IN the early hours of Dec 8, 1941, the quiet of Malaya was shattered as General Yamashita's 25th Japanese Army launched a daring amphibious assault at Kota Baru, Kelantan. This was the beginning of the Malayan Campaign, a brutal invasion that would soon unfold across the region.
The Japanese forces, composed of infantry divisions originally stationed in China, quickly advanced, seizing key locations such as Singora and Pattani in southern Thailand by the following day.
Notably, the Royal Thai army offered no resistance as the Japanese forces had already secured a tacit agreement to bypass their defensive positions. Their goal was clear: to seize the wealth of Malaya's abundant natural resources, including vital supplies of tin and rubber, and transport them back to Japan.
Meanwhile, the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) who were trained and armed by the British fought alongside the British forces against the Japanese invaders. After the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in Japan on Aug 6, 1945 followed by Nagasaki on Aug 9, 1945 by US Air Force bombers, Japan surrendered in Singapore on Aug 15, 1945.
After the Malayan Campaign, there was no local political party like Umno or the National Front. The political amity and enmity were purely between the Malayan Communist Party (CPM formed in 1930) and the colonial British Military Administration (BMA).
So MPAJA and the communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) with about 5,000 men were absorbed into the MCP (40,000 members) to fight for the independence of Malaya so that the rich natural resources of tin (80 per cent world output) and rubber (40 per cent world output) would be retained to develop the country.
INDEPENDENCE DECLARED
On Aug 16, 1948 at about 8.30am, some communists came on their bicycles to a rubber estate in Sungai Siput and fatally shot three British planters in their office. The fourth planter escaped as his vehicle broke down. So, the BMA declared a state of emergency called The Malayan Emergency.
After the Second World War in the Far East, nationalism was rising high to break off the yoke of colonialism. Indonesia obtained her independence from the Dutch colonists on Aug 17, 1945.
Meanwhile, India and Pakistan achieved their independence from Britain on Aug 15, 1947 following the partition of India. Malaya was keen to follow suit. The MCP was the only political party with a formidable force to fight for the independence of Malaya from the BMA.
After the formation of our local political parties under the Alliance Party in 1948, prolonged and relentless negotiations were made with the British government in London for independence.
With the final approval in London, independence was declared by our prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj on Aug 31, 1957 in the newly completed Merdeka (Independence) Stadium.
As a result, the MCP lost its rationale as a war of colonial liberation against the BMA. The insurgency ended with the surrender of the last group of communists in Teluk Anson district in 1958.
However, some others escaped and fled northwards to the Thai border. After a lull period of nil MCP activity, the prime minister declared the end of the Malayan Emergency on July 31, 1960.
RENEWED WAR
Meanwhile, the success of the Vietnamese communist victory over the French colonists in Dien Bien Phu in North Vietnam in May 1954, and subsequently against the corrupt government in Saigon in South Vietnam in the 1960's, inspired the MCP to fight on with the hope of administering Malaya.
The resurgence of the MCP insurgency was strongly supported by China and Vietnam to spread their communist ideology. They had also developed new guerrilla tactics from their counterparts in the two Vietnam wars.
Upon re-consolidation and re-organisation of the MCP, their leader Chin Peng renewed their insurgency war against the Malaysian government in 1968 to coincide with their 20th anniversary of starting the First Malayan Emergency.
On June 17, 1968, the MCP ambushed our security forces at the Kroh-Betong road in northern Perak. This started the Second Malayan Emergency. The MCP thought they could copy their Vietnamese counterparts to take over the government of Malaysia.
The vision for Malaysia's defence and development strategy was boldly shaped by Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, then deputy prime minister and defence minister. He introduced the revolutionary concept that "security and development go hand in hand", believing that winning the hearts and minds of the people was essential to overcoming insurgency.
This idea laid the foundation for what would become known as the "people's war", where civic action projects played a central role in both military strategy and national development.
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
From 1966 onward, this long-term strategy was woven into the fabric of Malaysia's Five-Year Plans, which focused on economic growth and infrastructure development even as the insurgency raged on.
