TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Executive Summary List of Figures List of Tables List of Abbreviations iv xi xiv xv xviii Section 1: Introduction 1.1 Research background 1.2 Definition of statelessness and categories of interest 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Objectives and variables of interest for this research study 1.5 Research duration 1.6 Overall methodology for data collection 1.7 Sampling framework 1.8 Literature review Statelessness in Peninsular Malaysia Statelessness in East Malaysia 1.9 Background of researchers 1 2 6 8 8 10 11 15 20 22 25 27 Section 2: Stateless Populations in Peninsular Malaysia 2.1 Persons with long-standing residence since pre-independence and their descendants 2.1.1 Causation of statelessness 2.1.2 Scale of issue 2.2 Abandoned children born in Malaysia 2.2.1 Causation of statelessness 2.2.2 Scale of issue 2.3 Adopted children in Malaysia 2.3.1 Causation of statelessness 2.3.2 Scale of issue 2.4 Cases where children were born out of wedlock or before a marriage was registered 2.4.1 Causation of statelessness 2.4.2 Scale of issue 2.5 Children born outside of Malaysia to a Malaysian mother and a non-Malaysian father 2.5.1 Causation of statelessness 2.5.2 Scale of issue 29 v 30 30 31 32 32 33 33 33 34 35 35 37 37 37 37