▁a ▁land ▁border ▁with ▁Indones ia ▁and ▁both ▁countries ▁share ▁many ▁aspects ▁of ▁their ▁culture , ▁including ▁mut ually ▁intellig ible ▁national ▁languages . ▁Pop ulations ▁have ▁long ▁moved ▁between ▁the ▁areas ▁which ▁make ▁up ▁the ▁modern - day ▁states . ▁Since ▁the ▁distinction ▁between ▁the ▁two ▁regions ▁emer ged ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁many ▁people ▁from ▁Java , ▁Kal im ant an , ▁Sum atra , ▁and ▁Sul aw esi , ▁which ▁are ▁located ▁in ▁modern - day ▁Indones ia , ▁migr ated ▁and ▁settled ▁in ▁the ▁Mal ay ▁Pen ins ula ▁and ▁in ▁Malays ian ▁Bor neo . ▁These ▁earlier ▁populations ▁have ▁mostly ▁effectively ▁or ▁partially ▁assim il ated ▁with ▁the ▁larger ▁Malays ian - Mal ay ▁community ▁due ▁to ▁religious , ▁social ▁and ▁cultural ▁similar ities . ▁Currently , ▁it ▁is ▁also ▁estimated ▁that ▁there ▁are ▁around ▁ 2 ▁million ▁Indones ian ▁citizens ▁in ▁Malays ia ▁at ▁any ▁given ▁time , ▁r anging ▁from ▁all ▁types ▁of ▁background s ▁including ▁a ▁significant ▁majority ▁of ▁labour ▁migr ants ▁alongside ▁a ▁considerable ▁number ▁of ▁profession als ▁and ▁students . ▁ ▁Netherlands ▁▁ ▁Indones ia ▁was ▁a ▁col ony ▁of ▁the ▁Netherlands ▁from ▁ 1 6 0 5 ▁until ▁ 1 9 4 5 . ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁many ▁Indones ian ▁students ▁studied ▁in ▁the ▁Netherlands . ▁Most ▁of ▁them ▁lived ▁in ▁Le iden ▁and ▁were ▁active ▁in ▁the ▁Per him po en an ▁Indones ia ▁( Ind ones ian ▁Association ).