Many of these projects were carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD) and army engineers, with funding from the World Bank. Among the most ambitious was the construction of the 125-kilometer East-West Highway, completed in 1970.
Connecting Jeli in Kelantan to Grik in Perak, this highway served not only as a critical infrastructure link but also as a strategic defense measure, denying communist forces access to and from their sanctuary along the Thai border. Security for the highway was provided by our soldiers, with artillery guns placed at key locations to harass enemy movements.
Other major projects, such as the North-South Highway, Temengor Dam, Pedu Dam, Muda Dam, and Kenyir Dam, supported Malaysia's growing needs for power generation, agriculture irrigation, and water supply.
As a newly graduated civil engineer from Universiti Malaya in 1969, I was honoured to contribute to these vital efforts, working closely with both the armed forces and the PWD on infrastructure projects during the country's ambitious development plans from 1970 to 1985.
As part of the civic action projects, our army engineers played a key role in national development by constructing vital infrastructure, including several roads and bridges. Notably, they built the Temerloh Bridge in January 1971, a significant achievement.
Other important projects included a 36-kilometre road connecting Merapoh to Gunung Tahan National Park in Pahang, a six-km 6-kilometer road in Kampung Pek, Kelantan, and a 600-metre Rifle Range in Kelantan, designed for weapon training and zeroing during counter-insurgency operations.
The Rifle Range was officially opened in July 1987 by His Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak, who also served as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Engineers.
In support of our ground troops, we deployed our combat engineers for counter-insurgency operations by infantry divisions and brigades in the various areas of operation. Even our war dogs were deployed to track the communists location and food dumps in the jungle.
Fortunately, the Malayan population was multiracial, multicultural and multi-religious, and could not accept the atheistic ideology of the communists. With the legislation of the Federal Citizenship Regulations 1948, many citizenships were approved for suitably qualified descendants of migrants in the country by Operation of Law. The approved citizens experienced a new sense of belonging and ownership with a stake in the country. Hence, their support for the government against the communist ideology.
GOODWILL EFFORT
Besides the morale support from China and Vietnam, the MCP did not have any logistical support and had to rely on local resources. To cut off the local support of manpower and to starve them from food supplies, about 500 thousand families in the rural areas were forcibly relocated and isolated into 480 new village settlements under General Briggs' strategy called the Briggs Plan in June 1950.
As this strategy was successful in Malaya, it was copied in South Vietnam, but was unsuccessful due to their homogenous population who were happy to support the communists to get rid of their corrupt government.
In an unprecedented historic event on May 29, 1974, prime minister Tun Abdul Razak made a goodwill visit to Chairman Mao Tse-tung of China as the first member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to forge peace in Southeast Asia despite their communist ideology. Malaysia and China then established good diplomatic relations and increased trade between each other.
Following China's shift in foreign policy in November 1978, president Deng Xiaoping made a historic visit to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. By 1980, he had urged the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) to seek peace with the Malaysian government, signalling the end of China's support for the insurgents.
With many communists killed, captured, or having surrendered, and with Malaysia emerging as a prosperous "Asian Tiger", the struggle was no longer viable for the MCP. Encouraged by China, the MCP finally agreed to a ceasefire.
The peace process was formally facilitated by Thai authorities, in collaboration with Malaysia, culminating in the signing of the peace treaty at the Lee Gardens Hotel in Hat Yai, Thailand, on Dec 2, 1989.
The MCP was disbanded and its members returned to civilian life under special conditions. After more than 40 years of relentless conflict, the communist insurgency had failed to overthrow the Malaysian government, bringing lasting peace and freedom to the nation.
As Malaysia celebrates the 50th anniversary of its diplomatic ties with China, we reflect on the pivotal role China's leadership played in urging the MCP toward peace. This momentous shift not only ended a long and bloody conflict, but also paved the way for our country's continued growth and stability — an enduring testament to the power of diplomacy and strategic vision.
"Peace is not the absence of war but the presence of friendship".
This article, written by Ingenieur Lt-Col Raymond Goh Boon Pah KMN (Royal Engineers Veteran), commemorates the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China Friendship and the 35th anniversary of peace and freedom in the country.