Salina Christmas

Also known as Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie or the VOC. Established in 1602, the company monopolised the spice trade from its Javanese base, Jayakarta – today’s Jakarta – since 1609. Corruption and bad labour practices caused it to be taken over by the Dutch Batavian Republic. The company’s territories were then known as the Dutch East…

A mandatory enlistment of people in a military service. In Japan, conscription reportedly began in 1873. The middle and upper classes could be exempted but not the working class. Conscription intensified in 1938, with younger men enlisted. Shortage of manpower meant that Japanese boys as young as 15 were conscripted in 1944. Koreans were conscripted…

A northern city on the west coast of Java in Indonesia. “Cirebon” means “mixed”, a reference to the city’s rich amalgamation of Sundanese, Javanese, Arab and Chinese influences.

The battle, between 8 to 15 February 1942, ended the Malayan campaign with victory on the Imperial Japanese side.

The battle, between 14 and 22 January 1942, raged across three states, from Negeri Sembilan to Malacca, before stopping at the north of the River Muar in Johore with the defeat of the British army.

On the day of the assault on Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded the Straits Settlements via Thailand. The Battle of Gurun in Kedah, a northern state, took place between 14 and 15 December 1941. The East Surrey Regiment was defeated with heavy casualties. The remnants fled to Taiping, a…

The Hat Yai Treaty in 1989 marked the end of the 21-year Communist insurgency in Malaysia. It was signed and ratified by the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), and the Malaysian and Thailand governments in Hat Yai, 48 km from the Malaysian border, on 2 December 1989. Some 1200 guerrillas laid down their arms and returned…

Article 15, first paragraph of the 1949 Geneva Convention states that parties to the conflict must take all possible measures to prevent the dead from being despoiled. The UK Military Manual (1958) also insists that “the dead must be protected against pillage”, specifying that “this is a well-established rule of customary international law”. Malaysia’s Armed…

Literary means “Datuk Harimau”. “Datuk” is also an honorific title meaning “Sir”. The tiger, like the elephant and the bear, is believed to possess a powerful spirit. And thus, it’s addressed by the Malays and indigenous people as “Sir”. “Datuk Harimau” is also a traditional children’s game in which the person in the role of…

A form of Buddhism prevalent in Southeast Asia before the arrival of Islam in the Malay Archipelago.

A mythical creature in Balinese mythology that resembles a panther or a bear, hence the word “barongan”, which is “beruang” (bear) in Malay. Barong is the personification of goodness and heroism, and an opponent of Rangda, the mythical evil witch.

The regiment existed in the British Army between 1881 to 2006. It was later absorbed into the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment served in Malaya as part of the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade during World War 2. It also served during World War 1 and in the Korean War.