Migration of Indians in Malaya during the Colonial Period

India has one of the world’s most diverse and complex migration history. The arrival, distribution and eventual settlement of Indians in South-East Asia are closely related to colonial history. British colonial dominance of the Indian subcontinent facilitated the movement of Indians to Burma, Malaya, Singapore, Thailand, Japan etc. In these countries they came as labouring classes with minority coming as businessmen and white-collar workers and many Indian revolutionaries escaped to these countries. Since the 19th century, ethnic Indians had migrated in Malaya. The movement and settlement of people from the India into Malaya began on large scale with the expansion of western colonialism and capitalism during the 19th and 20th centuries.