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FMA11
08-22-2005, 09:21
History
Situated in the heart of Southeast Asia at one of the world's major crossroads, Malaysia has always been pivotal to trade routes from Europe, the Orient, India and China. Its warm tropical climate and abundant natural blessings made it a congenial destination for immigrants as early as 5,000 years ago when the ancestors of the Orang Asli, the indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia, settled here, probably the pioneers of a general movement from China and Tibet. They were followed by the Malays, who brought with them skills in farming and the use of metals. Around the first century BC, strong trading links were established with China and India, and these had a major impact on the culture, language and social customs of the country. Evidence of a Hindu-Buddhist period in the history of Malaysia can today be found in the temple sites of the Bujang Valley and Merbok Estuary in Kedah in the north west of Peninsular Malaysia, near the Thai border. The spread of Islam, introduced by Arab and Indian traders, brought the Hindu-Buddhist era to an end by the 13th century. With the conversion of the Malay-Hindu rulers of the Melaka Sultanate (the Malay kingdom which ruled both side of the Straits of Malaka for over a hundred years), Islam was established as the religion of the Malays, and had profound effect on Malay society.

The arrival of Europeans in Malaysia brought a dramatic change to the country. In 1511, the Portuguese captured Malaka and the rulers of the Melaka Sultanate fled south to Johor where they tried to establish a new kingdom. They were resisted not only by the Europeans but by the Acehnese, Minangkabau and the Bugis, resulting in the sovereign units of the present-day states of Peninsular Malaysia. The Portuguese were in turn defeated in 1641 by the Dutch, who colonized Melaka until the advent of the British in the Dutch exerted any profound influence on Malay society. The British acquired Melaka from the Dutch in 1824 in exchange for Bencoolen in Sumatra. From their new bases in Malaka, Penang and Singapore, collectively known as the Straits settlements, the British, through their influence and power, began the process of political integration of the Malay states of Peninsular Malaysia.

After World War II and the Japanese occupation from 1941-45, the British created the Malayan Union 1946. This was abandoned in 1948 and the Federation of Malaya emerged in its place. The Federation gained its independence from Britain on 31 August 1957. In September 1963, Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah, and initially Singapore united to form Malaysia, a country whose potpourri of society and customs derives from its rich heritage from four of the world's major cultures - Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Western.

Malay National Anthem (Negara-ku)
My Country
My country
The land of my birth,
The people live united and progressive,
Blessing and good fortune bestowed by God.
Our King is safe on the throne,
Blessing and good fortune bestowed by God,
Our King is safe on the throne.

Capital: Kuala Lumpur

Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Natural resources: tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite

Natural hazards: flooding, landslides, forest fires

Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires

Population: 23,953,136 (July 2005 est.) Growth rate: 1.8% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 23.07 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: 5.06 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Ethnic groups: Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, Bumiputera 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.)

Religions: Muslim (60.4%), Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia.

Languages: Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
note: in addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest are Iban and Kadazan

Literacy: total population: 88.7%, male: 92%, female: 85.4% (2002)

Government type: constitutional monarchy
note: nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government; powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah - holds 20 seats in House of Representatives and will hold 25 seats after the next election; Sarawak holds 28 seats in House of Representatives

Economy - overview: Malaysia, a middle-income country, transformed itself from 1971 through the late 1990's from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector economy. Growth was almost exclusively driven by exports - particularly of electronics. As a result, Malaysia was hard hit by the global economic downturn and the slump in the information technology (IT) sector in 2001 and 2002. GDP in 2001 grew only 0.5% due to an estimated 11% contraction in exports, but a substantial fiscal stimulus package equal to US $1.9 billion mitigated the worst of the recession and the economy rebounded in 2002 with a 4.1% increase. The economy grew 4.9% in 2003, notwithstanding a difficult first half, when external pressures from SARS and the Iraq War led to caution in the business community. Growth topped 7% in 2004. Healthy foreign exchange reserves, low inflation, and a small external debt are all strengths that make it unlikely that Malaysia will experience a financial crisis similar to the one in 1997. The economy remains dependent on continued growth in the US, China, and Japan, top export destinations and key sources of foreign investment.

