Kampung Pantai the early traders business hub in Malacca.

The main trading hub of Kampung Pantai has a more wider road in old Malacca.
The early Chinese immigrant chosed this point which was just beside the Malacca River and very near to the Straits of Malacca for easy transport of goods and services to other countries.

 Most of the merchants were rice dealers and general merchandised traders where trading with mainland China has already started as early as the 18th century since most of the Chinese people here has their roots in Fujian,Guangdong and Hainan Provinces in China.

I should say Malacca is the only state to have the longest established relationship with China.
Despite the authorities preventing Chinese citizens below aged 55 to visit China till late 1989,the local Chinese communal associations played a vital role in the process of communications linkage.
The taxi in the photo is travelling towards Jonker Walk which was just a short distance away.



 You can see some of the old  traditional businesses that still existed along the small lanes.
The olden days Chinese owned shoplots building are quite similar to those in Cholon(Ho Chi Minh City) and Thonburi(Bangkok)

They used to have an attic in the building.
 Admiral Cheng Ho arrival: China had been warring with the Siamese over the control of the Straits for a number of years and sought to hold the position in Malacca to control the trading route.
The emperor sent Cheng Ho to bestow upon Parameswara - two silver robes, a mandarin's hat, a girdle of office, and an embroidered silk robe.
Parameswara in return,presented the Emperor with a pair of spectacles. That was the introduction of spectacles to the Chinese.
The Emperor proclaimed Parameswara as the ruler of Malacca and declared that it was a city-state under the protection of the Emperor of China and paid homage to the Ming throne.

With the Chinese securing the trading routes and its special interest in developing Malacca as its regional warehouse for trading of goods, Malacca claimed its position as an entreport.
Malacca was successful because its own Malay traders traveled and traded with the rest of the archipelago bartering with Indian textiles from Gujarati in return for spices, aromatic woods, sea produce and other tropical exotic items highly prized by traders from the East and West.

Kampung Pantai is centrally located in the heart of old Malacca and each and every of the UNESCO heritage sites are all within walking distances.

Areas around here have the most guesthouses.
Malaccan has a good culture of hospitality and will be very happy to greet visitors.

Roof Top Guesthouse located at No:39,Kampung Pantai is one of the gueshouse in the vicinity with a room rate from MYR22.00(USD7) onwards. Raymond and Mani will be on hand to assist all visitors ensuring that everyone will have a memorable and happy stay while in Malacca.

River One Guesthouse is just across Roof Top occupying two shoplots which were formerly a textile company and the back of the building is the Malacca River.

William is the manager here with his excellent public relationship and the interior settings are very cosy while room rates are from MYR15 onwards.
Just in case you did not make a booking,give a call at +6(016) 6846616.

Heading out of Kampung Pantai after the bridge,towards the left is Jalan Bunga Raya and the Chinatown area while the right goes to Melaka Raya and the Dutch Square.
 Jalan Bendahara(old name Wolfeston Road) was the main arterial road during olden days where you have  the Little India of Malacca where you can try Indian cuisine like the famous banana-leaf rice and tandoori.You'll sure love it.

Walking further straight ahead from the Kampung Pantai bridge is Jalan Temenggong,(old name Egerton Road or Mill Road) which is near Bukit China hill and the Sam Po Kong Temple.
There were so many Indian shops milling curry powders at that time,and that's where the British named it.The oldest market in town is here also.I spent my childhood days at Egerton Road.

 





Behind Kampung Pantai is the Jonker Walk where you can find antiques shops,souvenirs,restaurants and many Chinese clans associations with their superb colonial style buildings.

This arch here is the end part of Jonker Walk just beside the Tamil Catholic Church.
Keeping to your right will be Jalan Kubu and heading to nearby Tesco,old bus terminal and turn back to town.

The left turn will lead to Tranquerah Road along the coastal stretch but unfortunately coastal land refill and reclamation has spoilt the beauty of this section.
At this corner on the left is a small coffee shop and the wonton noodles taste lovely as it was a recipe pass down from generations.


