Ah Hai meets Lai Te, the enemy's secret agent
31 Lai Te fails to attend a conference
The cadres attended the meeting as requested by the
Central Committee but after a long wait Lai Te failed to appear
They seized the opportunity to have a discussion
A. The present situation and
our tasks.
The meeting came to the conclusion that the special
feature of the present situation was that: (1) The Soviet troops
were winning in their counter attacks; (2) The German fascists
were losing battles; (3) The Chinese war of resistance against Japan
was entering the phase of counter attack; the 8th Route Army and
the New Fourth Army were winning battle after battle. On the military
side there were victories against the plots of the reactionary forces
in the Kuomintang against the Communists who, on the political side,
had the people on their side, and (5) The anti-Japanese army and the
mass movement were growing, putting the Japanese fascists in difficulties.
The meeting summed up that the recent developments
favoured us and not the enemy
Our tasks were to expand the Japanese resistance army
and the resist Japan mass organisations and to intensify cadre
training
But this only represented what we cadres thought at
the meeting. But the "old head" (Lai Te) would have to come and
point the way before we could really talk about the situation and
tasks.
B. Conduct and discipline
of the Army.
The Third Executive Committee Meeting had set out
the Four Disciplines and the Eight Points for Attention.
Here we specially stressed the study of the Eighth Route Army's
"Be United, Be Alert, Be Serious, Be Lively" slogans for revolutionary
conduct
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C. Battle experience
At the meeting Comrade Ah Tian described the experience
of the 4 Independent in hitting "turtles". They spiked the
ambush area with sharp nibong spikes. When they opened
fire the enemy would throw themselves down onto the spikes with disastrous
consequences. The spikes method was good because it allowed
the enemy to draw nearer to us and in the jungle it was even better because
the leaves camouflaged the spikes very well. The delegates thought
the tactic good and decided to recommend its use
D. Nationalities work
The opinion was that the Malay masses were gradually
seeing through the lies of the Japanese fascists. At the beginning
they believed that the "Imperial Army" would distribute 5 acres of
rubber land to those in the kampong who co-operated with them. Two years
had gone by and not a single acre had been given away. The kampongs
were gradually turning to the Resistance. Many comrades said that we
should now actively work in the kampongs towards setting up anti-Japanese
united front with the objective of gradually driving the Japanese out
and setting up the Malayan People's Democratic Republic
E. Propaganda and Education
It was the general opinion that the present propaganda
work should have up to date reporting on the internal and international
situation as the main work in order to enable Party and Army as well
as the people learn about each victory of the anti-fascist war, especially
up to date reporting on the great victories scored by the Soviet Red
Army in its counter offensive, the defeats suffered by the German fascists,
and also the Chinese war of resistance, especially the brilliant victories
of the 8th Route Army and the New Fourth Army. These would strengthen
confidence in victory among the Party, Army and the people.
As for internal education it was necessary to strengthen
unity and discipline, to oppose liberalism, strengthen the concept
of organisation. It was necessary to strengthen military education
and training among the army and resistance reservists.
It was necessary to improve communications between
states and to exchange propaganda material.
The discussion over, delegates waited a few more days,
but there was no sign of Lai Te. It was decided to write to Yang
Kuo (Note 98) (who had contact with Lai Te). Yang Kuo replied that
he had received a message from Lai Te to say that if he did not come in
November, they should go home.
When the time came and Lai Te did not appear we "mounted
our horses and returned".
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Yang Kuo's letter
advised we should return by a new path and not follow the old route.
Siao Chang's communications guard unit from 6 Independent
led the way and after 4 days we got back to the 6 Independent
Siao Chang's welcome was warm and he wanted everyone
to stay back for a jagong meal; it was hard to refuse and
we stayed two days then all left (3 Independent, 4 Independent and
the South Johore and Negri companies) with their guides who had remained
behind with the 6 Independent to wait for us. Lao Shao went through
1 Independent's southern area to Negri's Southwestern Special Area.
(He was secretive and did not tell Ah Hai he had wanted to go to Southwestern
Special Area - Port Dickson area. If he had told him Ah Hai would have
arranged for the Peoples Movements of Tampin and Port Dickson to escort
him to Port Dickson in search of Ah Chuan.)
