26-653: The Pangkor Treaty of 1874 was a treaty signed between Great Britain and the Sultan of Perak on 20 January 1874, on the Colonial Steamer Pluto , off the coast of Perak . The treaty is significant in the history of the Malay states as it legitimised British control of the Malay rulers and paved the way for British imperialism in Malaya . It was the result of a multi-day conference organised by Andrew Clarke ,
52-638: A meeting of chiefs where after discussing poisoning Birch, they accepted Maharaja Lela 's offer to stab Birch to death. Birch was killed on 2 November 1875 by followers of a local Malay chief, Maharaja Lela, including Sepuntum, who speared him to death while he was in the bath-house of his boat, SS Dragon , moored on the Perak river-bank below the Maharaja Lela's house, in Pasir Salak , near today's Teluk Intan (Teluk Anson). While experienced in
78-533: A petition on 26 September 1872, signed by himself and 44 other Chinese leaders, seeking British interference following the attack of 12,000 men of Chung Shan by 2,000 men of Sen Ning. The British immediately saw this as an opportunity to expand its influence in Southeast Asia and to strengthen its monopoly on tin exports. As a result, the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 was signed. The Malay translation of
104-540: Is a dramatic reinterpretation of the events around the Birch assassination. There have been several unsuccessful attempts to make a film based on the Birch assassination. The Malaysian actor, director and politician Jins Shamsuddin , who was from Perak, announced plans in 2004 to make a film entitled The King of the River: Pasir Salak , which was to have been an epic production involving 1,500 extras. However,
130-663: Is located near the site of the British fort at Kampung Memali, about 24 km from Pasir Salak . His grave is now covered by a palm oil estate. The Birch Memorial Clock Tower was built in 1909 and still stands in front of the Ipoh State Mosque. One of the 44 figures on the clock, an image of Muhammad , was painted over in the 1990s due to religious sensitivities. Roads in Kuala Lumpur and Taiping were thought to have been named after him ( Birch Road ), but this
156-603: Is one of the oldest hereditary seats among the Malay states . The current Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah , has been in office since 29 May 2014. When the Sultanate of Malacca empire fell to Portugal in 1511, Sultan Mahmud Shah retreated to Kampar , Sumatra , and died there in 1528. He left behind two princes, Alauddin Riayat Shah II and Muzaffar Shah . The former went on to establish
182-478: Is the heir apparent, and succeeds the ruling sultan on his death, whereupon the prince holding the title of Raja Di-Hilir becomes the new Raja Muda . The Raja Kechil Besar then becomes the Raja Di-Hilir . The new sultan may then appoint his own nominee to the junior-most title made vacant by these successions. The 2 most senior titleholders are confirmed by a majority vote of the representatives of
208-566: The Federated Malay States . Clarke arrived in November 1873 and he put Perak, Selangor and Sungei Ujong under British protection within a year, and Pahang in 1888. In 1875, a British Resident was sent to Selangor. In 1874, a British Resident was sent to Sungei Ujong. Perak Sultanate The Sultan of Perak ( سلطان ڤيراق ) is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysian state of Perak . It
234-712: The Governor of the Straits Settlements , to solve two problems: the Larut War , and Sultanship in Perak. Perak was a major tin producer throughout the 19th century, leading Britain, which had already colonised Penang , Malacca and Singapore , to consider Perak of significant importance. However, local strife, collectively known as the Larut Wars (1861–1874), between the local Malay elites and frequent clashes between Chinese secret societies disrupted
260-832: The Perak State Legislative Assembly . The Perak royal regalia consists of items that are said to have been with the Perak Sultanate from its inception, some of which pre-dating the Malacca Sultanate . The regalia is mainly used during the installation ceremony of Sultan of Perak and few other royal ceremonies. The following is the orders, decorations, and medals given by Sultan of Perak. When applicable, post-nominal letters and non-hereditary titles are indicated. James W. W. Birch James Wheeler Woodford Birch , commonly known as J. W. W. Birch (3 April 1826 – 2 November 1875)
286-400: The Sultanate of Johor . Muzaffar Shah was invited to rule Perak , and he became the first Sultan of Perak. In contrast to the other Malay sultanates, the ruling dynasty of Perak utilises a somewhat complex order of succession. The reigning sultan appoints princes in the male line of descent from a sultan to certain high princely titles. They are arranged in an order of precedence indicating
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#1732773343556312-577: The British regarding these two problems. He turned to Tan Kim Cheng , his friend in Singapore who was a well-known businessman. Tan, together with an English merchant in Singapore, drafted a letter to Governor Sir Andrew Clarke which Abdullah signed. The letter expressed Abdullah's desire to place Perak under British protection, and "to have a man of sufficient abilities to show (him) a good system of government." Chung Keng Quee had already presented
338-484: The Perak Malays participated", in fact the political situation in Perak was more complex, with deep divisions between supporters of the two rival claimants to the throne of Perak, Raja Abdullah and Raja Ismail. Cheah argues that Maharaja Lela's actions in contributing to Birch's death must be understood in the context of Malay feudal rivalries and not as an early example of resistance to imperialism. Birch's grave
