Malaysia+History


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One of the early civilizations that ruled Malaysia was the Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya which ruled from the 9th to the 13th centuries. After the Srivijaya, the Hindu kingdom of Majapahit took control. Next to arrive was the state of Malacca which was ruled by a Muslim prince and began the spread of Islam in the area.

The first Europeans to arrive were the Portuguese. They conquered Malacca in 1511 and would control the area for over 100 years. The area would change hands to the Dutch in 1641 and then to the British in 1795. While the British were in control, they developed the industries of rubber and tin production.

Malaysia was occupied by Japan during World War II. Soon after the war the country began to move toward independence. In 1957 several of the British territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya. Malaysia was formed and became a separate independent country in 1963.

The first several years of the country's independence were marred by a Communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's departure from the Federation in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to the development of manufacturing, services, and tourism. Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued these pro-business policies.



Important Historical Events in Timeline Form:
Three Malay women are flogged for extra-marital sex in the first case of this Islamic punishment being meted out to women in the country.
 * 14th century** - Conversion of Malays to begins.
 * 1826** - British settlements of Malacca, Penang and Singapore combine to form the Colony of Straits Settlements, from where the British extend their influence by establishing protectorates over the Malay sultanates of the peninsula.
 * 1895** - Four Malay states combine to form the Federated Malay States.
 * 1942-45** - Japanese occupation.
 * 1948** - British-ruled Malayan territories unified under Federation of Malaya.
 * 1948-60** - State of emergency to counter local communist insurgency.
 * 1957** - Federation of Malaya becomes independent from Britain with Tunku Abdul Rahman as prime minister.
 * 1963** - British colonies of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore join Federation of Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia.
 * 1965** - Singapore withdraws from Malaysia, which is reduced to 13 states; communist insurgency begins in Sarawak.
 * 1969** - Malays stage anti-Chinese riots in the context of increasing frustration over the economic success of the ethnic Chinese.
 * 1970** - Tun Abdul Razak becomes prime minister following Abdul Rahman's resignation; forms National Front (BN) coalition.
 * Positive discrimination for Malays**
 * 1971** - Government introduces minimum quotas for Malays in business, education and the civil service.
 * 1977** - Kelantan chief minister expelled from Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), triggering unrest, a national emergency and the expulsion of PAS from the BN coalition.
 * 1978-89** - Vietnamese refugees benefit from unrestricted asylum.
 * 1981** - Mahathir Mohamad becomes prime minister.
 * 1989** - Local communist insurgents sign peace accord with government.
 * 1990** - Sarawak communist insurgents sign peace accord with government.
 * 1993** - Sultans lose legal immunity.
 * Financial crisis**
 * 1997** - Asian financial crisis spells end of decade of impressive economic growth.
 * 1998** - Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sacks his deputy and presumed successor, Anwar Ibrahim, on charges of sexual misconduct, against the background of differences between the two men over economic policy; Ibrahim arrested.
 * 2000** - Ibrahim is found guilty of sodomy and sentenced to nine years in prison. This is added to the six-year jail sentence he was given in 1999 after being found guilty of corruption following a controversial trial.
 * 2001** February - Government decides to proceed with construction of huge Bakun hydroelectric power project on island of Borneo despite serious environmental concerns.
 * 2001** March - Dozens arrested during Malaysia's worst ethnic clashes in decades between Malays and ethnic Indians.
 * 2001** April - Demonstrations against the Internal Security Act following the detention without trial of supporters of Anwar Ibrahim.
 * 2001** September - Malaysia, Singapore resolve long-standing disputes, ranging from water supplies to air space. They also agree to build a new bridge and tunnel.
 * Mahathir bows out**
 * 2002** August - Tough new laws against illegal immigrants come into effect, providing for whipping and prison terms for offenders. Laws prompt exodus of foreign workers.
 * 2003** October - Abdullah Ahmad Badawi takes over as prime minister as Mahathir Mohamad steps down after 22 years in office.
 * 2004** March - Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi wins landslide general election victory.
 * 2004** September - Former deputy PM Anwar Ibrahim freed after court overturns his sodomy conviction.
 * 2004** December - Scores of people in Malaysia are killed in the Asian tsunami disaster. Malaysia delays planned deportations of many thousands of illegal immigrants, most of them from Indonesia.
 * 2005** January - Malaysia, Singapore settle a bitter dispute over land reclamation work in their border waters.
 * 2005** March - Round-up of illegal immigrants follows a four-month amnesty which sees an exodus of hundreds of thousands of illegal workers. Those remaining risk jail, a fine, or whipping.
 * 2005** August - Acrid smoke, from forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, engulfs central areas and prompts a state of emergency.
 * 2006** April - Malaysia shelves the construction of a controversial bridge to Singapore.
 * 2006** December - 60,000 displaced by flooding in the south.
 * 2007** January - Some 70,000 evacuated as second wave of floods hits south of country.
 * 2007** February - Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam sign deal to protect 200,000 square kilometres of rainforest on the island of Borneo.
 * 2007** March - US tells Malaysia it will not be able to conclude free-trade deal in summer of 2007.
 * 2007** May - Anwar Ibrahim's Parti Keadilan Rakyat loses a bitterly contested by-election to the government. The result is seen as a blow to his efforts to revive his political career.
 * 2007** May - Malaysian, Indonesian and Saudi Arabian partners move a step closer to building a 193 mile (310km) pipeline to bypass the Malacca Strait, so oil tankers can load crude away from the busy and often dangerous waterway.
 * 2008** March - Elections. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's National Front coalition suffers its worst election result in decades. It loses its two thirds parliamentary majority and control of five state assemblies.
 * 2008** July - Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is arrested over allegations of sodomy, in a move that exacerbates political tensions.
 * Economic downturn**
 * 2008** October - The government unveils a raft of measures to prop up the stock market and attract more foreign investment in expectation of slower growth in 2009.
 * 2009** January - Malaysia bans the recruitment of foreign workers to protect its citizens from unemployment during the economic downturn.
 * 2009** February - Anwar Ibrahim's second sodomy trial begins.
 * 2009** March - The government unveils a $16bn economic stimulus plan as it seeks to stave off a deep recession.
 * 2009** April - Mr Badawi steps down as prime minister and is replaced by his deputy, Najib Abdul Razak.
 * 2010** January - Religious tensions increase following a court decision allowing non-Muslims to use the word Allah to refer to God.
 * 2010** February - Malaysia announces extradition of nine foreigners arrested on terror charges in January. Rights activists say the men are from Jordan, Nigeria, Syria and Yemen and are being held under the Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial.
 * 2010** August - Decision by Malacca state to allow underage marriages draws criticism from women's groups.
 * 2011** July - Police use tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of people taking part in Kuala Lumpur rally calling for electoral reform.
 * 2011** August - Prime Minister Najib Razak announces setting-up of parliamentary committee to study electoral reform.
 * 2012** January - High Court acquits opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of charge of sodomy.

All of the information on this page was taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15391762 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/my.html http://www.ducksters.com/geography/country.php?country=Malaysia

© Kristin Miller 2012. Last revised: May 8, 2012. All Rights Reserved. For more information, please contact: Kristin Miller krmiller@hotmail.com