Exports:
$123.5 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) Exports - commodities: electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals

Currency (code): ringgit (MYR)

Military branches: Malaysian Army (Tentera Darat Malaysia), Royal Malaysian Navy (Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, TLDM), Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia, TUDM) (2005)

Disputes - International: Malaysia has asserted sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; while the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions over the Spratly Islands, it is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Malaysia was not party to the March 2005 joint accord among the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam on conducting marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; disputes continue over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation, bridge construction, maritime boundaries, and Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih - but parties agree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within three years; ICJ awarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands, also claimed by Indonesia and Philippines, to Malaysia but left maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminating in hostile confrontations in March 2005 over concessions to the Ambalat oil block; separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompts measures to close and monitor border with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; Philippines retains a now dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo; in 2003, Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in their disputed offshore and deepwater seabeds and negotiations have stalemated prompting consideration of international adjudication; Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait.

Sources:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/my.html
http://www.geographia.com/malaysia/
http://www.time.com/time/asia/features/malay_terror/cover.html
http://www.regit.com/malaysia/history/history.htm
http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/malaysia.htm

Go For Broke
08-22-2005, 13:07
Just some thoughts on some other stuff to include (TS feel free to delete if this is out of line) FWIW, these are some things that I found useful prior to travel

Here is a daily newspaper to keep abreast of the news and practice Bahasa Malay / Indonesia (close at least) if needed

The Star Online_Malaysia (http://thestar.com.my/)

dan kalau saudara mau kabar saudara di bahasa malayu, saudara bisa pergi ke sana:

Berita Harian (http://www.bharian.com.my)

Transportation info:
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA Site) (http://www.klia.com.my/)

More information on KLIA (http://www.cuti.com.my/guide/about_klia.htm)

Embassy Info: Visas / Passport / General:
USAMEMB in MY (http://usembassymalaysia.org.my/)

Might want to purchase before you travel:
Electrical Plugs (see attached pic) (Source: Lonely Planet)

Electrical power is 220-240 @ 50 Hz

Official Currency is Ringgit, which can be exchanged at Banks and Money Changers (use larger bills for better exchange rate)


V/R,

Airbornelawyer
08-22-2005, 17:47
Additional information resources:


Kementerian Pertahanan Malaysia (http://www.mod.gov.my/) - Ministry of Defence of Malaysia

Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (http://maf.mod.gov.my/) - Malaysian Armed Forces

Tentera Darat Malaysia (http://army.mod.gov.my/) - Malaysian Army
Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (http://maf.mod.gov.my/airforce/bm/index.htm) - Royal Malaysian Air Force
Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (http://navy.mod.gov.my) - Royal Malaysian Navy


Malaysian Defence Industry Council (http://mdic.mod.gov.my/)
Polis Diraja Malaysia (http://www.rmp.gov.my/) - Royal Malaysian Police

frostfire
08-22-2005, 22:13
Might want to purchase before you travel:
Electrical Plugs (see attached pic) (Source: Lonely Planet)

Electrical power is 220-240 @ 50 Hz

Official Currency is Ringgit, which can be exchanged at Banks and Money Changers (use larger bills for better exchange rate)


V/R,excellent point!


dan kalau saudara mau kabar saudara di bahasa malayu, saudara bisa pergi ke sana:broken, but should work with locals after a few hand gestures ;)

If I may add some more (mods, remove as you please)

Additional language lesson and difference:
http://www.worldlanguage.com/Languages/Malay.htm

Some interesting history:
http://itotd.com/index.alt?ArticleID=310

Also some similarities in Filipino-Indonesia words (well, they're next to each other)
Anak-Anak: Child
apat-empat: four
Babi(Baboy)-babi: pig
bangon-bagun: to wake up
batu/bato-batu: stone
basa/basah-basah: wet
bago-baru: new
bandera-bendera: flag
bistek-bistik: steak
bola-bola: ball
buka-buka: open
lalaki-lelaki: male
lima-lima: five
mata-mata: eye
mula-mulai: to begin
lamok-ngamuk: mosquito
kanan-kanan: right (this is right as in direction, not right = correct)
kambing-kambing: goat
kuko-kuku: fingernails
langit-langit: sky
libo/ribo/ribu-ribo: thousand
pandak-pendak: short
pinto/pintu-pintu: door
sakit-sakit: sick
salah/mali-salah: wrong
siko/siku-siku: elbow
sampuh/sampu-sempuluh: ten
sumpit-sumpit: chopstick
sulat/surat-surat: letter
taon/tahun-tahun: year
takot-tukut: afraid
tali-tali: rope
tanda-tanda: sign
timbangan-timbangan: scale
taenga/telinga-telinga: ear
tulong/tolong-tolong: help
wayang-wayang: puppet

