History
Many groups of people captured a port on the Strait of Malacca long ago. In 1511, the Portuguese captured the port. In 1641, the Dutch controlled it. In 1824, the British captured it. In 1857, a group of 87 Chinese tin miners founded a settlement that is now part of Ampang. In the early 1900s, Britain controlled all the Malay states as colonies or protectorates. The British brought in Chinese and Indian laborers to work in tin mines and on rubber plantations. Malaysia wasn't granted independence until 1957. After they were granted independence, there were many economical challenges and problems with political stability. While there was the global economic downturn, Malaysia prohibited the immigration of foreign workers and had a 16 billion dollar economic stimulus plan for the country to secure their economy. Kuala Lumpur was occupied by the Japanese (1942-1945) in World War II. Many japanese people lived in Malaysia at this time. In 1963, Kuala Lumpur became the capital of Malaysia. There was Chinese domination in some areas in 1969. Because of this, there was racial tension. This resulted in widespread rioting all over Kuala Lumpur. In 2012, there were demands by civil society groups, known as Bersih ("Clean"), for freer and fairer elections. Tens of thousands of Bersih supporters marched in downtown Kuala Lumpur, but the event became very violent and Bersih was declared an illegal movement.
Bersih
Population
Malays: 60%. Chinese: 30%. Indian/ Pakistani/ Bangladeshi: 10%