Jonker Walk is also beside the oldest Chinese temple in Malacca.The locals called it Kwan Yin Teng(Cheng Hoon Teng)

Cheng Hoon Teng was founded in the 1600s by the Chinese Kapitan Tay Kie Ki alias Tay Hong Yong.

 During the Portuguese and Dutch eras, Kapitans were appointed chiefs or headmen of the various ethnic communities.

 In its early years, besides serving the community's religious needs, the temple also functioned as the official administrative center and a court of justice for the Kapitans.

Just as you were to exit from Kampong Pantei after the bridge right at the corner is Discovery Cafe & Guesthouse.

The room rates are as follows:
Dormitory RM 17 (aircond with lockers)

2 Single Beds / 1 Double Bed Rooms =RM 40.00 (Fan) ,RM 50.00 (Air/Condition)

 Double Room with Attached Bathroom = RM 60.00 Triple Room (1 Double + 1 Single Bed), RM 70.00 Air-Condition

Triple Room with Attached Bathroom (1 Double + 1 Single Bed), Air-Conditioned = RM 90/=

Quad Room( 4 Single Beds), RM 90/= A/Condition Extra Mattress = RM 15.00 Each.

Contact person:-Mr. Teng : 012 – 6835606 Guest-House : 06 - 2925606

At the end of Jalan Temenggong(Egerton Road) is a small roundabout near the Japanese Occupation Memorial Monument which is also beside the Sam Po Kong Temple.

Herein lies the Princess Hang Li Po's well at the foothill of Bukit China.
This is one of the 7 wells of Admiral Cheng Ho.The Seven Wells are also known as the Dragon's wells according to Feng Shui principles.

The local government bulldozed some of these wells during the 1950-60s on the pretext of road building.
To-date only three wells are left intact and they have never been dry even through the worst of drought. An evening walk up the Bukit China hill to the highest point can be breathtaking to have a panoramic view of Malacca and watch the evening sunset in the horizon.
This hill is the biggest and oldest chinese cemetery outside China and the locals used to jog around here ever since when the nearby seaside has been reclaimed and developed.
The path beside the Sam Po's temple has a gentle gradient and near the peak.
 Some guesthouse nearby:
 The Eastern Heritage Guesthouse at No:8,Jalan Bukit China is a baba and nyonya owner.The interior woodcraft and mother pearls furnishing were imported from Holland.

Old Town Guesthouse along No:119,Jalan Temenggong.

 



  Malacca in the early 1960 was faced with the great flood when the Malacca River overflowed.
It went to the extent of rising nearly half of the shop front.

This old photo was taken along Jalan Bunga Raya,the main shopping and entertainment area those days.

Now you have the Chinatown as an added attraction. Tai Chong Restaurant Ice Cafe is the only western style cafe that have existed since colonial days and still remained as it is. BATA shoes is the only branded footwear and every school going students will never missed this brand, in fact there were no other competitors at that time.

Malacca a journey back in time.

Malacca City is the magnificent tourist attractions in Malaysia and together with Penang Island,both are the only two UNESCO World Heritage site in the country.

So a Malaysian tour would be incomplete if you do not make a visit to Malacca City.
Witness the rich inter cultural heritage of customs,festivals and a variety of cuisine.
 The city is divided into the new and old sections. The older part of city is fairly compact and tucked into the nooks and crannies of its narrow streets within the Town Square and waterfront area near the river which are all within walking distance.

This nice building with its rich meaningful design architecture can be seen along Jonker walk.

This bridge across the Dutch Square leads to a major section of the old Malacca and straight ahead is Jonker Walk.

The main focal point of Chinese ancestors from Guangdong,Hainan and Fujian Provinces in China landed here during the early 19th century.

Most started with a humble beginning as labourers,traders and rickshaw pullers.

 In early April 2007,the famous Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fatt was here filming part of his script "Tragic Hero" located towards the left side of the bridge near Heeren Street(Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock) corner.

