Â鶹APP

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi with the Prime Minister of Malaysia photo by Prime Minister’s Office-

10 Most Famous Historical events that happened in Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation of 13 States and three federal territories in Southeast Asia. The country is vast and its beauty is highlighted by geographical features that complete the majestic look of the country.

The roots of the country’s history run as far as the ancient civilization, passing through the gates of time as it made drastic changes and transformed into what it is today.

Here are the 10 Most Famous Historical events that happened in Malaysia.

1. There was the great Malacca Kingdom

The kingdom of Malacca was founded by Singaporean ruler Paramesvara in the 13 century.

The history of Malay civilization is concentrated on elements of myths and legends and one of the famous stories describes how Malacca was founded when its first ruler witnessed a struggle between Mouse _dear and a dog under a Malacca tree, and it’s here he had an epiphany to create the Kingdom of Malacca.

The kingdom progressed through trade due to its ideal geographical location between the Indian Ocean and the south China sea so it acted as both a regional and interregional trade hub.

The glory of the Kingdom came to a halt when the Portuguese arrived in Malacca in 1509 and were attracted by its fine natural harbor.

The Portuguese later returned in force and a fleet led by Afonso de Albuquerque, who captured the port by firing their advanced cannons and burning at least 13 ships at anchor in the harbor and it soon fell into Portuguese rule.

2. Malaysia was colonized by the British

The presence of British colonization swept across the continent in the 17^th  century. The British first attempted to colonize Borneo as early as 1771 but failed to get a foothold in Malaysia until 1786 when the British East Indian company procured the island of Penang.

The British formally made Malaysia a colony in 1867 and gained control of northern Malaya through an agreement made with Thailand in 1909 merging all the territories under their control to form Malaya, modern-day Malaysia.

3. There was the Japanese invasion of Malaysia

Soldiers marching outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia photo by Urbain J. Kinet-

Colonization is mostly associated with western powers scrambling for control over rich lands what’s intriguing about the history of Malaysia is that even Japan fought for the scramble of the country.

The Japanese invaded Malaysia on 8, December 1941, when their troops launched an amphibious assault on the northern coast of Malaysia and advanced down the eastern coast of Malaysia.

The Japanese also staged bombing attacks on Singapore, the first ever air raid on the colony. Back and forth battles were fought between the British and Singapore armies and the Japanese military forces.

The battle of Malaya ended in comprehensive defeat for the commonwealth forces and a retreat from the Malay Peninsula to the fortress of Singapore.

The Japanese army took the crown of victory and completed the conquest, capturing 80,000 prisoners.

4. There was the separation of Singapore and Malaysia

On 9 August 1965, the cord connecting Singapore and Malaysia was severed making Singapore an independent and Sovereign State.

The separation stemmed from deep political and economic differences between the ruling parties of the two states.

The Federation of Malaysia officially emerged on 16^th September 1963 following the amalgamation of Malaysia, Singapore, Sarawak, and North Borneo.

The conditions, especially taxes and revenue set for Singapore, didn’t sound so appealing to its officials.

The Malaysia agreement was ratified on July 9, 1963; however, this did not stop prime minister Lee Kuan Yew from declaring Singapore’s independence from Malaysia on 9, July 1963, much to the shock of the Malayan and British governments.

5. There was the Malayan emergency

2nd_Maori_Battalion_at_Ruatoria_1943 photo by Unknown-

The Malayan Emergency was a counter-insurgency operation undertaken by western powers during the cold war.

A state of emergency was declared in June 1948 in the British colony of Malaysia. The Malayan National Liberation Army initiated an attack on robber plantations, police stations, ministers, and burning workers’ houses.

The insurgency was termed an emergency since insurers wouldn’t have compensated plantation and mine owners if it was called a war.

The insurrection lost and many guerrillas gave up their fight on August 1957 the federation of Malaya was granted independence.

6. There was the Sodomy trial of Anwar Ibrahim

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim photo by Firdaus Latif –

The country experienced a political controversy when Anwar Ibrahim, former deputy prime minister was put on trial, accused of committing Sodomy.

The shocking incident was mainly covered in media outlets and the first trial was held in 1998.

Anwar was accused of sodomizing Saiful Azlan Bukhari in 2008 while working in the opposition elections campaign office.

He was acquitted in 2012 and in March 2014 the acquittal was overturned by the court appeal and he was finally convicted and received five-year imprisonment.

7. There was the assassination of Sir Henry Gurney

The events of the Malayan Emergency were marked by killings and brutal tactics between two opposing parties that fought over control of Malaysia.

The assassination of Sir Henry took place on October 7^th, 1951 at the peak of the Malayan Emergency.

Sir Henry, a British high commissioner in Malaya was killed by members of the Malayan communist party on his way to Fraser Hill for a meeting.

8. There was the disappearance of Malaysian Flight 370

One of the biggest airline mysteries in the world that has sparked a lot of controversies is the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines flight, carrying 239 passengers and crew.

The crew was last communicated with air traffic control around 38 minutes after take-off while the flight was over the south China s sea.

The aircraft lost Air traffic radar minutes later but was tracked by military radar for another hour.

The disappearance of flight 370 is considered one of the deadliest incidents involving the Boeing 777 and the most mysterious tragedy in Malaysian history.

9. There was the  Conviction of Prime minister Najib

The political dramas of Malaysia have been a topic of coverage in the media and the world woke up to a shocking revelation when the Malaysia Appeal court upheld the conviction and 12-year jail sentence of ex-prime minister Najib Razak.

He was finally convicted on 28^th July 2020 and found guilty of all seven accounts of power, money laundering, and criminal breach of trust.

10. There was the resignation of prime minister Mahathir Mohamed

The Malaysian people woke up to yet another wave of shocking news when Prime minister Mahathir Mohamed submitted his resignation to the country’s king after being in politics for 22 years.