The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

248 REVIEW ARTICLES
at Malacca and Parameswara, the local chief, took the opportunity to
ask for protection from the Emperor by saying that be "was aware of
his duty and desired that his country should be considered a district of
the empire, in return for which he would offer annual tribute" (Paul
Wheatley, The Golden Khersonese, page 308). This theme of protection
will be developed in the next section. Incidentally this section and
the one following are printed almost as first drafted and interpretation
of the evidence differs somewhat from that in section 20 (pp. 308-16).
24. PROFESSOR WOLTERS' SECOND BOOK
Historians of Malaya never seem to tire of writing about the
founders of Singapore and Malaya. They do it ad nausea tum. The reason
of course is that some wit has stated that Malaya bas no history before
the foundation of Malacca. This may be true for all I know if we take
Malaya to be limited by the present political boundaries, but if we
broaden the scope to cover the Peninsula, then the statement is definitely
false. Unfortunately historians of Malaya have gratuitously given away
their evidence to Java and Sumatra, and of course jig-saw pieces will
simply not fit if the game is played on the wrong table. So we have
Dutch wits writing about a Sumatran period in Javanese history, and
a Javanese period in Sumatran history, when they should write about
a Malayan period in South Sumatran history, and a Malayan period in
Central Javanese history. Such is the history of Sri Vijaya. This started
with I-Ching in the 7th century and ended six centuries later with
Chandrabanu in the 13th. A century or even two might be added to
either end, but not convincingly because the Sri Vijaya story is based on
the control of the Malacca Straits, and this control started with !-Ching's
evidence when be said that "Mo-lo-yu has now become San-fo-tsi," and
ended with Chandrabanu when the two parts, Sumatra and the Peninsula,
became separated.
Wolters' book d!'lals with the period just before and just after the
end of the 14th century. It is about the founder (not founders) of both
Sin~apore ang M&l~cc~:~.. Bis CMe is oase