 Heeren Street has the most Baba & Nyonya houses of the Peranakan Chinese and there is a Dutch era shophouse built in the 1700s located at No 8 which is open to public as an interpretation and resource centre for the heritage zone.

The first finance minister of Malaysia ,(Tun aka Sir)Tan Siew Sin family house is at No:111

Across the Melaka River, is the new section of Melaka which  is mostly built on land reclaimed from the Malacca Strait.

 Dataran Pahlawan area has mega malls,complexes private hospitals and office block centres and straight head after a small roundabout is Melaka Raya where you can find cheap dormitory hostels.

 Hotel Equatorial is seen in the horizon along Bandar Hilir Road.

Those days the sea was just beside here and everyday as early as 5:00am,the young and old came in droves to do their morning walk where the sea breeze was fantastic.

 At that time I used to walk to a small lighthouse a short distance from here to do some fishing.There were shoals of duyong swimming around while the larger ships were anchoring nearby.

Even there was a lady that collects oyster among the rocks by knocking the shells with a spike hammer.So gone are the days where we have the chance to play with the mud skippers and baby crabs.

Makam(tombstone) of Hang Kasturi lies in between the row of shophouses along Jonker Walk.

He is one of the five Malay warriors apart from Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekir dan Hang Lekiu.

 The tombstone has a bit of Indian influence as there were cavities that allow candles to be placed.

 Outside Melaka town is the Air Keroh district close to the North-South Expressway which has many recreational theme parks including the traditional style of housing of all the 13 states of Malaysia call The Taman Mini Malaysia cultural park.
There are also a few offshore islands and beaches outside Malacca City.

Ethnographic Literature Museum,entrance fees RM5.00 which is a short distance from Dutch Square.

View inside of  Ethnographic Museum.

The trishaw(malay:becha) is now mostly seen around the clock tower vicinity.

The Tranquerah Mosque is about 5km from town and just beside the Anglo-Chinese Primary School(ACS) entrance.

A mixed of Chinese Pagoda structure,temple style roofing but a muslim place of worship.

When the Japanese occupied Malacca. the ACS building was used as a Training Centre for the Japanese Navy.

Moving up Tranquerah Road along the coastal will lead you to seaside towns like Tanjong Kling,Terendak Camp(army commando training centre),Masjid Tanah(transport terminal),Tanjung Bidara,Kuala Sungai Baru and onward to Port Dickson.

 Motels and chalets can be found along the way.

Tanjung Kling is a coastal town about 10km north-west of Melaka with numerous condominiums and hotels situated all along the coastal road. It is a regular weekend retreat for eating out and relaxation.

 Pantai Kundor is about 2km further down. It has a nice beach with a good stretch of white sand.

 A domineering presence in the skyline of Malacca, this twin-spired neo-gothic structure was built on the site of an old Portuguese church by a French priest, Father Farvé, in 1856, in honour of St. Francis Xavier, a prominent 16th-century Catholic missionary also known as ‘Apostle of the East’.

 Getting to Malacca Air:

The airport is located at Batu Berendam about 10km from the town centre and is best to use this airport if you are planning to go to Indonesia's Pekan Baru and Medan town in the island of Sumatra.

Served by Riau Airlines,Wings and Firefly.
Batang Bus (yellow, cream and red) from Melaka Sentral will go past the aiport.
Buses will stop by the main road about 200 m from the airport building.
Tuah bas No. 65 (blue and white) to Taman Merdeka also goes from Melaka Sentral past the airport via Bachang.  

Train:
 no train lines,only at Tampin town (Alor Gajah district) in the outskirt near the boundary to Johore state.
Tampin rail station is now called Pulau Sebang stop(wef from:1/1/2013)
 Tai Lye Bus No 26 passed by the train station which is 400 metres off the main road.
 Fare to Malacca city MYR4.30.

 Alor Gajah town and Tampin are about 8km distance apart so don't be confuse when travelling from Malacca city to Tampin town as buses normlly stop at a small terminal in Alor Gajah town to pick up passengers.

