The War of the Running Dogs
How Malaya Defeated the Communist Guerrillas 1948-1960
Noel Barber (1971)
A few years ago, when Chin Peng was requesting to the Malaysian Government, my friend PS had firm opinions about not allowing any of the communist henchmen to set their foot on our soil. After he had the first-hand experience enduring the atrocities of self-proclaimed independence fighters of the nation. Their endeavour for a free Malayan nation, of course, predates the return of the British to Malaya after World War 2. The hurried unceremonious exit, some say abandonment, of the colonies, stirred the nationalist spirit of the young nation. Members of CPM were actually British allies fighting the invading Japanese, and even Chin Peng was knighted. Turn of events after the Second World War put the Communist ideology minded 'freedom fighters' as terrorists (CT).The danger of communist ideology lurking in the society was there but was downplayed by the Chief of Police and the High Commissioner of Malaya then Edward Gent.
A series of daring attacks on English planters in Sungai Siput and adjacent areas made it mandatory for the British for recouping their resources to go all out to wipe out the spread of communist ideology in the country. The problem with fighting against CT is that cooperation from the general public was not forthcoming due to the extreme scare tactics and bloody, brutal, mindless slaying.
In actual terms, this emergency period (1948-60) is a civil war between two ideologies, but due to the escalation of insurance coverage of commercial merchandise, the word 'war' was never used. CTs refer to supporters of British administration as the colonial master's running dog, hence the name of the war.
For his oversight and inactivity, Edward Gent was relieved of his duties and sent home. Unfortunately, he succumbed to an aviation accident as the plane he was flying collided in London. One character who played the pivotal role in the fight against CT, I found through the book was Robert @ Bob Thompson. He was in the background with Henry Gurney and later General Gerald Templer with police operations. Many years later, he was knighted and helped the US in the Vietnam War. He, however, has no relations with Jim Thompson, the planter who disappeared in Cameron Highlands.
Reading through the pages, the author recreates the time when the country was lush green with vegetation, mist and flowers. It also reminisces the times when Coliseum Cafe in Kuala Lumpur was the place to be for stengahs (whisky and soda and water) and steak.
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| Too Chee Choo AKA C. C. Too |
It recollects the time when our Special Branch (SB) of Police was revered for its intelligence and dedication, something wanting more than half a century on. It highlights a certain Irene Lee, a detective in cheongsam who had a personal vendetta with the CT after her husband was killed by them. There was a time when she daringly infiltrated into the communist line to paralyse their courier line. SB went to great lengths to buy over a company, fill up a lorry with pineapple cans genuinely scheduled to be transported from Johore to Penang port and just to puncture in front the CPM clandestine office in Batu Road for SB to explore their office!
Then there is this character, C.C. Too, who is in charge of Psychological Warfare in the fight against CT. Money had always been the root as well as the panacea for all ills. Plush rewards certainly went a long way in persuading CT to turn over to the otherwise.
1951 and 1952 were the best years for Chin Peng and his band of man. With the chance assassination of Sir Henry Gurney at Frasier's Hill, General Gerald Templer was handpicked by Churchill to lead the helm, and it proved to be a turning point. The straight-backed disciplinarian and no-sense guy believed that the communist war was a psychological war. His high-handed method of uprooting villages overnight and cordoning them off in pre-determined areas (New Villages) may not appear humane at present context. We were talking about war times, and its end results justified the means. To lure these tappers and farmers away from their usual abode, they were cajoled with free land. The properties were obtained in the name of national security through the goodwill and excellent negotiating skills of the British from the Sultans of states.
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Sir Gerald Templer, featured on the cover of
TIME magazine, December 15, 1952.
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A quote from the book...
After losing food and supplies to CT, a visibly upset Templer was addressing a group of Chinese villagers within the cordoned new village. Angry with them for allowing CT to take their supplies, he told them they were a bunch of cowards. A Chinese translator was by his side to do the needful.
'You are a bunch of bastards,' shouted Templer; and an assistant who spoke Chinese listened carefully as the translator announced without emotion: 'His Excellency informs you that he knows that none of your mothers and fathers was married when you were born.' Templer waited, then pointing the finger at the astonished villagers to show who was the 'tuan', he added, 'You may be bastards, but you'll find out that I can be a bigger one.' Missing the point of the threat entirely, the translator said politely, 'His Excellency does admit, however, that his father was also not married to his mother.' I guess that is a classic case when a message is lost in translation.
Talking about Sultans, the Johore Sultan Abu Bakar was the colonial masters' favourite. They had easy access to the royal grounds at Bukit Serene where many fun-filled parties took place under the auspices of the fun-loving monarch.
Money has always been blamed as the root of all evil. But here, we find that money appeared as a panacea of all worries. Money splurged as a reward was instrumental in luring hundreds of starving and demoralised CTs out of the jungle and even turn turn-coats to expose their so-called comrades. Many joked that reward money awarded was too extravagant, sometimes more than a Government officer's monthly pay-check.
Along the fight against the tyranny of the communist in the countryside, in 1953, Malaya made it to the world headlines. A young communist lass, Lee Meng, was condemned to hang by the Malayan courts. She was defended by DR Sreenivasagam. Her plight was taken up by a young barrister Mrs PG Lim and appeal was made at Privy Council. The Hungarian government offered to swap a British spy for her but bluntly refused by Winston Churchill as he did not want to set a precedent for other communist countries to follow. Lee Meng was freed and exiled to the China. The British spy also was released unceremoniously.
One thing I find perplexing after reading book set in the pre-independence Malaya is the assertion by certain politicians and historians that Malaya was never conquered by the British. We were just assisted by the British. Well, doesn't administration of police, ensuring peace n the country, passing laws to locate and relocate people as is needed by the country, have differential status for professionals of the descendants of colonial master indicate that we were indeed colonised.
In the end, all the Malayans wanted was independence. CPM tried to achieve it via armed struggle whereas the English educated elitists and wealthy businessmen sought to achieve it through rubbing shoulders, a round of whisky and roundtable discussions. When 1957 came, CPM realised that they had lost a psychological war of ideology of which the English were master players!
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| Unresolved issue: 55 years after the end of Emergency, dependents of the 24 killed in 'Batang Kali massacre' or 'Britain's My Lai' are still seeking closure. http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2015/04/22/britains-highest-court-to-hear-msia-massacre-case/ |
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