Malaysian-Chinese Woman’s Lifelong Humiliation After Losing Citizenship At Age 12
Despite three citizenship applications under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution, all were rejected by the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the latest rejection in 2022 after an eight-year wait.


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A 29-year-old Chinese-Malaysian woman who had a birth certificate at birth was unexpectedly stripped of her citizenship at age 12.
She has since become stateless, enduring a lifetime of humiliation, including inability to open bank accounts, temporary expulsion from school, mockery when seeking medical care, inability to purchase health insurance, and facing high medical expenses when ill.
Yap Jia Qi (transliteration) has experienced an unusual identity transformation since birth.
From being a Malaysian citizen to unexpectedly losing her citizenship at age 12, she became a dropout due to the injustice she faced.
Though she later became a wife and mother, one thing remained constant: for 17 years, she has remained stateless, hoping to regain her citizenship.
Citizenship Journey That Took Three Turns Through Different Birth Certificates
In an exclusive interview with China Press, the now 29-year-old Yap tearfully shared her experiences of discrimination and cold treatment in education and daily life since losing her citizenship in 2008.
She was born on 31 March 1996 in a private clinic in Kuala Lumpur to a Malaysian-Chinese father and a Filipino mother who later returned to her home country during Yap’s childhood.
Despite her parents not being officially married at the time of her birth, Yap was initially listed as a Malaysian citizen, unlike most children born to Malaysian fathers and foreign mothers out of wedlock who typically cannot automatically obtain Malaysian citizenship.
Her father registered her birth on December 2, 1997, receiving her first birth certificate.

From Malaysian To Stateless With A Stroke Of A Pen
In 2005, when Yap was nine, her father obtained a second birth certificate due to the deterioration of the first one.
This new certificate clearly stated “citizen” in the nationality field, confirming her Malaysian status.
However, in 2008, when 12-year-old Yap and her father went to apply for her identity card, officials inexplicably revoked her second birth certificate.
They issued a third one, changing her status to “non-citizen.”
Since then, Yap has endured a painful journey as a stateless person.
Her father has made three attempts to apply for her citizenship under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution.
Still, the Ministry of Home Affairs rejected all, the latest rejection coming after an eight-year wait in 2022 without any explanation provided.
Many Malaysians are now stranded in KLIA after being denied entry by our very own @imigresenmy .
— Samantha Chong 🇲🇾🇵🇸 (@Samantha__chong) September 8, 2020
Bear in mind that no Malaysian can be excluded from Malaysia.
This is guaranteed by Article 9 of our Federal Constitution.
You do not need permission letter to come home. pic.twitter.com/CdFaLOPdtW
READ MORE: A Tale Of Two Lawyers: Stateless Man’s 26-Year Citizenship Battle Ends
READ MORE: Breaking Stereotypes: ‘Abang Adik’ Shines Light On Underserved Malaysian Chinese Communities
READ MORE: JPN Urges Public To Avoid Sensationalizing The Issue Of Malaysian Citizenship
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