Perak, a state on the western shore…

Perak, a state on the western shore of the Malay Peninsula, had been discovered to be rich in tin, with the world’s richest alluvial deposits, in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

At the same time, Europe had entered an industrial revolution, creating a huge demand for tin.

The British as well as the Dutch have been active in the Malay states, each seeking to monopolize production of tin and other commodities.

However, the political atmosphere in Perak is sufficiently volatile to raise the cost of tin mining operations.

For instance, in 1818, Siam had ordered Kedah to attack Perak, where the lack of security had forced the British to protect the state in 1826.

As Perak had continued to increase its mining operations, it had suffered a shortage of labor.

Looking to solve the problem, Malay administrator Long Jaafar had invited the Chinese in Penang to work in Perak, particularly at Larut.

By the 1840s, Perak's Chinese population had exploded.

The new immigrants are more often than not members of Chinese secret societies, of which two of the largest are the Cantonese-dominated Ghee Hin and the Hakka-dominated Hai San.

These two groups regularly try to increase their influence in Perak, resulting in frequent skirmishes that are getting out of hand, to the point that even Long Jaafar’s son Ngah Ibrahim, the Menteri Besar (chief minister) is unable to enforce the rule of law.