TERRORISM IN MALAYA

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25550, 19 July 1948, Page 7

TERRORISM IN MALAYA

POLICE ATTACKS ON COMMUNISTS SPITFIRES STRAFE CAMP (Rec. 10 p.m.) SINGAPORE, July 17Police, in a dawn attack, killed two armed Chinese Communists in a camp near Kampar, 20 miles south of Ipoh. The police seized two Sten guns. They are pursuing the remainder of the band who escaped into the jungle. Spitfires to-day attacked an insurgent camp in North Malaya. Rocket strikes were made and the area strafed by cannon fire. The. target was in the middle of dense jungle and alongside a stream, where a moored boat was Visible. Terrorists to-day ambushed and shot dead a Gurkha lance-corporal and Wounded another near Kajang. The Gurkhas were returning from a sweep, in which they had arrested one armed Chinese, when they were fired on by a large number of terrorists. They charged, scattering the terrorists, but the lance-corporal was killed by Bren gun fire. The arrested Chinese esor was killed during the exchange. Police and troops of a Malay regiment yesterday killed two terrorists at Bentong, in West Pahang. The party surprised the terrorists in a hut, in which they found a rifle, an automatic carbine, and documents.

The police at Taiping arrested Ishak Bin Ha Mohamed, president of the Malay Nationalist party. The party is a Left Wing group advocating immediate self-government. He is the first important Malay arrested since the introduction of the emergency powers. Arms Shipments Stopped A European firm in Ipoh which imports firearms from Britain has been informed by its London agents that *he Ministry of Supply has stopped ®xport permits for Malaya. The agents claim that the Ministry has taken this action pending a decision 7. the Colonial Office. The firm claims that it has a waiting list of at least 150 Europeans and Chinese who Vant firearms. “piere is every indication that Malaya is only entering the first phase °f the Communist effort to disrupt the country’s economy before an attempt . ma^e to seize political control, so far as the terrorists are concerned, means the overthrow of the ije Times,” London. British military strength in Malaya vas at its lowest when the Communoffensive began in earnest. The •Police strength was and still is, far peiow that necessary to deal with the Pfesent situation. Although it is not possible to assess the numerical strength of the L-ommunists. it is known that there are any thousands, with thousands more Pying. to enter from Siam. All these terrorists are not Communists, but * support the Communist cause on mer oenary basis. Unfortuin Siamese place no obstacles hut ♦ i Way their entering Malaya, von* S. . energetic measures to pretheir re-entry into Siam.” TrS, t^ I *jy® rkers ’ Wages Increased.— dav 9®t"iehem Steel Corporation tothe pattern set by the grantii states Steel Corporation, and 13 an average wa?e increase of v an . hour to its 80,000 workers. York, July 17.