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Initials CAR/S/MK



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THE BIRTH OF MALAYSIA ON SEPTEMBER 16 WAS CELEBRATED THROUGHOUT MALAYA, SINGAPORE, SARAWAK AND NORTH BORNEO, AND THE NEW FLAG WAS RAISED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ALL THESE TERRITORIES TO THE ACCOMPANIMENT OF POMP AND PAGEANTRY.

IN KUALA LUMPUR, THE MALAYSIAN CAPITAL, MORE THAN 30,000 PEOPLE JAMMED THE FREEDOM STADIUM IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING TO WITNESS THE HISTORY-MAKING INAUGURAL CEREMONY.

ABOUT 700 MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN PARADED TO HAIL THE BIRTH OF THE WORLD'S NEWEST NATION. THEY STOOD OUT ON THE FIELD AND FORMED THE WORD "MALAYSIA."
THE KING AND QUEEN ATTENDED "AN EVENING WITH MALAYSIA", A CULTURAL SHOW WHICH WAS PART OF THE OFFICIAL PROGRAMME OF THE MALAYSIA DAY CELEBRATIONS. REPRESENTATIVES OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES, CABINET MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS WERE ALSO PRESENT.

THE ALL-IMPORTANT PROCLAMATION OF MALAYSIA HERE WAS POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER 17 TO ALLOW REPRESENTATIVES FROM SINGAPORE, SABAH (NORTH BORNEO) AND SARAWAK TO ATTEND.

IN SINGAPORE, THOUSANDS OF MALAYSIA DAY CROWD FLOCKED TO THE GIANT CARNIVAL GROUND WHERE THERE WAS GAIETY AND FUN. DOZENS OF CLOWNS ENTERTAINED BOTH YOUNG AND OLD, INCLUDING LADY NOOR AISHAH, WIFE OF THE HEAD OF STATE.

THE OFFICIAL CEREMONY AND PROCLAMATION ON THE CITY HALL STEPS WAS READ BY THE PRIME MINISTER, MR. LEE KUAN YEW, SOON AFTER THE HEAD OF THE STATE, MR. YUSOF BIN ISHAK, HAD INSPECTED A GUARD OF HONOUR.

BEHIND A BACKDROP OF A MALAYSIAN MULTITUDE MARCHING FORWARD HAND-IN-HAND, PREMIER LEE PROCLAIMED: "AS FROM TODAY, SEPTEMBER 16, SINGAPORE SHALL FOREVER BE A PART OF THE SOVEREIGN DEMOCRATIC AND INDEPENDENT STATE OF MALAYSIA."
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, PRESENT AT THE CEREMONY THEN CHEERED AS THE MALAYSIAN FLAG WAS RAISED FOLLOWED BY THE RELEASE OF THOUSANDS OF COLOURFUL BALLOONS.

ABOUT 6,000 PEOPLE OF ALL RACES IN SARAWAK WATCHED THE CEREMONY WHILE STRICT SECURITY PRECAUTIONS WERE TAKEN TO ??? POSSIBLE COMMUNIST DISTURBANCES, BUT ALL WAS QUIET.

REPRESENTATIVES FROM MALAYA, BRITAIN, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CANADA, INDIA, PAKISTAN, NORTH BORNEO, BRUNEI AND SINGAPORE WERE PRESENT.

A 21-GUN SALUTE FROM FORT MARGHERITA PRECEDED THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW HEAD OF STATE, DATU ABANG HAJI OPENG, WHO HAS TAKEN ILL IMMEDIATELY AFTER INSPECTING A GUARD OF HONOUR.

THE DECLARATION OF SARAWAK'S INDEPENDENCE WAS READ BY CHIEF MINISTER, MR. STEPHEN KALONG NINGKAN AFTER WHICH THE NEW STATE FLAG WAS RAISED AND THE STATE ANTHEM PLAYED.