Current Time in Kuala Lumpur

Until the end of 1981, Peninsular Malaysia ran half an hour behind Sabah and Sarawak, at UTC+7:30. On January 1, 1982, the government moved the peninsula forward to UTC+8 so the whole federation would share one clock. Singapore followed on the same day.

The effect is still visible in the sky. Kuala Lumpur lies at about 101.7° east, closer to the UTC+7 meridian, so the sun rises late: around 7:00 AM all year, with sunsets after 7:00 PM.

Because neither Malaysia nor its neighbors change clocks, flight, ferry and meeting schedules across Southeast Asia stay at the same clock hours all year.

UTC+8 is the most populous offset in the world, so many calls from Kuala Lumpur need no arithmetic at all: Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Manila and Perth all match. Bangkok and Jakarta are one hour behind and Tokyo one hour ahead.

Western partners move one hour closer in their summer. New York is thirteen hours behind in January and twelve in July. The SGT to EST converter gives the hour grid for UTC+8 against Eastern Time.

Sabah and Sarawak, on Borneo, lie far to the east and were already on UTC+8 before 1982, so the change only moved the peninsula. On the east coast in Kota Kinabalu the sun rises around 6:00 AM, while in Penang on the west coast it rises after 7:00 AM, even though the clocks match. Malaysia's National Metrology Institute (SIRIM) keeps the country's reference time.