By Shaun Ng
It was the typical day under the hot tropical sun as locals were busily carrying out their usual trading at the wet market.
Five ships with big square sails had sailed into the harbour. No one suspected anything. After all, ships arriving at the port of Melaka were a common sight. From the ships came several rowboats, with some strangely-dressed men.
When the boat docked, the Melakans gasped in surprise. These men had white faces! Their leader was one Sequeira.
Sultan Mahmud Shah met Sequeira and threw a welcome party for these strange-looking men. They were allowed to trade in Melaka.
But some traders did not like the Portuguese because they could no longer make as much money as before.
“We want to get rid of these Portuguese,” said Salim, a Tamil trader to the warrior, Tun Ishak. “We want your warriors to attack them.”
One fine day, a hundred Malay warriors rowed over to the Portuguese ships. They climbed aboard two of the ships and when the Portuguese saw their attackers, there was a big fight.
Sequeira escaped with the other three ships but he had to leave behind his other two ships which were already set on fire. The attackers also captured twenty of Sequeira’s men.
It had been two years since the Portuguese ships were attacked and Tun Ishak thought that maybe the Portuguese would not return. But one morning, Tun Ishak woke up and saw a crowd at the dock.
He rushed over with his warriors.
There anchored outside the harbour were eighteen Portuguese ships, their cannons pointed at the city.
The Portuguese commander, Alfonso de Albuquerque was furious that the Melakans had attacked Sequeira’s ships.
On the next day, the cannon fire of the Portuguese fell on the city like rain. The noise was loud like the sound of thunder. Hundreds of Melakans died and the city burst into flames.
The Malay warriors fought bravely using guns, blowpipes with poisoned darts, bows and arrows.
The Portuguese captured Chinese junk, and sailed it into the port. There was a crunching sound as the boat crashed into the bridge. The Malay warriors guarding it screamed in terror as they were being crushed.
The Portuguese soldiers leapt out and fired their rifles. Many from both sides died on that day but, in the end, the Portuguese won the battle. That was in 1511.