Kuala Lampur, Aug. 16 -- In Teluk Layang, Kota Kinabalu, there is a school with no flag, no ministry signboard, and no official status. You won't find it on any government list of educational institutions.

It stands quietly behind Universiti Malaysia Sabah - a modest wooden structure with half-open walls, open to the wind and the salt of the sea. On some afternoons, you can hear the sound of children reciting poetry, their voices competing with the roar of the waves.

These are not just any children. In the eyes of the Malaysian state, they are invisible. They are stateless.

Their parents came from the southern Philippines or Indonesia decades ago, fleeing conflict, poverty, or persecution. Many have lived here for four generations. But...