364-511: The Resident from interfering with religion and custom, from acting without consulting Sultan and chiefs, and from depriving them of their property, namely fugitive slaves and feudal dues." Clarke had already observed on 25 March 1875 that, "I am very much annoyed with Birch and the heads-over-heels way in which he does things; he and I will come to sorrow yet, if he does not mind." Due to unfavourable responses, on 21 July 1875 Raja Abdullah called
390-405: The affairs of colonial government, he was never comfortable speaking Malay , he also aroused the hostility of several Perakian chiefs due to the new taxation collection system and his enforcement of public humiliation to enforce his authority such as burning homes and ordering the surrender of arms and slaves. Sultan Abdullah, who was also believed to have had some complicity in the assassination,
416-446: The agreement but had no choice as he was faced with the alliance between Raja Abdullah and the British. As a result, Raja Abdullah was made sultan, and Sir James W. W. Birch was appointed as Perak's first British Resident after the treaty came into force. Following this, the British actively became involved in three other Malay states: Negeri Sembilan , Selangor and Pahang . These states, along with Perak, were later reorganised into
442-537: The film was never completed: Jins Shamsuddin commented in 2009 that making a film about Birch was a lifelong dream, saying, "I hope to complete my movie on the historical events that happened in Pasir Salak before I die." Malaysian director Mamat Khalid , who was also from Perak, commented in December 2016 that after 18 years of preparation, his film about Birch, Pasir Salak Pasir Berdarah (The Sand of Pasir Salak
468-411: The order of succession to the throne. As per ruling of 25 February 1953, the present hierarchy of titles and the corresponding order of succession is as follows: While titleholders are usually appointed for life, titles may be revoked in cases of proven incompetence or disability. On the death or promotion of an existing titleholder, the holder of the next most senior title succeeds him. The Raja Muda
494-505: The supply of tin from the mines of Perak. In 1871, Sultan Ali of Perak died. However, Raja Abdullah , the heir apparent , had not been present at his funeral. Raja Bendahara Sultan Ismail was proclaimed Sultan of Perak instead. At the same time, two Chinese secret societies, Ghee Hin (led by Chin Ah Yam) and Hai San (led by Chung Keng Quee ), fought against each other over control of the tin mines. Raja Muda Abdullah later appealed to
520-654: The treaty was prepared by Frank Swettenham and Mohamed Said, the munshi for the Straits Settlements. The Chinese chiefs arrived on 13 January, the Hai San group was accompanied by Swettenham , while the Ghee Hins group was escorted by Pickering . Mantri Ngah Ibrahim arrived the next day, escorted by his lawyer R. C. Woods and his security chief T. C. Speedy . Raja Muda Abdullah and the Malay chiefs arrived on 15 January. The afternoon session (circa 3:30 p.m.) on 16 January
546-770: Was a British colonial official who was assassinated in the Malay state of Perak in 1875, an event that led to the outbreak of the Perak War and ultimately to the extension of British political influence over the Malay Peninsula . Born in 1826, Birch served for a short period in the Royal Navy before joining the Roads Department in Ceylon in 1846. His career in Ceylon was successful, and on 6 June 1870 he
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#1732773343556572-527: Was a one-to-one meeting between Mantri Ngah Ibrahim and Clarke, in which Clarke highlighted to the Mantri that the problem in Larut was a direct consequence of his vacillating policy. The second day of the conference (17 January) was the meeting between Clarke and the Malay chiefs, whose opinions were individually considered before the candidate for the sultanship was decided. 18 January was a Saturday and no business
598-579: Was conducted. On 19 January the draft treaty was discussed with the Malay chiefs. The Treaty of Pangkor was officially sealed in the afternoon session of the concluding day (actually in the morning session of 20 January, another agreement between Clarke and the Chinese chiefs was signed, i.e. Bond of $ 50,000 to Keep the Peace). The agreement dictated: Raja Ismail did not attend the meeting arranged between Sir Andrew Clarke and Raja Abdullah. He did not recognise
624-671: Was deposed and exiled to Seychelles . His rival Raja Yusuf was installed as sultan in his place. In the aftermath of the event, the administration shifted to Taiping . A new Resident, Sir Hugh Low , was appointed and went about his administration of Perak in a more diplomatic way. Whilst still banning outright slavery, he gradually phased out debt-slavery and assuaged the feelings of the ruler and chieftains by allowing for adequate monthly compensation to them. Malaysian historian Cheah Boon Kheng argues that while "in present-day Malaysian school history textbooks," Birch's assassination "is presented as an anti-colonial uprising, in which almost all
650-470: Was for a different Birch (namely, his eldest son Ernest Woodford Birch , also a Resident of Perak). The same road was renamed Maharajalela Road ( Malay : Jalan Maharajalela ) after Malaya's independence in 1957. Similarly, there are Birch Roads in several towns in Malaysia ( Seremban , Penang and Ipoh ) and in Singapore . Malaysian dramatist Kee Thuan Chye 's 1994 book We Could Kill You, Mr Birch
676-667: Was transferred to Singapore to take up the position of Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements . Following the Pangkor Engagement , under which Raja Abdullah had agreed to accept a British political agent to be known as a "Resident" at his court, Birch was appointed to the post on 4 November 1874 as the government custodian to the Sultan of Perak . Birch became involved in the institution of slavery in Malaysia during his stay there, which ultimately resulted in his assassination. A Malay deputation entreated with Governor-General Andrew Clarke in Singapore "to prevent
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