 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).