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Story: Asian conflicts

Malaya and Malaysia

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Malaya and Malaysia

The Malayan Emergency was declared in 1948, when Malaya was still a British colony. In 1957 Malaya became independent, although the Emergency was not declared over until 1960. Malaya included only the states of the Malay peninsula. In 1963 it joined with Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo to form the Federation of Malaysia. On joining the federation North Borneo changed its name to Sabah.  Singapore left the federation in 1965 and became an independent nation.

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How to cite this page

Ian McGibbon, Asian conflicts – Shift of focus to South-East Asia, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/map/34531/malaya-and-malaysia (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ian McGibbon, published 16 April 2012, updated 1 February 2016.