Malacca was a British Crown colony from 1946 to 1957. It came under British sovereignty after the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, and had been part of the Straits Settlements until 1946. During World War II, it was occupied by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945. After the post-war dissolution of the Straits Settlements, Penang and Malacca become Crown colonies in the Federation of Malaya while Singapore became a standalone Crown colony separate from Malaya. In 1955, Tunku Abdul Rahman held a meeting with the British to discuss the end of British rule in Malacca with a merger with Malayan Union (which was then replaced by Federation of Malaya). On 31 August 1957, when Malaya achieved its independence from the United Kingdom, Malacca was integrated as part of the federation, which lat