KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 31 -- Before Malaya had even become independent, it was already building the place where independence would be declared.

The foundation stone for Stadium Merdeka was laid in February 1957, months before the country was due to end British rule.

Construction was accelerated and the stadium was completed in just six months, opening on August 30 - one day before Merdeka.

The following morning, it became the stage for one of the defining moments in the country's history.

At Stadium Merdeka, Malaysia's first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman proclaimed the independence of the Federation of Malaya.

It was an appropriate beginning for a country about to embark on a very different kind of construction project.

Over the nex...