in the Malayan Jungle
pp. 18-158 · Read in the full issue
TOO LITTLE, AND PROBABLY TOO LATE —
Fiji’s Good Men Are Wasted in the Malayan Jungle
By R. W. ROBSON, from Singapore
The task upon which the Fiji Battalion is engaged here calls for great “intestinal fortitude”—in both a physical and moral sense—but the thing which really breaks the hearts of officers and men is not a jungle condition. It is political and Chinese.
TipHE Battalion is patrolling a large JL section of Northern Johore. By tenacity, superb junglecraft and a capacity for being always on the job, these Fijians are the masters of the CT’s (Communist Terrorists).
Like tigers, they “Hunt and Kill” (that is the name of their Regi mental news-sheet); and their record of kills surpasses that of all the other 21 battalions out here in the jungle.
The CT’s give the Fiji boys a very vide berth. While the Fijians hunt and kill, the Terrorists shoot and run—and even the Battalion dogs (every Company out in the jungle has a big Alsatian, trained to track town any CT whose path they cross) have difficulty in catching up with them.
Given a fair chance, the Fiji Battalion (and most of the other Battalions who are doing such fine work in this rubber-enclosed hell hole) would clean up this situation in a matter of weeks. But the soldiers, despite their, high spirit, efficiency and courage, are consist ently held back by the politicians and defeated by the resident Chinese.
This country is inhabited by four classes—the Malays, who are the aborigines, and do not count for much; the Indians, who are numer ous and prominent but not domin ant; the Chinese, who are by far the more numerous, and who are coming in; and the Europeans, who are the smallest community, and are going out.
The Chinese overwhelmingly are tiie financiers and the traders and the artisans—in fact, one may as well forget that this is Malaya and Singapore, a British country, and accept it as a lively bit of China, being graciously administered by the British for the great benefit of the Chinese.
Britain is spending millions of pounds per annum in maintaining this army in Malaya—several of Britain s famous old regiments are represented here. One has to be out on the roads of Malaya, and see Hie endless camps and the vast military equipment and the cease less movements of convoys carrving supplies, to realise how much the
Ska£
ancfscf forth* 61 and tin and
On an intelligent guess, I should think that 10,000 British and 20,000 native troops are being maintained here to police the country against possibly 5,000 jungle-hidden Chinese Communists, fairly well organised and equipped.
MALAYA is charted like an old established battlefield. The scene of every contact and every ambush is shown; the location of every defence point, and of every suspected CT camp.
Every highway is cut into sections by road-blocks, where police check every vehicle, to see that no food or equipment gets through to the will-o’-the-wisp CT’s. Every village is enclosed in barbed wire, and watched by home guards. There is a 7 pm curfew, and a quick bullet for the person who moves along the roads thereafter without authority.
But still the CT’s operate, and get supplies, and make sharp, murder ous attacks on isolated plantations, and ambush the passing troops from cunningly-placed posts. And, beyond any doubt, the agency which keeps the CT’s well supplied with food and information, is the Chinese civil population.
AS in the rest of this be-devilled world, where community snarls at community, the Chinese in Malaya sit quietly between the con tending factions, eyes cast down and fingers busy, taking no part in politics. Outwardly, they are placid, and self-effacing and completely non-partisan. Actually, they pro vide both the means and the channels through which the CT’s get most of their supplies and all their information.
“Look at those bastards,” said a high military officer, with whom I was driving through a Chinese town in Malaya. In the back of a small bus, immediately ahead, were a number of young Chinese, and they were showing the liveliest interest in our car and escort. “Within an hour, the local headquarters of the CT’s will know that we have passed this way, and our apparent destina tion. We know it goes on, but we can: do little to stop it.”
