The Malaya Tribune

The Malaya Vilakkam, also subtitled The Malaya Tribune (Tamil Edition), was published in Singapore for about three months, from 27 September 1914 to 25 December 1914. It served as an abridged Tamil version of the English daily, The Malaya Tribune. With the outbreak of World War I in July that year, Tamils who did not speak English sought news about the war, prompting the issue of the Malaya Vilakkam to provide translations and coverage. At the time, it appears to have been the sole Tamil newspaper published in Singapore.

Chesney Duncan, the editor of The Malaya Tribune, initially published a Malay edition in 1914, translating war news into Malay. Later, in response to the Tamil community's request, he introduced the Malaya Vilakkam. The newspaper was published from the same address, 20A-20C Collyer Quay, as The Malaya Tribune, with two pages, at three cents. However, starting from 5 October 1914, it expanded to four pages and cost five cents. In addition to war news, the Malaya Vilakkam featured a wide range of content, including editorials, essays, columns, local news, and foreign news. Despite advertising for subscriptions daily for three months, the Malaya Vilakkam ceased publication on 25 December 1914, with the announcement that it was discontinuing due to insufficient support from the Tamil community.



For more Information 
“‘Ourselves.” Malaya Tribune. 29 September 1914, 6. (From NewspaperSG) 

தமிழில் வாசிக்க

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.