East Indies Philippine independence. The East Indies may also include the former French-occupied Indochina, former British territories Brunei and Singapore and former Portuguese East Timor. It does not, however, include the former Dutch New Guinea western New Guinea (West Papua), which is geographically considered to be part of Melanesia. The inhabitants of the East Indies are almost never called East Indians, distinguishing them both from inhabitants of the Caribbean (which is also called the West Indies) and from the indigenous peoples of the Americas who are often called "American Indians." In colonial times they were just "natives". However, the peoples of the
East Indies theatre of the French Revolutionary Wars to Macau. After seeing his charges into harbour in December, Captain Edward Cooke investigated Manila himself in "Sybille", accompanied by "Fox". There he discovered the weak state of the Spanish squadron. Other British ships were operating in the East Indies: in July 1797, "Resistance" and a force of EIC troops captured Kupang on Timor but were subsequently driven off by an armed uprising by the Malay citizens of the town. In the street fighting 13 British troops and 300 Malays were killed. "Resistance" was subsequently lost on 24 July 1798, accidentally destroyed with more than 300 of its crew in