The Chinese in Singapore and Malaya get a very large slice of the actual millions that are being spent
on this military policing systen The policing of the country als benefits the Chinese more than an other section, because so much o
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enormcus trade that flows out Malaya’s productiveness goes igh Chinese hands, e Chinese take it all com sntly; and then, by many rground channels, they help the prists—because they think the wrists are helping to drive the peans out of Malaya and Singa these Chinese in Southeast and Indonesia are supporters le new Sinoism —vigorous and ing and dangerous, the purpose hich is to establish a powerful a which will take possession of inch of the world as China s. i broke the power of Japan, i held China in subjection and nated the Far East. Thus we sd the way for Sinoism — i more resembles a vast, hering cloud than the brittle ary aggressiveness of Japan, vhich will be even more diffi to stop.
ELL, what would you do about it?” asked my friends, when I got back to Singapore and un med myself of some of the oing opinions.
I give the military commanders here in the field full authority ot out the suspected nests of in those Chinese villages,” I “I’d follow the Templer n, of giving a village two hours ow who were the Communists, vhere their hide-outs were, and j absolutely ruthless in punish them when they refused co ,tion, or were shown to have ed the CT’s.” i, yes,” said my friends. “You do that there ’ere. Ever heard irown Brotherhood, and the d rights of man?” poke warmly on the subject— they said my views were “re lary.” hy should 22 young Fijian men been sacrificed in the jungles for the enrichment and pro n of these unlovely Chinese )s, who give us no co-operation ?ver, and hate our guts?” I de led. 7 could not answer that one. hey went off on another tack, le Japanese had possession of country for three years,” they “These jungles then were full hinese Terrorists, conducting la war against the Japs, and •rted by the secret agents of i and the Western nations. The were absolutely ruthless —they I raze a town to cut off a few ;S8 heads at the mere waggle villager’s beard. And they had lore success in clearing the ists out of the Malayan jungles we have had.”
Duld not answer that one. me, the ugliest feature in the Malayan picture is the fact
that, while the British soldiers up in Malaya are campaigning in the jungles against Chinese Terrorists, the British politicians actually are handing over the Singapore govern ment to a rabble of Chinese, Malayans, Indians and half-breeds.
It is no exaggeration to say that Singapore seethes to-day with anti- European hatred, bubbles with sub versive activities, echoes to the triumphant howls of illiterate and in solent demagogues who have just been granted a Constitution which means 90 per cent, self-administra tion. Further riots are expected any day.
These people are not nearly fit for self-government. But, even if they were, such a change should not have been made without closest consultation with the South Pacific countries whose ultimate fate is bound up with that of the British in Southeast Asia.
HAVING looked the situation over, and talked with scores of well-anformed people, I leave Malaya with these convictions. • If this, Asia’s gateway to the South Pacific, is to be held by the British, then every country in the South Pacific must support Britain in the task. Australians and New Zealanders should be here in force.
It is absurd that, for three years, the only representatives here of the South Pacific should be a few units of the RAAF, and this fine battalion of jungle-fighters from little Fiji. • But it is equally absurd to allow the essentially military job of hold ing the gateway against Communism to be shaped and influenced by the unrealistic planning of political idealists. The set-up here must be either military guardianship of the gateway (so as to protect all the European countries of the South Pacific against Sinoism and Com munism) or an administrative kindergarten designed for a hotch potch of Asians incapable of gov erning themselves efficiently—and who, in any case, hate all Euro peans and have done nothing to win our trust or to deserve self-govern ment. The two cannot be mixed. • Before Australia, NZ and the South Pacific Islands commit them
selves to the task of helping Britain to hold this gateway, the British Government should define far more clearly its purposes and its policy here in Southeast Asia. Because if Britain is going to abandon Malaya and Singapore to these wholly un dependable Asian masses (which means that both Malaya and Indonesia become a gift to the Chinese and Communists) it would be a waste of manhood, money and time for the South Pacific countries to send forces here. • If Southeast Asia is going to be abandoned to Chinese or Com munist control, it would be better that the South Pacific countries should face the desperate task of establishing a defensive line some where in the New Guinea area. That way, the South Pacific countries might be able to get more direct American help.
Under present conditions, it is only a waste of time, money and
?°°d “l®?* 0 kee P the Fiji Battalia m the Malayan jungles. I personal am very glad they soon will be gc mg home. *J In ° t / ier Nicies, in future issm Mr. Robson will describe some the activities of the Fijian soldie m Malaya.)