Yes, in fact, the practice was introduced to the local Malayan populace in the-then British-Malaya during the 19th-century by the Siamese, and has become the de rigeur method of eating rice (on plates) here ever since.
The practice of eating with fork and spoon was started by King Chulalongkorn of Siam (modern-day Thailand), who reigned from 1853 to 1910. In popular culture, the prince, Chulalongkorn, would be seen in the 1956 film version of “The King & I” as the eldest son of King Mongkut (portrayed by Yul Brynner).
Oddly, in the movie, Yul Brynner was seen eating with chopsticks - the Siamese never use chopsticks, as it’s culturally alien to them.
Using fork and spoon is the most common way of eating in Penang, and all over Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, etc. today. All thanks to King Chulalongkorn.
Among the Straits-born Chinese, or Baba-Nyonyas, the indigenous population of the Straits Settlements (Penang, Malacca and Singapore), the use of chopsticks is traditionally identified with ancestor worship, i.e. chopsticks in a household is often kept for the purpose of use on the altar when displaying food offerings to the spirits of our ancestors during Chinese New Year or Qing Ming.
But on a daily basis, we do not use chopsticks when eating at home, only forks and spoons when having rice, served on dinner plates.
