The Melaka Sultanate and its relationship with "Pirates"

Abstract

This thesis attempts to study the relationship between the Melaka Sultanate and so-called "pirates" or Orang Laut in the pre-Portuguese period (15th-early 16th Centuries). They were known as a group of sea nomads who caught fish, roamed the seas, and had no permanent settlements. Moreover, what leads me to conduct this thesis was their reputation as "pirates" who robbed vessels sailing to the Straits of Melaka, the Riau-Lingga archipelago, and Singapore for trade. At the present, the Orang Laut is known as agroup of indigenous, almost primitive tribes, who has no status within many Southeast Asian nations. The Melaka Sultanate and the Orang Laut could co-exist. The prosperity of Melaka port was actually supported by the roles of the Orang Laut. Therefore, pre-European "pirates" and port relationships were not necessarily oppositional. In the case of the Melaka port and the Orang Laut, their relationship was symbiotic and constructive. This symbiotic relationship could be seen in many forms under the political, socio-economic contexts, and also regarding the security issue at that time.