Go For Broke
08-22-2005, 23:31
broken, but should work with locals after a few hand gestures
touche! I am trying to dreg the vestiges of Bahasa Indonesia from my head. To second what frostfire mentioned, Bahasa Indo will work for about 70% of the Malay...and is a decent intro to Tagalog. But more importantly, it is the fact that you try to speak a few of the words, that and a smile works wonders.

Not to hijack this thread and great forum, but maybe a couple of ideas - (TS / Mods stop me if I am stepping outside of my lane please)

Some other things that I have found to be of use prior to overseas travel is to also learn the dress codes; cost of a taxi (legitimate ones that is) from the airport to wherever AMEMB, Hotel, JUSMAG, Military Base etc is located; internet access; telephone calling procedures (in-country, to US, to cellular phones); rules on tipping; religious holidays (nice to know if you have to conduct business); etc...

Another thing of interest, which I have not seen too much of is the diseases and other common things that seem to affect travellers / HN (Medics...), traditional building construction, types of soil (Charlies...); weapons used by the HN (Bravos...), best types of antennas / commo equip used by HN (Echos...). Nothing needs to be said for the Zulu, Fox, or Warrant...and if the Alpha is some what intelligent, he will listen to the last three...

Based on my limited experience, I have found that it was more advantageous to rely on my Team Sergeant / Fox and the other guys on the team that have deployed for information i.e cultural norms and customs, colloquialisms of the language, and things that are important to the average "Joe" e.g. popular singers, "tourist" sites - people are proud of their country, movies, etc (realising that this will change as quickly as it does here in the U.S.) ...stuff that you do not get from your S-2.

Just my $0.02 FWIW...

V/R,

hoot72
09-17-2005, 00:46
There are major differences in pronounciations of words and sentences and in some cases, different spellings of words (i.e KANKER vs KANSER vs Cancer/ indon/malaysian/english).

Malaysian or Bahasa Malaysia (or Malay as we call it) is an easy language to learn as compared to Mandarin or other european languages like French.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Go For Broke
dan kalau saudara mau kabar saudara di bahasa malayu, saudara bisa pergi ke sana: <<<<<----- we dont use saudara, Kabar or bisa in Malaysian terms....its very indonesian and more often than not, people will either not understand what you mean or just laugh at you.

If you dont wish to stand out like a sore thumb, its important your instructor or lecturer is a malaysian.

On another note, the pronounciations and style of speaking in Borneo/East Malaysia is different yet again.

The malay spoke in Sarawak cannot..and I repeat..CANNOT be understood by anyone speaking Malay as it is a whole different language on its own.

However, in Sabah, the malay is understandable with the exception of the style its spoken and the common use of "la" and "bah" at the end of sentences.

However, speaking indonesian malay will get you by but you really should work on the accents as it could be considered insulting to some military personel in the higher echolon's of the Malaysian Armed Forces who pride themselves on not being compared to the Indonesians.

Despite Malaysia being keen on keeping good relations with Indonesians, Malaysians get severly insulted if they are compared to their neighbours.

