Klang War

Klang War
Part of Selangor Civil War
Date 1867–1874 Location Selangor Result Tengku Kudin victory
Belligerents
Raja Abdullah loyalists Pahang Kingdom	Raja Mahdi loyalists
Commanders and leaders
Raja Abdullah Raja Ismail Tengku Kudin Yap Ah Loy Haji Mohamed Tahir	Raja Mahadi Raja Mahmud Syed Mashhor Chong Chong

Part of a series on the
History of Malaysia
Prehistoric Malaysia Prehistoric Malaysia 100–6th century
Early kingdoms Gangga Negara 2nd–11th century Langkasuka 2nd–14th century Chi Tu 2nd–6th century Pan Pan 3rd–5th century Kedah Tua 5th–9th century Pahang Tua 5th–15th century Melayu 6th century Srivijaya 650–1377 Majapahit 1293–1500
Rise of Muslim states Kedah Sultanate 1136–present Brunei Sultanate 1368–present Malacca Sultanate 1402–1511 Sulu Sultanate 1450–1899 Pahang Sultanate 1470–1623 Aceh Sultanate 1496–1903 Pattani Sultanate 1516– 1902 Johor Sultanate 1528–present House of Jamalullail 1843–present
Colonial era Portuguese Malacca 1511–1641 Dutch–Portuguese War 1601–1661 Dutch Malacca 1641–1824 Siamese invasion of Kedah 1821–1826 Straits Settlements 1826–1946 Kingdom of Sarawak 1841–1946 Crown Colony of Labuan 1848–1946 British Malaya / Borneo 1874–1946 North Borneo 1882–1946 Federated Malay States 1895–1946 Unfederated Malay States 1909–1946
World War II Japanese occupation of Malaya / of Borneo 1941–1945 Malayan Campaign 1941–1942 Battle of Muar 1942 Parit Sulong Massacre 1942 Battle of Singapore 1942 Syburi 1942 Si Rat Malai 1943–1945 Sandakan Death Marches 1942
Formation of Malaysia British Military Administration of Malaya / of Borneo 1945–1946 Crown Colony of N. Borneo 1946–1963 Crown Colony of Sarawak 1946–1963 Malayan Union 1946–1948 Federation of Malaya 1948–1963 Independence of Malaya 1957 Self-government of Singapore 1959 Self-government of North Borneo 1963 Self-government of Sarawak 1963 Formation of Malaysia 1963 Singapore in Malaysia 1963–1965 Federal Territory of KL 1974 Federal Territory of Labuan 1984 Federal Territory of Putrajaya 2001
Incidents Anti-cession movement 1946–1963 Malayan Emergency 1948–1960 Bukit Kepong incident 1950 Baling Talks 1956 Brunei revolt 1962–1966 Sarawak Communist Insurgency 1962–1990 Philippine claim over North Borneo 1962–present Philippine militant attacks in Borneo 1962–present Confrontation with Indonesia 1963–1966 Singapore race riots 1964 ASEAN Declaration (ASEAN) 1967 Brunei's claim over Limbang 1967–2009 Second communist insurgency 1968–1989 13 May Incident 1969 Ligitan and Sipadan dispute 1969–2002 Malaysian New Economic Policy 1971–1990 Malaysian haze crisis 1972–present Pedra Branca dispute 1979–2008 South China Sea islands dispute (Spratly Islands) 1980–present 1985 Lahad Datu ambush 1985 Memali Incident 1985 Operation Lalang 1987 Constitutional crisis 1987–1988 Financial crisis 1997–1998 Al-Ma'unah Incident 2000 Ligitan and Sipadan dispute 1969–2002 Bersih rally 2007 Anti ISA rally 2009 Bersih 2.0 rally 2011 Bersih 3.0 rally 2012 People's Uprising rally 2013 Lahad Datu standoff 2013 Anti-price hike rally 2013 Black-Out rally 2013 MAS MH370 Incident 2014 MAS MH17 Incident 2014 AirasiaQZ8501 Incident 2014 Bersih 4 rally 2015 2015 Malay Dignity rally 2015 Bersih 5 rally 2016
By topic Communications Economic Military
Malaysia portal

