Maritime Journeys and Illicit Returns

Abstract

In the previous chapter, I explored the lives of irregular migrants fortunate enough to avoid detention and deportation, but who were still traumatised and emotionally affected by the repatriation of their loved ones to the southern Philippines. This chapter follows the journey of such repatriated irregular migrants as they return to Sabah and explore their motivations and experiences after their deportation. The logistics of returning to Sabah can take up to anywhere from days to years to finalise; it is a harrowing journey, described by some as both inviting and off-putting. These narratives of returning highlight a unique understanding and remapping of the Sulu Sea’s geography as the routes taken are not necessarily remembered but emotionally felt. This chapter also pays close attention to an important but overlooked source of assistance: the fishermen. In recent years, due to a suspended sea trade, returnees are left with limited options for returning by travel boats and cargo ships and have become extremely dependent on a support system based around local fishermen whose role as interlocutors help thousands of irregular migrants realise their return to Sabah. As citizens of the Malaysian state, the fishermen possess the craft needed to evade the security forces at sea but also depend on illicit movements across the sea for their own economic survival.