Stateless Bajau Youth in Sabah Face Housing Crisis Amid Luxury Development
In Sabah, Malaysia, most Bajau people lack official identity papers, leaving them vulnerable as traditional stilt villages are replaced by upscale hotels.
The Bajau, formerly sea-nomads across Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, constitute one of the world’s biggest stateless groups, with at least 4.5 million people lacking nationality according to UNHCR. In the Malaysian state of Sabah, officials estimated in 2024 that almost four-fifths of Bajau residents do not possess any identification documents. French documentary photographer Mathilde Mazars traveled to the area in February 2026 after contacting the Indigenous-rights NGO Borneo Komrad, which arranged meetings with local youth.
She photographed the remnants of stilt villages, many of which had been cleared by authorities two years earlier. The homes, though appearing sturdy, are precarious, often lacking electricity and running water. Meanwhile, foreign investors are constructing luxury hotels on the same sandbars where Bajau families once lived, highlighting a stark contrast between the community’s marginalisation and rapid commercial development.