The Klang War or Selangor Civil War was a series of conflicts that lasted from 1867 to 1874 in the Malay state of Selangor. It was initially fought between Raja Abdullah bin Raja Jaafar, the administrator of Klang, and Raja Mahadi bin Raja Sulaiman. It was joined by Tengku Kudin (Tengku Dhiauddin, also spelt Ziauddin), as well as Chinese rival gangs. The war was eventually won by Tengku Kudin and Abdullah's son, Raja Ismail.

Background

In 1854, the sultan of Selangor Sultan Muhammad Shah appointed Raja Abdullah as Klang's administrator. Raja Abdullah and his brother Raja Juma'at had previously helped Raja Sulaiman pay a debt incurred during a failed mining venture, and was therefore rewarded with the chieftainship of Klang.^[1][2] Raja Mahdi (also spelt Raja Mahadi), Sultan Muhammad Shah's grandson and whose father Raja Sulaiman was the previous Klang's head, therefore became disinherited. Raja Abdullah and Raja Juma'at, who had opened very successful tin mines in Lukut, then obtained the finance to open tin mines near Kuala Lumpur in 1857. The success of the tin mines generated considerable revenues, and the struggle for the control of the revenues from the tin mines as well as political power were essentially the reasons for the war.^[3]

Sultan Muhammad died in 1857, and Sultan Abdul Samad took the throne after a power struggle. Sultan Abdul Samad however only controlled Langat and did not have absolute control over Selangor, which was then ruled by four chieftains in Bernam, Lukut, Klang and Kuala Selangor.^[2] When the disgruntled Raja Mahdi initiated the conflict, the Malays would split into two camps in the ensuing war. On Raja Mahdi side were Raja Mahmud, son of the Panglima Raja of Selangor; Raja Hitam of Bernam; groups of Sumatran settlers led by Mohamed Akib and his younger brother Mohamed Tahir. Raja Abdullah's faction included his son, Raja Ismail who continued the war after Raja Abdullah's death, later joined by Tengku Kudin and supported by the Sultan of Selangor. The Chinese tin miners were also divided between the two camps.

Some of the Malays however switched sides in the course of the war: for example Nonggok (later known as Haji Mohamed Tahir, who was appointed as the Dato Dagang of Kuala Lumpur and Klang by Sultan Abdul Samad) switched to Raja Abdullah's side; Syed Mashhor, an Arab-Malay fighter from Pontianak was originally on Raja Abdullah's side but switched to that of Raja Mahdi; and Raja Muda Musa of Kuala Selangor also went over to Raja Mahdi's side. In the later stages Tengku Kudin gained the support of British colonial administrators and fighters from Pahang.

Initial conflict

The entrance gate of the old fort of Raja Mahadi in Klang built in 1866 as a defense against Raja Abdullah. Today only the main gate and the earthen ramparts remain of the fort.

In 1866, Raja Abdullah leased Klang to two traders from the Straits Settlements: William Henry Macleod Read and Tan Kim Ching. Among the benefits of being a renter was tax collection from the opium trade, in which Raja Mahdi was involved.^[2] When the two traders went out to collect tax, Raja Mahdi was offended as he felt he was exempted from the tax, and refused to pay.^[3]

At that time there was also a long-standing animosity between the Bugis Malays (the Selangor royal family were of Bugis origin) and the Sumatran Batu Bara ethnic groups. Raja Abdullah, also a Bugis, refused to punish a member of the Bugis Malays he sent to guard Bukit Nanas who had murdered a villager from the Batu Bara ethnic group. The Batu Bara leader Mohamed Akib, then informed Raja Mahdi of the incident and said they would support him if he wanted to attack Raja Abdullah.^[4] Raja Mahdi, supported by the Sumatran traders, then laid siege to the fort of Klang (now known as Raja Mahadi fort). Mohamad Akib however was killed in 1867 while fighting inside the fort in the darkness one night, and his younger brother Mohamed Tahir later assumed leadership of the Sumatran Malays. Mohamd Akib's body together with several other slain Sumatran Malays were buried within the grounds of the fort, whose graves still remain there to this day.

