A little bit of History

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

There is not much archaeological evidence or written records about ancient Malaysia. It is known that around 2500 BC a group of people-mostly farmers-migrated to Malaysia from China. These people came to be known as Proto Malays.

At around 100 BC, sailors from India reached Malaysia in the search of a place called Savarnadvipa-the Land of Gold. From that point onwards an ever-growing stream of Indian traders arrived in search of gold, aromatic wood, and spices. Indian migration introduced Hinduism, Buddhism, and other elements of Indian culture in Malaysia. Local kings, who sent emissaries to the Indian subcontinent, were impressed by the efficiency of the Hindu courts, and soon began to refer to themselves as "rajahs." They integrated what they considered the best Indian governmental traditions with the existing structure. Today, the most conspicuous example of the early Indian influence is in the Malay wedding ceremony, which is very similar that of the subcontinent.

Until the 15th century, neighboring kingdoms in Cambodia and Indonesia largely overshadowed the Hindu kingdoms of peninsular Malaysia. The strongest of these kingdoms was called Srivijaya and it was lauded as the best trading port in the region. It was the first great maritime kingdom in the Malay Archipelago, and other ports quickly emulated its success. At some time around the 13th century, as other entrepots emerged, Srivijaya's influence declined. The lack of a strong central power, coupled with the ever-present nuisance of pirates, amplified the need for secure, well-equipped port in the region. This need gave rise to the city of Malacca.

Malacca was founded in 1400 by a fleeing Palembang prince named Parameswara. Its rise from a village of royal refugees to a wealthy kingdom was swift. Perfectly located for trade, within 50 years it was the most influential port and trading center in Southeast Asia. With these traders came Islam, and Malacca's rulers now referred to themselves as "sultans." Malacca established a kind of regional "navy" that policed the local waters and escorted friendly vessels. With the success and power it enjoyed, Malacca came to control the entire west coast of the Malay Peninsula, the kingdom of Pahang, and much of Sumatra.

In 1511, a Portuguese fleet led by Alfonso de Albuquerque sailed into Malacca's harbor and captured the city. The Portuguese constructed a massive fort in Malacca-A Famosa-which the Dutch captured in 1641. This gave the Dutch an almost exclusive control over the spice trade until 1785, when the British East India Company convinced the Sultan of Kedah to allow them to build a fort on the island of Penang. While the European powers fought among themselves, the local Malay sultanates continued with their own affairs. After Malacca was captured, Johor and later on Perak became the new Muslim trading centers.

In the late 1860's, a number of Malay kingdoms began fighting each other for control of the throne of Perak, causing enough of a disturbance in the region to inspire Britain to intervene and essentially force the Malay rulers to sign a peace treaty known as the Pangkor Agreement in 1874. The treaty gave Britain a much greater role in the region and monopoly on the vast amount of tin being mined in the peninsula.

Britain ruled over what was then called Malaya until the Japanese invaded and ousted them in 1942. During this time, large numbers of Chinese fled to the jungle and established an armed resistance, which, after war's end, would become the basis for an infamous communist insurgency. In 1945, when World War II ended, Britain resumed control again, but Malaya's independence movement had matured and organized itself in an alliance under Tunku Abdul Rahman. Malaya finally achieved independence in 1957 and Tunku became the first prime minister of Malaya. The British colonies of Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah (called North Borneo) joined the Federation to form Malaysia on September 16, 1963. Singapore withdrew from the Federation on August 9, 1965, and became an independent republic.

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

http://www.sabrizain.demon.co.uk/malaya/early.htm

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

http://www.geocities.com/webunicorns/history.htm

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

http://www.abcmalaysia.com/tour_malaysia/hist.htm

In the early Christian era, Malaya was known as far away as Europe. Ptolemy showed it on his early map with the label ‘Golden Chersonese’. It spelt gold not only to the Romans but to others as well. It wasn’t long before Indian and Chinese traders arrived in search of that most valuable metals, and Hindu mini states sprang up along the great Malay rivers.

Little is known about prehistoric Malaysia, but around 10,000 years ago the aboriginal Malays – the Orang Asli began to move down from a probable starting point in South Western China. The Malay people were ethnically similar to the people of Sumatra, Java, and even the Philippines, and from time to time various South East Asian empires exerted control over all parts of the Malay Peninsula.

In 1405 the Chinese admiral Cheng Ho arrived in Melaka with greetings from the Son of Heaven (Emperor) and more importantly, the promise of protection from the encroaching Siamese from the north. With this support from China, the power of Melaka extended to include most of the Malay Peninsula. At about the same time, Islam arrived in Melaka and soon spread through Malaya.

Melaka’s wealth and prosperity soon attracted European interest, which came in search of spices. It was the Portuguese who first took over in 1511, followed by the Dutch in 1641 and the British in 1795.

For years the British were only interested in Malaya for its seaports and to protect their trade routes, but the discovery of tin prompted them to move inland and eventually govern the entire Peninsula. Meanwhile, James Brooke, the ‘white raja’, and the North Borneo Company made British inroads into Sarawak and Sabah respectively. The British brought in the Chinese to work in the tin mines and the Indians to work in the rubber plantations and to build the railways.

Malaya achieved Merdeka (Independence) in 1957, but there followed a period of instability due to an internal communist uprising and the external ‘Confrontation’ with Indonesia. In 1963 the north Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak together with Singapore, joined Malaya to create Malaysia.

Relations with Singapore soured almost immediately and, only two years later, Singapore was forced to withdraw from the Malaysian confederation. The demise of Indonesia’s leader Sokarno ended the disputes with Indonesia and the communist threat has, as elsewhere, withered away.

In 1969 violent intra-communal riots broke out particularly in Kuala Lumpur and hundreds of people were killed. The government moved to dissipate the tensions, which existed mainly between the Malays and the Chinese. Moves to give Malays a larger share of the economic pie have led to some resentment among the other racial groups but, overall, present day Malaysian society is relatively peaceful and cooperative.

The Inquisitor · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 772

Hey, obmar,

Your first report stated this:

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

Pahang still have gold till today.

Thirst for gold, had been one of man's nedvour since the begining of time.

Dont know if there will be a time when everything is depleted.

The Inquisitor · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 772

I doubt that we will ever see the entire depletion of a metal or mineral in our lifetime. It's gonna take centuries of aggressive mining to accomplish that.

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

The entire content of what is placed for man in in HIS knowledge.

If it ever depletes in entirety, it would also mean the end of time. Sad