Tan Sri Koo Chong Kong

Both were honored by Great Britain and were among the 40 selected veterans who attended the London Victory Parade in June 8, 1946 parade. After the War, Chin Pen went on to lead a brutal Communist war from 1948 till 1960 where 10,000 people lost their lives.

On the other hand, Koo a quiet “hero” who also served in the MPAJA and British led Force 136 special agents, fought against his “boss” and paid the price when he was assassinated! Like Chin Peng, Koo was born in China but during the Sino-Japanese war had his first taste of communist violence when his capitalist family was exterminated by Chairman Mao’s army.

In Tan Sri Koo’s biography entitled “Bright Legacy” written by his grandchildren, tells the sad story of a noble Sarawak policeman. Koo’s grandfather was a prominent doctor whose family was mercilessly exterminated by the terrorists leaving Koo and his brother to fend for themselves.

However, Koo’s uncle who was a Christian missionary, was able to rescue two of the siblings and escaped to Malaya. Settling in Ipoh, Chong Kong studied at the Anglo Chinese School but at 16 left to join the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) during War. In 1943, Koo joined the Malayan Peoples Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) and enlisted as an interpreter with the British-led “Force 136” jungle fighters.

Koo’s eldest daughter Datin Rita Koo said in an interview that the communist friends tried to persuade him to join them but he refused. Instead, he helped the British and worked closely with High commissioner Sir Henry Gurney Koo and was a marked man. Rita said: “Several attempts were made on his life --- grenade thrown at him, he was hunted and chased all over town.”

He took a new name and even after he married decided to move to Kuching—far across the South China Sea, where he was employed as a cinema manager. In 1952 after the assassination of Henry Gurney at Fraser’s in Pahang, Koo decided to join the Sarawak constabulary.