Eyewitness History of the World 2.0

MALAYSIA

There is evidence of human occupation in Malaysia from at least 
3000 BC. The earliest inhabitants lived in caves and made rough 
stone tools. About 2000 BC farming peoples moved into the Malay 
peninsula from the north. They kept domestic animals and made 
pottery. From the AD 300s southern Indians established colonies 
in Malaysia.
FIRST EMPIRES
From the 600s the main source of power in the region stemmed 
from Sumatra where the powerful Srivijaya Empire was established. 
The island kingdom of Singapura was founded between 1200 and 
1300 on what is now Singapore, but it was destroyed by the Hindu 
Javanese Majapahits in 1391. Fugitives from Singapura founded 
the new Malay state of Malacca, which flourished in the 1400s. 
Islam was introduced around this time, and over the next two 
hundred years much of the population converted to the new religion.
EUROPEAN CONTACT
In 1511 the Portuguese captured the kingdom of Malacca, and held 
it for over a hundred years. Though they attempted to convert 
the Malaccans to Christianity, their main concern was trade, 
and Malacca enjoyed a fairly wide measure of self-government. 
In 1641 the Portuguese were defeated and replaced by the Dutch, 
but Malacca remained independent. The British East India Company 
established a port at Penang in 1786, and took control of Malacca 
in 1795.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS
In 1826 the British incorporated Singapore, Malacca, and Penang 
into the Straits Settlements, which was later formally made a 
British colony. By 1914 the British had negotiated treaties with 
several other Malay states, and the whole Malay peninsula was 
under some form of British control.
TIN AND RUBBER
The British exploited Malayas large tin deposits, and built 
a railroad to transport tin from the interior. They also invested 
heavily in rubber plantations, and brought in Chinese and Indian 
laborers to work on them, altering the peninsulas racial mix. 
Malaya was occupied by the Japanese during World War II, between 
1941 and 1945.
INDEPENDENCE
After the Japanese surrendered, a British military government 
was established in Singapore. In 1948 Penang and Malacca were 
combined to form the Federation of Malaya, while Singapore was 
made a separate colony. Communist guerrillas, who had fought 
against the Japanese throughout their occupation, launched an 
armed struggle against the British. This continued against the 
new government after Malaya became an independent state in 1957. 
The state of emergency was not lifted until 1960.
FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA
In 1963 Malaya, Singapore, and Sabah and Sarawak on the island 
of Borneo were combined to form the Federation of Malaysia. There 
was opposition from neighboring Indonesia and the Philippines, 
who had territorial claims to East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak). 
In 1965 Singapore left the Federation because of mounting ethnic 
tension between the Malays and the Singapore Chinese. It became 
an independent republic.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Malaysias challenge has been to unite the countrys three main 
ethnic communities: Malay, Chinese, and Indian. The Malays controlled 
politics, while the Chinese and Indians held the economic power. 
A government attempt to restructure society to give Malays a 
greater percentage of the national wealth created considerable 
Chinese and Indian discontent. In 1969 widespread racial riots 
erupted and hundreds of people were killed. A state of emergency 
was declared that lasted for almost two years. However decades 
of economic growth and relative political stability have made 
Malaysia one of the wealthiest countries in Southeast Asia.

Copyright 1995, 1998 Dorling Kindersley
