Malaysia is the
only country in the World to have defeated a communist insurgency which
lasted from (1948–1960) known as the first Emergency The second
Emergency (1968-1989) was at the heels of America's hurried withdrawal
from Saigon in April 1975 after the dramatic collapse of the South
Vietnamese government. The television images of the last American
soldiers clinging to helicopters of the waiting Seventh Fleet shocked
the world. Was the much touted domino theory coming true ? The
Americans believed that a communist victory in Vietnam would lead to a
chain reaction in neighboring states. That fortunately did not happen. I
was then a Captain and saw first hand the landing of the first exodus
(a prelude to thousands) of Vietnamese Refugees landing on our shores
in the east coast states. Many drowned when their rickey overloaded
fishing boats capsised in the rough seas of the Gulf of Thailand and
the South China Sea. Those who survived this ordeal fell victim to
marauding pirates, who robbed, raped and killed them at will. Only the
very lucky ones survived to reach our shores and had harrowing tales to
tell.
Some of the first Vietnamese refugees to land at the beach in Kuala Trengganu (photo by Capt.Idris)
The
main lesson we learnt in Malaya but which the Americans and South
Vietnamese seem unable to comprehend in their handling of the war is
that you cannot bomb communism out of existence. It just cannot be done.
Carpet bombing, Napalm and Agent Orange not only failed to make any
significant difference on overall success of the war, but were in stead
counter productive. Often when a misdirected bomb kills and maims
innocent civilians especially women and children, it will turn thousands
against you. The iconic photo of Phan Thi Kim Phuc a then nine years
old Vietnamese girl tearing off her clothes and running naked on the
road after being burnt by napam dropped by South Vietnamese Air Force earned the ire of the world.
A naked Kim Phuc running from her just-napalmed village.
To
win the war against the communist we had to strive for the people's
support. When it is given, this would be rewarded; where it is not, the
attending population pockets are to be isolated from the insurgents.
Success would further be assured when flexible and aggressive tactics
are employed against the insurgents. This may necessitate taking the war
to the enemy strong holds so that the preferred areas are never safe
for the insurgents.
During
the first emergency in Malaya we employed the the Briggs plan initiated
by Lt-Gen Sir Harold Briggs, a Burma-campaign veteran. By June 1950,
4.000,000 squatters living along jungle fringes throughout the country
were resettled in well-guarded new villages. Initially an unpopular but
necessary action. This effectively cut them off from the insurgents who
depended on them for food, clothing and information. It was the Briggs
plan that broke the back of the communists, forcing them deeper into the
jungle only to be hunted down by the security forces jointly made up of
the Malayan Army, the Police and the Commonwealth forces.
The
older generation will remember the speech on April 19, 1960 by the then
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah who told the
assembled House of Parliament that the Emergency (1st Emergency) would
be officially declared over on July 31, 1960. The King added: " The debt
which the people of this country owe to the security forces of both
Malayan and the Commonwealth, for their sustained and courageous effort
over the 12 years of the Emergency cannot be over-emphasised. "
Thousands of Commonwealth forces namely the British,Gurkha,Australian,Rodesian,Fijian
and New Zealand soldiers fought along side us with great velour. Many
were killed and lie in distance Commonwealth War Cemeteries far
away from home. As we enjoy the peace and tranquility in our country,
lets spare a thought for all these brave men who sacrificed their lives so that we today have the the freedom to live the lives we want.
We
won the war largely because we succeeded in wining the hearts and minds
of the people. We gave hope to the law abiding people of this country
seeking a better future, an independent Malaya, which belonged to all
races in the country and we delivered.
|
Let us not get carried away here. The period 1969 - 1989 can not be termed as Second Emergency as emergency laws were not declared. It was basically mopping out a tired, demoralised and malnourished on the run communists. Had our forces be more diligent and effective in conducting operations the remnants of the CPM, CPM RF and CPM ML would have been wiped out much earlier than the peace treaty signed in 1989. And another thing. The glaring difference between Vietnam and Malaysia was that the population of South and North Vietnam were Vietnamese and none other. As such the patritism for unification was great as it represented a single race. In comparison the commies in Malaya were majority Chinese. How do you want to win a war with the Malays,Indians and other races not on your side. The second factor is that the Vietcong had support from the NVA and they in return had support from Red China where as in Malaya the the commies had no support from a regular army much less a Commie power/nation. On the other hand Malaya was supported by UK and its Commonwealth allies in its war against communism.. So let us not be too euphoric about our victory over the CPM nor the ability of our Armed Forces. The recent Lahad Datu debacle only starkly reminds me how unprofessional our ATM has become!