Malaya

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26877, 1 November 1952, Page 6

Malaya

■ A report from Singapore (printed on 1 Tuesday) about a Communist ■ directive drastically changing policy is the most interesting news to come ; from Malaya for a long time. The I general trend of the several points in the directive is to change the i terrorists’ attitude towards the civil , population. “ Unnecessary loss to “ civilians ” is to be avoided; attacks i on security forces to obtain arms are still permissible, “ unless in these i “ attacks the public is likely to be ( “injured”; food collection “instead ’ “ of sabotage and intimidation ” is to be the “ primary task of the [ “ self-protection corps ”, Several hopeful conclusions may be drawn from this, all consistent with the encouraging reports that have come from Malaya in the last six months about better results in the long-drawn-out struggle against guerrilla terrorists. Perhaps the clearest point made by the directive is the Communists’ admission about the nature of their cause. Communist | propaganda has represented the terrorist movement in Malaya as a | national uprising, whereas from first to last it is a Chinese conspiracy to I impose on Malaya a regime far more [alien in character and ruthless in | purpose than British colonial I administration ever was. Very few ! 'Malays have joined the terrorists, as (indeed have relatively few of the [2,000,000 Chinese who form 40 per , cent, of Malaya’s population. There . is little appearance of a “national . “ liberation movement.” about civilian casualty figures (to April, 1 1952) showing that the bandits had killed 1942 civilians—l2so Chinese, i 221 Malays, 184 Indians and others, and 89 British. Most of the Chinese,

I Malay, and Indian civilian killings] |by the terrorists ‘have been for 'coercion—to obtain food, co-opera-]tion, sanctuary, or information—and Ito intimidate or punish villages or | persons who denied them. The ! terrorists’ cruelty has been abominlable; many victims have been [horribly mutilated. ■ One result of these deeds i committed in the name of a national [uprising has been to provoke placid, [peace-loving people into something [of a national uprising against the i terrorists. Evidence of this is [ provided by the thousands of [volunteers who have joined the [police, special constabulary, and the ; Malay Regiment, or who have [enrolled as village guards. Other (evidence is in the declarations l condemning the terrorist movement and pledging support of the Government by leaders of all communities and Malayan trade unions. The new directive both admits that the terrorists have sought to intimidate and coerce unwilling people, and tacitly acknowledges the force of the opposition that has been provoked.

Rough methods with Malaya’s native population having failed, the Communists will try smoother methods. It will be interesting to see what success they have. The movement for a Communist Republic of Malaya has never appealed to the Malays—the majority of the mixed population of Malaya—and few Malayan Chinese have participated directly. But there is no doubt that the Malayan Chinese have been the basis of the terrorists’ strength. Organised and directed by the People’s Movement, or Min Yuen, the terrorists had ramifications wherever there were Chinese who could be persuaded or frightened or otherwise induced to support the Communist cause. It was thought, however, that once the Malayan Chinese became convinced that the Government was winning the struggle to restore law and order, most of them would swing

. over to the Government’s side. When he was in London in June, ■ General Sir Gerais Templer, High ■ Commissioner for : Malaya, gave some heartening facts about pro- . gress in the campaign against terrorism. The vastly improved trend noticed by General Templer is confirmed by new facts given by General Sir Rob Lockhart, the Deputy-Director of Operations. Clearly the new and determined policy begun by General Sir Harold Briggs (who died in Nicosia this week), and continued by General Templer, is paying dividends. Attacks, sabotage, and slashings of rubber trees have fallen sharply since February; many terrorists of high level have been eliminated in the last three months; waning morale among the terrorists is indicated by an increasing number of surrenders. The new Communist directive indicates that the authorities’ success is paying dividends also among the civilian population. There is a lot of work ahead in both the military and political fields, and unfortunately the fall in rubber prices that has occurred this year threatens difficulties in the economic field. The blow has been cushioned by reserves built up during the

preceding boom; but in the long run a low price for rubber could lead to a general wage reduction which would present the Communists with a situation only too easy to exploit. But the situation at present is unquestionably highly encouraging to the authorities and servicemen and volunteers who have striven for more than four years to put down terrorism in Malaya, and to those who have worked under stress and danger to keep up Malaya’s valuable production. Their success is not complete; but progress towards it is measured by the fact that the considerable achievements of those on the side of law and order have forced the Communists to change their tactics.