Malaysia celebrates 65th Independence Day with parades

Malaysia celebrates its 65th Indepence Day on Wednesday in the capital of Kuala Lumpur, with over 20,000 people taking part in parades that involved flag-waving uniformed personnel and military vehicles.

The Southeast Asian nation, known then as Malaya, was freed from British colonial rule in 1957 before taking on the name Malaysia in 1963 when the country's peninsular joined with Singapore along with its Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneo island.