Salira (light blue and yellow) also goes from Melaka Sentral to Tampin via Ayer Keroh and Durian Tunggal. Get off bus at same spot as Tai Lye.

 Both the above are very inconvenient and waste of time and money but good to go for a countryside ride and see the inner heart of Malacca.

The best option to reach Malacca is by express buses which will bring you to the new Malacca Sentral Terminal hub about 3km from town.

 Express Buses:

1) Malacca-Kuala Lumpur Express: Hourly buses between Malacca City and Kuala Lumpur from 6:30AM-7PM. Tickets cost RM12.50.

2) Jebat Ekspres: Buses to Kuala Lumpur via Masjid Tanah and Alor Gajah.

3) Malacca-Singapore Express: Hourly buses between Malacca City and Johor Bahru and Singapore from 8AM-7PM. Tickets cost RM19.00 to/from Johor Baru, and RM22.00 to Singapore. The route from Singapore to Mallaca is SGD$20

4) Delima Express: Buses from Singapore to Malacca/ Malacca to Singapore. Tickets cost $20.80/ RM22. The boarding location at Singapore is City Plaza @ Payar Lebar.

5) Mayang Sari Express: Buses to/from Johor Baru. Tickets cost RM19.00.

 




Near the Maritime Museum(a replica of Flor de Lama-the Portuguese flagship that invaded Malacca) is the Harbour's jetty where ferries to Bengkalis,Pekan Baru,Dumai and even Batam(paradise island off Singapore) are available.

Bus No:17(green colour) from Malacca Sentral reach here.(so if you want to avoid high paying taxis fare,get this option to town which is just near Dutch Square.

 Ferries to Sumatera Island of Indonesia.

1) Malacca to Dumai at 9AM and 3PM. Journey time is just under 2 hr. Tickets cost RM110/170 1-way/return.

 2) Malacca to Pekanbaru, depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 9:30AM. Tickets cost RM120/210 1-way/return.

3) Malacca to Bengkalis in Riau Province, Sumatra, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays departing at 1100. Ferries connect to Selat Panjang where there are onward ferries to Batam and the other Riau Islands. From Bengkalis, ferries depart on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30AM.

Malacca ticketing office stalls on Jln PM10, Plaza Mahkota Melaka Raya.

4) Malacca to Bengkalis. Ferries connect to the town of Pakning. From Malacca, ferries depart on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 1PM. Tickets cost RM50/80 1-way/return. Tickets from Bengkalis to Pakning cost a further Rp 10,000. Bengkalis are not listed as a visa-free or visa-on-arrival point of entry into Indonesia.


 Travelling around by local bus from Malacca Sentral:

Malacca Town Bus No 17: Melaka Sentral Terminal to the historic core, Mahkota Parade, Melaka Raya and the Portuguese Settlement. The fare from Melaka Sentral to Makhota Parade is RM1.
The last bus from Melaka Sentral leaves at 8:30PM, after which you would have to take a taxi which costs RM20 to Mahkota Parade.

Bus 8 goes from Melaka Sentral to Town Square for RM1.
Malacca Town Bus No 18: Melaka Sentral Terminal to Tengkera(ACS School) and onwards to Pokok Mangga

Malacca Town Bus No 19: Melaka Sentral Terminal to Ayer Keroh (Melaka Zoo and Taman Asean/Malaysia). The fare from Melaka Sentral to Ayer Keroh (Melaka Zoo and Taman Asean/Malaysia) is around RM 3

Malacca Town Bus No. 50: Melaka Sentral Terminal to the Mahkota Parade shopping centre and nearby seafood restaurants

Kenderaan Aziz (red and white): Buses from Melaka Sentral to Muar via Padang Temu also go past the historic core, Mahkota Parade and Melaka Raya

Panorama Melaka (red and blue) : This hop-on-hop-off bus brings tourists to the attractions in town for a flat fee of RM5/day (red bus) and RM2/day (blue bus). Among its fleet are 2 double-decker buses, one with an open top. The bus service runs at 10 min intervals from 7AM - 12.  

