages their relationship with the Malaysian state. Acknowledgments 6 In Dedication and€Gratitude 6 Praise for Irregular Migrants and the Sea at the Borders of Sabah, Malaysia 10 Contents 11 List of€Figures 13 1 An€Ecology of€Irregularity 16 Introduction 17 Situating the€Sabah Migration Crisis: People and€Places 21 Irregular Migrants 24 The Border vs The Borderlands 28 Water 30 Important Considerations from€the€Field 33 Methodology 33 Ethical Concerns 37 On Language and€Spelling 38 How to€Read This Book 40 References 41 2 Kami Urang “Sini” (We Are from€“Here”): Agency Across Equivocal Space 46 Living in€Fluid Permanence 46 State Security in€Sandakan 53 Roadblocks 56 Immigration Raids 59 Detention 62 Deportation 66 Attempting Legality 67 The Philippines Route 68 The Malaysian Route 72 Illicit Avenues 74 Sini as€Distinguishable Resistance 75 References 79 3 Bilang yang Nakal-nakal Kami (We Speak of€Naughty Things): Female Empowerment Through the€Tides of€the€Sea 82 A€Congregation of€Separated Women 82 Regulating the€Lone Female Migrant 87 Romance and€Sex in€a€Water Village 90 Tides of€Change 94 Tides as€Producers of€Memory 96 Tides as€Markers of€Progress and€Change 100 Postscript 102 References 106 4 Maritime Journeys and€Illicit Returns 107 Setting Off 107 Logistics of€Returning 110 The Fishermen’s Course 113 God’s Living Sea 118 Temperamental Geography 120 Senses of€the€Sea 122 The Sea’s Associates 125 Over Land 128 References 132 5 Haunted Shores: Youths in€Pursuit of€Belonging on€the€Shores of€the€Sulu Sea 134 A€Nightly Haunting 135 Enlightened Undocumented Youths 139 Alternative Learning Centres 141 Getting Online 146 On Shaky Ground 151 Stability by€the€Shores 156 References 162 6 Conclusion: A€Recapitulation 164 Locating the€Migrant-Sea Nexus 168 Irregular Sea Movements of€the€Future 172 References 179 Index 182