Kawalan Imigresen di Tanah Melayu, 1874-1941 (Immigration Control in Malaya, 1874-1941)

Abstract

The signing of the Pangkor Agreement on January 20, 1874 marked the commencement of British intervention in Malaya, coinciding with the initiation of British oversight over immigration affairs in the region. Under the stipulations of the Chinese Immigrants Ordinance of 1877, the Chinese Protectorate was established as the pioneering administrative body tasked with managing immigration from China. Concurrently, the British regulated the entry of Indian immigrants through the enactment of the Indian Immigration Ordinance in 1884. With the onset of the First World War, immigration control at Malaya’s borders was rigorously enforced by the British via the implementation of the Aliens Restriction (Seamen) Regulations of 1916, which encompassed all immigrants groups entering the territory. Based on primary and secondary sources, this paper will analyze the forms of immigration control implemented by the British and the factors that caused changes in these forms based on their developmental stages. Research was done on the issues and factors involving changes in immigration control from 1874 until the outbreak of the Second World War. The study found that the forms of immigrations control introduced by the British were driven by economic factors, subsequently leading to considerations of security, political and social factors. This paper concludes that these factors strongly influenced the shaping of immigrations control implemented by the British in Malaya.