hoot

hoot72
09-17-2005, 01:16
Anak-Anak: Child (anak/budak-budak)
apat-empat: four
Babi(Baboy)-babi: pig
bangon-bagun: to wake up(bangun)
batu/bato-batu: stone (pronounced as batu or gravel (as in english))
basa/basah-basah: wet
lumpur: (muddy terrain)
bago-baru: new
bandera-bendera: flag
bistek-bistik: steak (daging)
bola-bola: ball
buka-buka: open
lalaki-lelaki: male
lima-lima: five
mata-mata: eye
mula-mulai: to begin (mula)
lamok-ngamuk: mosquito (nyamuk/mosquito (as in english))
kanan-kanan: right flank (kanan: this is right as in direction, not right = correct)
Kiri: left flank
kambing-kambing: goat (kambing)
kuko-kuku: fingernails
langit-langit: sky
libo/ribo/ribu-ribo: thousand (its actually RIBU...i.e satu ribu, dua ribu or tiga ratus ribu)
pandak-pendak: short (pendek/kici)
pinto/pintu-pintu: door
sakit-sakit: sick (its actually "demam" to mean a person is ill or have a fever, etc)
salah/mali-salah: wrong
siko/siku-siku: elbow
sepuluh: ten
chopstick (everybody calls it chop-stick as in english)
surat: letter
tahun: year
takot-tukut: afraid
tali-tali: rope
tanda-tanda: sign
timbangan-timbangan: scale
taenga/telinga-telinga: ear
tulong/tolong-tolong: help
wayang-wayang: puppet


i.e SURAT..pronounced as SORAT...its really not hard to say the word as it should be spoken..which is SU-RAT (sue-rat).

Same can be said for TAHON..which should be pronounced as TA-HUN (TAHUN).

I made some changes to the above translation.

Most malaysians speak english or basic english. Alot of words have been adapted into the local lingo such as "traffik jam," (traffic jam), Kopi (Coffee), Teh (tea), or highway (same as in english).

hoot

hoot72
09-17-2005, 01:36
It is a known fact that Malaysia has aided militants in Thailand and the Southern Phillipines over the last 20 year's or so; alot of arms went through Sabah and the east coast of the state courtesy of Mr.Gaddaffi.

This includes alot of cash BUT I have yet to find any proof of training camps or instructing being organized within Malaysian territorial waters or in the State.

The one thing the Malaysian government has been good at over the last 10 or 15 years is to stop known trouble-makers and "terrorist" who had made the the trip to Pakistan for "jihad" training by arresting them under the Internal Security Act (a person may be held for up to 2 year's without trail) as Singapore has done from time to time.

This has been successful in putting right a number of politicians who had in the past created or brought up controversial "race issues" including the former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohd and his protege Anwar Ibrahim (both had a falling out with the former accussing the latter of homosexual activities and corruption in a bitter power struggle in the late 90's.)

As compared to West Malaysia, Sabah remain's an enigma; vast ocean, huge numbers of islands and a limited number of air and sea assets to patrol and protect the coast line and border.

Sabahan's are far more loyal to Malaysia than to the Philippines and most Sabahan's are generally insulted if they are called "pilak" (meaning blackie/darkie or a south filipino who is of suluk or bajau origin).

Sabahan's are fiercly proud of their heritage and if there was a minority that had the opinion that sabah should be returned to filipino rule, that number SURELY is does not even surpass 1%.

Sabah and Sarawak, comprise of a greater number of non-muslims than their counterparts in West Malaysia; baptist, roman catholic, seven day adventist and other secular groups are found throughout the state.

It is very common for one village to be divided by a river; on one side of the river, the population are roman catholic and the same village on the opposite side of the river is perhaps 7th dav adventist. This is common.

Malaysia is fiercly political with UMNO being the political giant in power and a smaller opposition front that is sorely lacking in funding and the malay majority to carry their fight in parliment and in their consistuencies.

UMNO however, has been rocked over the last 5 year's with power struggles, corruption charges and accusations, stormy personal agenda's and an apparent split within the party on the future of the "muslim/malay agenda" to ensure a higher standing and education and future for the malay's who are behind the chinese in wealth in business and industry.

This is the one major issue that continues to dog the peace Malaysia has and the outstanding melting pot of races that continue to perserve one of the most unique nations in Asia and one of the most stable countries in the world, given the size of Malaysia in terms of land and its economy.

Malaysia, is a peaceful nation that is proud and constantly evolving and I am of the opinion, Malaysian's realize it is impossible to ever allow a conflict to errupt with their neighbour's Singapore and Indonesia.

Any fued spoken of between Brunei and Malaysia is false; they have outstanding issues and border matters to resolve but their ties remain strong and Malaysia, ever ready to assist Brunei should any foreign or domestic force be a threat to the Brunei Sultanate and empire.

hoot