Raja Abdullah evacuated with his family to Malacca, where he later died, while his two sons continued with the fighting. In March 1867, Raja Mahdi gained possession of the fort and control of Klang. One of Abdullah's sons, Raja Ismail, returned with three small ships to lay siege to Raja Mahdi, but was unable to take Klang.^[3]

Chinese Kongsi Involvement

When the Selangor Civil War broke out, Kapitan Cina Yap Ah Loy was faced with internecine fighting among dissident Chinese groups as well as attacks from Malay factions. The two largest Chinese gangs, the Hai San (based in Kuala Lumpur) and the Ghee Hin (based in the Kanching and Rawang area), had engaged in fighting to gain control of tin production in the town.^[5][6] The Chinese factions would eventually joined opposing sides in the civil war, with the Ghee Hin siding with Raja Mahdi, and the Hai San with Yap Ah Loy siding with Tengku Kudin.^[7]

At Kanching, the headman Yap Ah Sze who was an ally of Yap Ah Loy was murdered, most likely at the instigation of Chong Chong, another Hakka headman.^[8] Yap Ah Loy, the Chinese Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur, went to Kanching with his men to drive out Chong Chong, and many from the Kanching faction were killed. Chong Chong then took refuge in Rawang and joined Raja Mahdi's faction.^[2]

Yap Ah Loy initially stayed uncommitted in the Klang War, choosing to deal with whoever that was in power. After Raja Madhi took power in Klang, Raja Madhi had in fact organised a ceremony to formally invest Yap into the office of Kapitan in 1869. Later Tengku Kudin captured Klang, and Yap recognized the authority of Tengku Kudin after meeting him by chance in Langat.^[9] Chong Chong joined Syed Mashhor to attack Kuala Lumpur twice, but were unsuccessful both times.

Tengku Kudin enters the war

Tengku Kudin and Raja Ismail with Captain Powlett. H.M.S. "Avon".

In 1867, Tunku Dhiauddin Zainal Rashid, also known as Tengku Kudin, a prince from Kedah, married into the Selangor royal family. The Sultan appointed his son-in-law as Viceroy of Selangor to arbitrate between the warring parties, first on 26 June 1868.^[10][11][12]

Raja Mahadi however flatly refused the peace effort. Offended by Raja Mahdi refusal to acknowledge his effort, Tengku Kudin sided with Raja Ismail instead. In March 1870, Raja Ismail with help from Tengku Kudin then besieged Klang. Raja Mahdi, defeated, then retreated to Kuala Selangor, which he captured from Raja Musa with help from Raja Hitam. Syed Mashhor, who served under Tengku Kudin, was sent to Kuala Selangor to help Raja Musa but switched side after learning that his brother had been killed by a son of the Sultan.^[13] Raja Mahadi allied with Chinese in Kanching who were enemies of Yap, then attacked Kuala Lumpur in 1870 with the Malay forces led by Syed Mashhor, and again in 1871, but both attacks were unsuccessful.^[7][9]

Meanwhile, with disruption to the economy and trade in the British Straits Settlements, and concerns over security especially occurrences of piracy, the British became increasingly involved in the affairs of Selangor. In July 1871, due to an attack by pirates that was traced to Raja Mahdi's stronghold Kuala Selangor, the British attacked and captured Kuala Selangor, drove Mahdi's men out and then handed the town to Tengku Kudin.^[14] Kudin however refused to yield control of revenue from the town to Raja Musa who had previously ruled Kuala Selangor, which prompted Raja Musa to join Mahdi's side. The Sultan of Selangor, who had bestowed Langat upon Tengku Kudin to help him fund his war, also began to be concerned about the rising power of Tengku Kudin.^[2]

End of war

Tengku Dhiauddin's Secretariat.

