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About
Malaysia
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Aboriginal
Malays (Orang Asli) began moving down the Malay peninsula from south-western
China about 10,000 years ago. The peninsula came under the rule of the
Cambodian-based Funan, the Sumatran-based Srivijaya and the Java-based Majapahit
empires, before the Chinese arrived in Melaka in 1405. Islam arrived in Melaka
at about the same time and spread rapidly. Melaka's wealth soon attracted
European powers, and the Portuguese took control in 1511, followed by the Dutch
in 1641. The British established a thriving port in Penang in 1786 and took over
Melaka in 1795. The
British colonised the interior of the peninsula when tin was discovered. East
Malaysia came into British hands via the adventurer Charles Brooke (who was made
Rajah of Sarawak in 1841 after suppressing a revolt against the Sultan of
Brunei) and the North Borneo Company (which administered Sabah from 1882).
Britain took formal control of both Sabah and Sarawak after WWII. The indigenous
labour supply was insufficient for the needs of the developing rubber and tin
industries, so the British brought large numbers of Indians into the country,
altering the peninsula's racial mix. The
Japanese overran Malaya in WWII. Communist guerrillas, who fought the Japanese
throughout the occupation, began an armed struggle against British rule in 1948
and Malaya achieved independence in 1957. Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore combined
with Malaya to establish Malaysia in 1963, but two years later Singapore
withdrew from the confederation. The formation of Malaysia was opposed by both
the Philippines and Indonesia, as each had territorial claims on East Malaysia. Tension
rose in 1963 during the 'Confrontation' with Indonesia. Indonesian troops
crossed Malaysia's borders but were repelled by Malaysian and Commonwealth
forces. In 1969, violent riots broke out between Malays and Chinese, though the
country's racial groups have since lived in relative peace together. The United
Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has been in power since 1974. Prime Minister
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is keen to exert his influence on the world stage as a
pan-Asian leader, presided over a booming economy until 1997, when tumbling
Asian currencies dragged the ringgit down with them. In September 1998 the country hosted the Commonwealth Games, but the public relations aspect of the competition came apart when students and citizens protested against the unfair sacking and later imprisonment of deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim. Continuing street protests,calling for the resignation of Dr Matahir Mohamad, have unsettled Malayasia's reputation as one of the most politically stable of South-East Asian countries. By the time the 21st century rolled around, social upheavals had faded to a distant rumble and the Malaysian economy had clawed its way back into the game, 'tho it remains a little propyl.
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