Trapped Between Southeast Asia’s High and Low Politics – The Diplomat

Earlier this month, Reuters reported the forced eviction of hundreds of “sea nomads” in the Malaysian state of Sabah. The news was based on reports by local activists who received videos directly from the communities affected. They stated that authorities have set fire to and torn down houses belonging to the stateless Bajau Laut, an ethnolinguistic group in Southeast Asia with a historical presence around the Sulu and Timor Seas.

The videos went viral on social media, garnering national attention in Malaysia of the Bajau Laut’s…