Public Swimming Pool: Behind those food outlets restaurants at Dataran Pahlawan is the only public pool in town,just beside A&W fastfood reaturant outlet and a short distance opposite the Municipal Office.

Malacca the past and present.

Malacca is one of the 13 states in West Malaysia and the third smallest.
It takes just a two hours drive along the expressway from Kuala Lumpur,a distance of 148km.

During the British colonial rule of the country Malaya,it was then called Malacca town and now has been upgraded to Bandaraya Melaka Bersejarah.(Melaka Historical City)

.It was just a small little quiet town a decade ago where most of the Malaccan of all races know each other and mingle very well.

By year 2003,it achieved its city status and renamed Historical Malacca City.

On this coming 7th day of July 2011,Malacca will be in its third year being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 Malacca has rich authentic historical artifacts,colonial buildings,ancient literatures and arts,rare porcelain,earthenwares,coins,banknotes and including this stamp of Commonwealth British with a picture of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

At that time most of the postage stamp used were minted in England and has watermark of the crown.

The stamp office seal on the stamp with picture of Prince Philip,Duke of Edinburgh.

Malacca's historical background(part 1):

1)Pre-historic Malacca during the Srivijaya Empayar.

Existed during the 14th century,this was a very powerful Malay Empire based at Palembang on the island of Sumatera in modern Indonesia.

This empire will normally settle around the coastal hinterland.

With the expansion into Java and the Malay Peninsula, Srivijaya controlled two major trade choke points in Southeast Asia.
Some Srivijayan temple ruins are observable in Thailand(Wat Kaew,Chaiya in Suratthani Province) and Cambodia(Neak Leung town and Angkor Wat).
In Java island you have the Chandi Borobodur.

 Dominating the Malacca and Sunda straits, Srivijaya controlled both the spice route traffic and local trade, charging a toll on passing ships. Serving as an entrepot for Chinese, Malay, and Indian markets, the port of Palembang, accessible from the coast by way of a river, accumulated great wealth. Envoys travelled to and from China frequently.

Another powerful empire from Java that co-exist at that time was the Majapahit Empire tried to rival and crippled the Srivijayan.There were rivalry and rebellion thus causing the Srivijaya Empire to slowly disintegrate.

Between 1511 - 1641 ,the Portuguese established Malacca as their colony when Afonso de Albuquerque captured it.

Hence the Portuguese set up this A'Formosa fortress as a permanent form of fortification in anticipation of the counterattacks by Sultan Mahmud,the last Sultan of Malacca who was defeated during the fall of the city.

Fortaleza de Malaca was constructed at the foot of the fortress hill, next to the sea at that time.
Towards the right side of the hill were the graves and tombstones of Dutch fallen heroes.

The fortress system was a quadrilateral,that is there were four exit point,two of which were in common use and open to traffic.
It was built on the ground of the former Sultan Palace and facing the Straits of Malacca. The St Paul's Hill is behind the A'Formosa.

Photo of old Malacca showing the clock tower and the church.
This was during the Dutch rule(1641 - 1825) which was the longest period Malacca under foreign control.Solid 183 years.

The foreground has no fountain as yet and the horse carriage is the only mode of transport,so need not worry about crude oil price.

That Chinese lady wore a round hat typical to those from Guangdong Province in China so she must be a cantonese speaking Chinese immigrant while the horse carriage owner is a Malay wearing a 'sarong'

The present day Dutch Square with the clock tower.

Both the fountain and the clock tower were donated by the people of Malacca .

In 1886 Mr Tan Jiak Kim fulfilled the wishes of his father, Tan Beng Swee, who was a third generation of a Chinese philantrophic millionaire family.

 Tan Beng Swee, was the son of Tan Kim Seng who donated both the bridge adjacent to the clock tower and land for the Chinese cemetery. The original clock was imported from England.

 

A grand view from the bridge over the Malacca River of the Dutch Square.
Most of the roads around the radius of the historical sites have narrow roads and remains as it is.
The roads were only fit for the bullockcarts,bicycles and trishaw pullers at that time.

