Dialogues With Chin Peng: New Light On The Malayan Communist Party

Chin Peng, who became Secretary General of the Malayan Communist Party in 1947 at the age of 23, is a key figure in the recent history of Malaysia. Long vilified for his political activities, he is working toward a reassessment of his role and importance in Southeast Asian history. In 1947, Chin Peng was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services in the fight against Japan during the Pacific War. In 1948, his communist party launched a campaign of violence against the colonial government, which responded with military action under the name of the 'Malayan Emergency.' The Emergency ended in 1960, but sporadic violence continued, and nearly four decades would pass before the Malayan Communist Party signed a peace agreement with Malaysia and Thailand. Chin Peng then began a new struggle, seeking to tell his side of the story of the Emergency. His grasp of events—seen from deep inside the jungle, from the Thai border, and from Beijing—was incomplete, and he began gathering from sources around the world. As part of his quest, he agreed to meet a group of historians and former military personnel in Australia for an exchange of views. 'Dialogues with Chin Peng: New Light on the Malayan Communist Party' is the record of these exciting and intense sessions. It includes background papers, previously unseen Communist Party documents, propaganda posters, and other data. These materials, from both sides of the conflict, shed new light on the Malayan Communist Party, and present history as dialogue and debate.