Friday, 21 June 2013

Has the World forgotten the Malayan Emergency?

Source: Wikipedia
Malaya was the 'domino that didn't fall' to Communism, and most people who were not there (or who do not know of someone who was there), do not seem to know about it.  Yet most people have heard of what happened in Vietnam in the following decades.  During the Malayan Emergency the casualty statistics (according to Wikipedia) were:

Monday, 17 June 2013

16 June 1948 - 3 murders start the Malayan Emergency

Image copyright Roll-of-Honour.com
Just after 8'o'clock in the morning on Saturday 16th June 1948, Arthur Walker, Edinburgh-born manager of the isolated Elphil rubber estate near Sungei Siput, arrived back at his office.   He had just finished his morning inspection of the estate. 

Twenty minutes later three young Chinese rode up to the office on bicycles.  One was heard to say 'Tabek Tuan' (Greetings Sir) and Walker cheerfully replied.  A few seconds later two shots rang out and he was dead, shot through the heart and chest.  The Chinese calmly left.