The Stadhuys and Christ Church was built in the 1650s. The Stadthuys served as the administrative centre and home of the Governor of Malacca.

Malacca is an ideal strategic seaport for the Dutch East India Company due to the trade route.
So the Dutch and Sultanate of Johor signed a treaty in 1606 to get rid of the presence of the Portuguese..

Johore state is just beside Singapore. On 14 January 1641 the Dutch took possession from the Portuguese of the fortress of Malacca, with the help of their ally the Sultan of Johore.

Dutch administrative building at the Dutch Square.
I can still recalled that this building was used as the National Registration Department till the late 80s.
During those days Malacca was still less touristy.

The Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain. Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death.

From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India.

Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III.

In 1826, Penang, along with Malacca and Singapore, became part of the Straits Settlements under the British administration in India, under direct British rule in 1867 as a Crown Colony.

 In 1946 it became part of the Malayan Union, before becoming in 1948 a state of the Federation of Malaya, which gained independence in 1957 and became Malaysia in 1963 when Sabah and Sarawak came into the group.

Malaya and British Borneo One Dollar Banknote. Borneo is a large island that consisted of Brunei,Kalimantan(Indonesia) and Sabah & Sarawak(Malaya)
Sabah and Sarawak herein refers to as British Borneo.

At that time the Malaya dollar is at par value to those of the Japanese Yen,Singapore dollar and US dollar.

During that time a salary of a school headmaster was $150 while a clerk was $60.My personal pocket money to school was just 0.20 cents which can get me a bowl of soup noodle.I just couldn't imagine the wide spread in today's value.

Malacca Historical Background(part 2)  

2) Malacca Sultanate (1402-1511)

Established by the Malay ruler Parameswara who was a member of the Srivijaya empire royal family, the Sultanate of Malacca was first a Hindu Kingdom in 1402 and later his marriage to the princess of Pasai(Samudera,north of Sumatera) in 1409 made him a converted muslim.

Parameswara was booted out of Palembang when thousands of ships from the Majapahit Empire attacked the remaining Srivijaya stronghold.

Parameswara fled to Singapura and then north to Muar, Ujong Tanah and Biawak Busuk before founding Melaka in 1402.

The Malacca sultanate bordered the Ayutthaya Kingdom of Siam (Thailand) in the north to Sumatra in the southwest.



That's me in the early 80's during my secondary school days hanging around here with my fellow school buddies.
Not even a single tourist at that time and that's why we called it the Sleepy Hollow town. 

The old Portuguese cannon is so heavy possibly the weight of a baby elephant.

There were four longer ones and four shorter ones at that time around this fort.

In the photo background were two of my alma mater both beside each other.View from the jetty.

The far left is the Sacred Heart Convent Girls School,Bandar Hilir Primary English School(B.H.E.S) and then St Francis Instituition.(S.F.I)

A'Formosa is a short distance after Sacred Heart Convent School.

At that time in the 60's this seafront was already a large field where every evening there were rugby matches and football matches.
But today the seafront has become a reclaimed land with many shopping malls area,hospitals and business complexes.

Malacca is the home of many national footballers,hockey players,swimmers and athletes due to the availability of this field and proximity to the seaside which are all within walking distance.






Situated next to the Malacca river.

A Gothic style church with two tall towers seen in the far distance.
 Built in 1849 by Reverend Farve from France,this church was dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier, in his missionary work spreading Catholicism to South East Asia in 16th century.

The statue of this Saint can be seen on Saint Paul's Hill.

You'll noticed that the old Malacca River was just like Venice of the East where there were many "tongkangs"(barges) that will go out to the seato collect goods and tranport them to nearby godowns inland.

This stamp has a background picture of the clock tower in Kuala Lumpur's Dataran Merdeka area.

Olden days local police wore the brown colour khaki uniform.

The Japanese Invasion of Malaya, or Battle of Kota Bharu, began just after midnight on 8 December 1941 (local time) before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

 It was the first major battle of the Pacific War and was fought between ground forces of the British Indian Army and the Empire of Japan.

