Chin Peng Warns Malaysian Government

The New Straits Times has reported that Ong Boon Hua, who has been denied entry into Malaysia, has given the Malaysian Government one month to respond to his application to return to this country, or he would take his case to the International Court of Justice and European Court of Justice.

Incidentally, in case you are wondering who the hell this Ong Boon Hua is, well he’s none other than Chin Peng, the former leader of the now-dismantled Communist Party of Malaya. His counsel Darshan Singh Khaira, issued this warning to the Malaysian authority and gave it till May 28 to respond.

Some years ago, following a negotiated peace settlement between the CPM and the Malaysian authorities, the communist insurgents renounced it armed struggle against the government of Malaysia, while in return they were promised settlement back in Malaysia as the citizens they have always been (though partaking in illegal armed activities against the state for years).

However, many in the Malay community have objected to the resettlement agreement for Chin Peng, a man they still view as an enemy who had been responsible for the deaths of Malay soldiers.

However, some Malays who were members of the CPM have been allowed as per the peace agreement to settle down nicely within the Malaysian community. Their resettlements have met with no objection from the public. All Chin Peng wanted is probably to die in peace in his home town of Sitiawan. He is no longer a threat to the security of Malaysia, as evident by the fact of his former CPM Malay colleagues being allowed to re-settle in the country.

In this shameful display of double standards the antagonism towards Chin Peng seems to be one of racism (against his Chinese-ness) rather than his insurgent activities. I have blogged before on how Malays view Chinese Malaysians with great suspicion as potential communists, principally because of their Chinese-ness in Anti-Terrorist Racial Profiling - Aussie Law Rules!.

Actually many Malays aren’t aware that Chinese Malaysian armed forces and police personnel had not only participated in the war against the Communist insurgents but some perished as well. I would dare say the critical factor for our victory against the communists had been the sterling role in intelligence by the Police Special Branch, then staffed mainly by Chinese Malaysians – you know, the old ‘fight fire with fire’, thus fight Chinese communist with Chinese SB officers.

Two Chinese Malaysian Special Branch inspectors were awarded the nation’s highest gallantry honours, the Sri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) (Warrior of Extreme Bravery), akin to the British Victoria Cross or the US Congressional Medal of Honour. They are former Superintendent Paul Kiong and Deputy Superintendent Sia Book Chee.

In 1981, they were then inspectors with the Special Branch in Ipoh. Both infiltrated the CPM who were operating in the deep jungle. The official records have them capturing the terrorists alive as well as engaging in direct confrontation with them. But more closer to the truth, those in the know said they lived and operated with the CPM for a couple of years, sending back first hand intelligence and basically sabotaging the CPM's operations.

To the communists these two heroes were really the musuh dalam selimut - translated literally as enemy under the blanket or more correctly, the authority's deep cover agents within the CPM. They deservedly won their gallantry awards, not through one mad adrenalin-packed rush up the hill blazing away with their weapons, but through a horrendous nerve-wrecking life (for nearly two years) with the insurgents - eating, sleeping, operating, talking and breathing with them, when at any point they could have been discovered and mercilessly executed if not tortured. What state of agonies and apprehensions they would have undergone?

Kiong was additionally awarded Perak s highest bravery award in 1988 for three other operations. He retired as a superintendent in 1997. Sia retired and became a practising lawyer. If one were to rate warriors of valour, put these two among the very top.

An old timer told me that the Panglima Gagah Berani (or more commonly known as the Pingat Gagah Berani or Pahlawan Gagah Berani) (PGB), deemed perhaps as the No 2 medal of valour was also awarded to Second Lieutenant David Fu Chee Ming of the 4th Battalion Royal Rangers.

Like the two inspectors he was operating in hotspot Perak, to track and destroy the enemy in his sector of operation. On 27th August 1970, his platoon of 24 men made contact with a group of about 70 communist insurgents. Thus started a heavy and intensive battle lasting 7 hours. Under his unwavering leadership, the men fought on, successfully killed 4 of the enemy. His patrol did not suffer any casualties.

The same old timer also told me two TUDM (Royal Malaysian Air Force) pilots, Lt Chang Tatt Min and Lt Choo Yoke Boo were also awarded, sadly, posthumously, the PGB for their dedicated and valiant participations in the mid-1970s in a heavy campaign near the Malaysian-Thai border against the insurgents. They perished in that campaign.

If you read how Malaysiakini reader Ishak Abd Rahman warned Chinese Malaysians, in response to the recent complaint by MCA MP Loh Seng Kok's about our nation’s historical revisionism which I posted in MCA MP warned by UMNO and PAS!, you would wonder either how fast he forgets or how little he knows about his nation’s history!