Malayan Terrorists Increase Killings

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22822, 17 December 1948, Page 5

Malayan Terrorists Increase Killings

(11 a.m.) SINGAPORE, Dec. 16.

The news of Communist successes in China has undoubtedly emboldened the Chinese Communists in Malaya, a senior security officer in Singapore said today. Last week over 65 persons died as a result of an intensification of the terrorist campaign, including one senior British police officer, two British police sergeants and one ex-American naturalised Briton, who was brutally murdered. The terrorists lost 50 killed. The China successes have also influenced the general Chinese population in Malaya, the security officer said- They are again tending to withhold information because of fear of ultimate Communist success.

It is six months today since the Communists embarked on a campaign of terrorism by murdering three Britons near Ipoh. The murder of an exAmerican welfare worker, Mr. Blake, this week, brought the total Europeans killed to 25.

The British police officer in charge of the Tampin police district in Negri Sembilan, Mr. B. F. S. Cooper, was killed in a battle with bandits near Batang, Malacca, 45 miles south of Seremban today.

At least eight bandits were killed in the engagement and three Malay police wounded.

Mr. Cooper was killed leading an attack by 15 Malay policemen. The police recovered the bodies of five terrorists and saw the bandits carrying three others away.