Kota Bahru is near to Sungai Golok,Thailand South.

Imagine the Japanese army could cycle through rough terrain over 400 kilometre to reach Malacca .








Malacca Historical Background(part3):  

3) Arrival of the British Empire.

In 1795, during the Napoleonic Wars, the British with the consent of the Netherlands occupied Dutch Melaka to forestall possible French interest in the area.

When Malacca was handed back to the Dutch in 1815, the British governor, Stamford Raffles, looked for an alternative base, and in 1819 he acquired Singapore from the Sultan of Johor.

The exchange of the British colony of Bencoolen for Malacca with the Dutch left the British as the sole colonial power on the peninsula.

The territories of the British were set up as free ports, attempting to break the monopoly held by other colonial powers and making them large bases of trade.
They allowed Britain to control all trade through the straits of Malacca.
British influence was increased by Malayan fears of Siamese expansionism, to which Britain made a useful counterweight.

During the 19th century the Malay Sultans aligned themselves to the British Empire, due to the benefits of associations with the British and the belief in superior British civilization.

In 1824 the Anglo-Dutch Treaty was signed and the Dutch evacuated Melaka and renounced all interest in Malaya, while the British recognised Dutch rule over the rest of the East Indies.

By 1826 the British controlled Penang, Malacca, Singapore and the island of Labuan, which they established as the crown colony of the Straits Settlements was administered first under the East India Company until 1867, when they were transferred to the Colonial Office in London.

The British also gained control of the north coast of Borneo, where Dutch rule had never been established.In 1841, a British adventurer, James Brooke, helped the Sultan of Brunei suppress a revolt, and in return received the title of White rajahs and the right to govern the Sarawak River District.

In 1881 the British North Borneo Company was granted control of the territory of British North Borneo, appointing a governor and legislature.
It was ruled from the office in London. Its status was similar to that of a British Protectorate, and like Sarawak it expanded at the expense of Brunei.

 Malacca Historical Background(final part):  

4) Prelude to formation of Malaysia

By 1910 the pattern of British rule in the Malay lands was established.
The Straits Settlements were a Crown Colony, ruled by a governor under the supervision of the Colonial Office in London.
Their population was about half Chinese, but all residents, regardless of race, were British subjects.
 The first four states to accept British residents, Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang, were termed the Federated Malay States: while technically independent, they were placed under a Resident-General in 1895, making them British colonies in all but name.

The Unfederated Malay States (Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu)(all except Johore was was part of the Siamese Kingdom) had a slightly larger degree of independence, although they were unable to resist the wishes of their British Residents for long.

Johore, as Britain’s closest ally in Malay affairs, had the privilege of a written constitution, which gave the Sultan the right to appoint his own Cabinet, but he was generally careful to consult the British first.

The one consolation to Malay pride was that the British allowed them a virtual monopoly of positions in the police and local military units, as well as a majority of those administrative positions open to non-Europeans.
 While the Chinese mostly built and paid for their own schools and colleges, importing teachers from China.

 The outbreak of war in the Pacific in December 1941 found the British in Malaya completely unprepared. The Japanese were thus able to attack from their bases in French Indo-China with impunity, and despite stubborn resistance from British, Australian and Indian forces, they overran Malaya in two months.

 During occupation, ethnic tensions were raised and nationalism grew.The Malayans were thus on the whole glad to see the British back in 1945, but things could not remain as they were before the war, and a stronger desire for independence grew.

Britain was bankrupt and the new Labour government was keen to withdraw its forces from the East as soon as possible. Colonial self-rule and eventual independence were now British policy.

The tide of colonial nationalism sweeping through Asia soon reached Malaya. In 1944 the British drew up plans for a Malayan Union, which would turn the Federated and Unfederated Malay States, plus Penang and Malacca (but not Singapore), into a single crown colony, with a view towards independence.

Finally on the 31st August 1957 ,Malaya got her independence from the British.