British Malaya is an area around the Malay Peninsula and Singapore Strait that was colonized by the British . British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries . Unlike the term `` British India '' , which excludes the Indian princely states , British Malaya is often used to refer to the Malay States under indirect British rule as well as the Straits Settlements that were under the sovereignty of the British Crown .