The silent crisis facing Malaysian women stranded in Indonesia

South China Morning Post · Feb 20, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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The 18-year ordeal of Norida Akmal Ayob, 45, has cast a spotlight on a silent crisis: an unknown number of Malaysian women remain stranded in “dire straits” across Indonesia, unable to afford the journey home.According to Kosmo, many of these women share a similar ­trajectory – falling into financial ruin after marrying local men in Lombok and finding themselves trapped by the high costs of returning home.“Money remains the main ­factor, as earning is difficult. My children and I were at the mercy of locals to get by,” Norida said from her hometown of Kampung Bukit Sapit in Lenggong, Malaysia’s Perak state.Norida’s own journey began nearly two decades ago when she moved to Lombok with her then two-year-old daughter, Nur Fateen Akmadiana.After her husband divorced her, she was left to fend for herself, working as a sweeper to survive.While she eventually gave birth to a son, Muhamad Sabani Daniel, in Indonesia, the prospect of returning to Malaysia remained a distant dream due to the expense.