The Malayan Postal Administration in the Dutch East Indies during the Japanese Occupation 1942-1945

Philatelists interested in the philately of the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, Malaya, and the Republik Indonesia have long been aware that Malayan stamps were used for several years on Sumatra during WW II. Much less known is that parts of the former Dutch East Indies (the Riau Islands) were incorporated into Malaya during the war and were part of the Malayan postal service for the entire war period, using stamps, stationery, cancellations, etc. of the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

Because this area of philately is often not considered Dutch, Malayan, or Indonesian, it has been largely undocumented and forgotten. Case in point, the Malayan stamps used in the Riau Islands were not included in the Dai Nippon catalogue of the Dutch East Indies until 5 years ago. This book attempts to document this neglected part of postal history.

The Japanese had decided early on in 1942 that Malaya and Sumatra should be administratively united. A detailed plan was drawn up for a united postal service headquartered at Singapore.

This plan which was set in motion in April 1942, included common tariffs, stamps, cancellations, routines, etc. This book describes the plans and what became of them. It describes in detail the use of Malayan stamps on Sumatra, the establishing of a common postal service, standardisation of routines, etc.

The postal services in the Riau Islands are also discussed in detail with specific chapters on the Riau Archipelago, Karimon Islands, Lingga Archipelago, and Anambas, Natuna and Tambelan Islands during this period.

The book is the result of many years of research, including finding and reviewing the sparse literature, examining many collections in Japan, Indonesia, and the Netherlands, and spending countless hours at the Dutch National Archive. The book contains many examples of rarely seen material, as well as historical photographs.