In 1872, Raja Mahdi gained the support of a number of Malay chiefs, some of them members of Selangor Royal family. Leaders of Mandailing settlers in Selangor, Raja Asal and Sutan Puasa, also switched side to Raja Mahdi. Raja Mahdi's forces attacked Kuala Lumpur, and Raja Asal laid siege to Bukit Nanas where Tengku Kudin's forces 500 soldiers and various mercenaries including Europeans were stationed. The siege forced Tengku Kudin's men to try to escape, but they were captured in Petaling and killed. Yap Ah Loy managed to escape to Klang, but Kuala Lumpur was razed to the ground. Kuala Selangor was then captured by Raja Mahdi's forces.

Yap however was determined to recapture Kuala Lumpur, and assembled a force of around 1,000 men. Tengku Kudin also requested the help of Sultan of Pahang in 1872, and the Bendahara Wan Ahmad of Pahang sent him 1,000 men and other reserves in response. He also gained the support of the British colonial administrator Sir Andrew Clarke. In March 1873, Kudin's and Yap's men, with support from Pahang fighters, defeated Mashhor in Kuala Lumpur.^[3] The fighting went on for a few more months, and the capture of Kuala Selangor by the Pahang forces on 8 November 1873 largely ended the war. In 1874 Raja Mahdi was forced to leave for Johore and then Singapore, where he died in 1882.^[15]

Aftermath

Despite winning the war, Tengku Kudin was viewed with suspicion by the royal family of Selangor. Tengku Kudin's army from Pahang also refused to return to Pahang because they wanted to collect tax as payment for their service, and their refusal to leave made the situation worse for Tengku Kudin. The leader of the Pahang forces was allowed to collect the revenue of Kuala Selangor and Klang, while J. G. Davidson and others who helped funded Tengku Kudin were given favourable concession on mining land for ten years in Selangor.^[2] While the British through the new Governor Andrew Clarke was on Tengku Kudin's side, the post-war situation had weakened Tengku Kudin's support. Kudin remained the Viceroy of Selangor until 1878, but he had already left for Kedah by 1876, and later went on to live in Penang.^[16][17]

British Resident

A significant development in this period is the beginning of direct British involvement in the affairs of the Malay states. The British were concerned about the disruption caused by the war to their trade and investments in the region, eventually siding with Tengku Kudin, in part because Mahdi and some of his followers had attacked shipping in the Straits. Colonial Secretary James W. W. Birch voiced his support for Tengku Kudin and lent him a ship to blockade Kuala Selangor, and Governor Sir Harry Ord also encouraged Pahang to back Tengku Kudin with fighters.^[7] Previously the British had a policy of non-intervention even though they had at times become engaged in local disputes. This war and other conflicts such as the Larut War in Perak led to the official abandonment of this policy in September 1873 by the Earl of Kimberley, Secretary of State for the Colonies, and set into motion the beginning of British administration in the Malay States.^[18]

In 1875, Sultan Abdul Samad accepted James Guthrie Davidson, a lawyer from Singapore, as the first British Resident of Selangor. In October, Sultan Abdul Samad sent a letter to Andrew Clarke requesting that Selangor become a British protectorate.^[19][20] This came after the signing of the 1874 Pangkor Agreement with the Sultan of Perak that marked the beginning of a period of indirect rule of the Malay states by the British Residents serving as advisers to the sultans.^[21]

See also

• British Malaya

References

Further reading

• Zainal Abidin bin Abdul Wahid; Khoo Kay Kim; Muhd Yusof bin Ibrahim; Singh, D.S. Ranjit (1994). Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Menengah Sejarah Tingkatan 2. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. ISBN 978-983-62-1009-8
• 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. Malay States.
• Haji Buyong Adil; Sejarah Johor Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.