After the attack was over and the Gurkha ‘enemy’ had disappeared to take up more positions for the company to proceed against, comments on the attack were made by the British Directing Staff and the Commandant added his few words of praise.
Then, on the spur of the moment, he decided to walk back down the hill to view the students’ overnight camp which he had yet to see. It took twenty minutes to get there and, on hearing voices, he peered round a tree and saw a dozen Chinese youths closely examining the lay-out.[1] Watching them was an older man, in his early thirties. He somehow seemed familiar.
Jason walked out and as soon as the youths saw him they ran away. The older man stayed put then, raising his right fist and with a big grin on his face, called out ‘Shandung P’aau, it’s Wang Liang, your Bear Hung Lo’s son. I remember you from when I was a schoolboy and you made me laugh by making your hands talk to each other and so many more lovely tricks one night in Kuala Lumpur.’
Jason, momentarily taken by surprise, stared at the man in disbelief and yet, and yet … ‘Wang Liang, is it really you?’
‘Yes, really me and I never thought I’d get such a good chance to let you know what I was doing.’
‘I nearly came across you when your enemies tried to kill you when the Police asked you to go and visit the Temiar to find out what was happening as they know you were the only person they would speak to. They named it Operation Blowpipe, didn’t they?’[2]
‘Yes, it just so happened that I had two weeks before taking over this job and the Police took advantage of it. It all happened so quickly. Yes, I was lucky that time, wasn’t I?’
He came over and they embraced. ‘Shandung P’aau, before he died P’ing Yee told me my father was horribly killed on the Thai border and you got your revenge, for which I thank you.’[3] So moved was I that I am now a yanshu – a mole – working against them.
The lads who ran away are new recruits for the second “Emergency” and it is my secret job to watch over them. We were warned by the secret papers that P’ing Yee gave you that time at Gunong Lang.’
Jason shook his head in surprise and wonder. So long ago!
‘How have you managed to stay alive all this time?’
Wang Liang, putting his hand into a top pocket, said ‘I have kept my father’s mascot that he showed you so many years ago,’ and he brought out an old, tattered piece of paper, still wrapped in its piece of plastic and showed it to Jason, ،چ&ق.گ.’, Hung Sik Siu Sik, Red Tidings.
Your author found Chinese youths inspecting a students’ overnight camp and measuring its defensive weapon pits on one similar final exercise in 1971. The Malaysian police verified that they were a batch of recruit guerrillas on their way north to join the MRLA. ↵
See Operation Blow Pipe. ↵
See Operation Blind Spot. ↵
Map of Peninsular Malaysia
Map of Baling
Map of Negri Sembilan
List of Characters
[Note: except for those with a * in front of their name, the others were either born in the author’s imagination or their names have been changed to avoid family embarrassment.]
*Ah Chong, guerilla courier
Ah Fat, police ‘mole’ and non-voting Central Committee member, Malayan Communist Party, a.k.a. P’ing Yee, Flat Ears
Ah Hong, bar owner in Kuala Lumpur
Bickers, James Stuart, Brigadier, in whose brigade were 1/12 GR and 2/12 GR
*Briggs, Lieutenant General Sir Harold, Director of Operations, Malaya, 1950-1951
Chakrabahadur Rai, Rifleman, 1/12 Gurkha Rifles
Chan Man Yee, Malayan Communist Party ‘mole’ in Police HQ, Kuala Lumpur
Chen Yok Lan, wife of Tang Fook Loong (q.v.)
*Chien Tiang, chief confidant of Chin Peng (q.v.) and propaganda expert
*Chin Peng, alias of Ong Boon Hwa, Secretary General of the Malayan Communist Party
Cox, Peter, manager Rompin Estate
Fremin, Geoffrey, assistant manager, Rompin Estate
Gibson, Henry, Major, later Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding Officer, 1/12 Gurkha Rifles
Goh Ah Wah, senior surrendered guerilla, 2 Regiment, Malayan Races Liberation Army
*Ismail Mubarak, a.k.a. Moby, Head of Special Branch, Seremban
Jasbahadur Gurung, Rifleman, 1/12 Gurkha Rifles
Kwek Leng Ming, surrendered guerilla, 2 Regiment, Malayan Races Liberation Army