It was only after the war, after the discovery that
Lai Te was an enemy agent, that we realised that Lai Te had
called the Central-South Cadres Meeting (Note 99) to eliminate the
cadres. Our discovery of the "paper factory" foiled the plans of his
bosses and he had to cancel the meeting.
This meeting had its good and bad points. For one
thing we lost more than two months of precious time but we discovered
a Japanese secret agents' organisation and avoided the disaster of
the elimination of the cadres of 3 Independent, 4 Independent, 6 Independent,
and South Johore and Negri. Also the discussions and exchange
of experience with the 5 great units was invaluable in the work that
followed
32. Plans for first three months
of 1944
It was in December 1943 or January 1944 that Ah Hai
returned to Negri. A meeting of the Special Committee was immediately
convened.
Its agenda was as follows:
1) Ah Hai's report on the North-South Cadres Meeting
(see Note 99) (The Lai Te letter referred to the meeting as one
of North-South senior cadres but in fact only the Central-South
attended as Perak delegates did not arrive at the meeting place)
2) The Special Committee's report on work of the past
two months
3) To discuss and fix the working programme for the
first three months of 1944
In its report the Special Committee said as follows:
(1) The Armed Working Group under Han Yuan (See Note
100) had developed work along the hills in Kg Jampoh (the largest
Malay village near the forest area in Kuala Pilah)
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(2) The people in Parit Tinggi, mainly
populated by Malays, had asked that we confiscate the grain stored
by the enemy nearby. The store was guarded by only two auxiliary policemen
(3) Han Yan's People's Movement group had with the
help of the Orang Asli opened a route to Seremban through the hills.
(4) The village of Kg Langkap Ungku, lying between
the Kuala Pilah and the Seremban hills gave us much support.
This was the bridgehead to Seremban
(5) The Desa Sikamat Resist Japan Alliance had requested
that they be provided with leadership
(6) The work at Bahau had extended to Indian workers
in estates between Gemas and Padang Malaka. It also extended to
Ayer Hitam, on the border of Pahang, (it was a shorter road
from Ayer Hitam to Pertang)
(7) Work at Tampin had extended from Langkap to Tampin
and in the north Kg Linggi on the border of Port Dickson.
(8) The organisation was internally consolidated and
spirits high (except that the Han Yan organisation was found to
have a traitor within).
The meeting discussed work for the first 3 months of
1944 as follows:
(1) Decision. To send Ah Pao (the organisation's engraver
and copier) and Ah Chian (Pertang Peoples movement cadre)
to the Han Yan Armed People's Movement troop and actively develop
work in the Malay Kg Jampoh
(2) Prepare conditions for sending Shih Ke with working
team (to include Ah Chuan and Ah Soon) to lead the Desa Sikamat
and the Temiang Resistance Alliance. The work should include
preparations for promoting Liu Chen Chou to replace Shih Ke, to promote
Chi Yu and Li Choon to the District Committee and to improve the district
organisation of Titi.
(3) To send Ah Ping (Lin Kuan Ying) with a group consisting
of Chih Ming, Huang Hua ( also called Yeh Peng or the "Bullock Cart
Driver") to start work in the Pantai, Kg Nanais and Pamei in
the Seremban hills (this group was later strengthened with the addition
of Teng Sin, Hua Tse, and the husband wife team of Ah Sui)
There was to be preparation for the immediate requisition
of the Parit Tinggi godown. Pertang's Armed People's Movement
Troop, Han Yan and Ah Pau and Ah Tieh's Armed People's Movement Troop
would combine forces; they were also to have the assistance of 3 Independent's
Company led by Chen Chung stationed at Palong (Originally the
2 Independent company of Tampin which became the 3 Independent)
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Owing to shortage of time we were unable
to provide training. In place of this we improved branches and the
life of the Peoples Movement troops, strengthened organisational concepts
and discipline, strengthen unity, mutual assistance and drew conclusions
from experience. The cadres took on the role of models.
The above tasks were to be completed in three months
One night in January 1944 two Armed Peoples Movement
troops and two companies sent by Chen Chung formed a platoon which,
with coordination from the Malay masses, captured the auxiliary police
guarding the grain and confiscated the stock, which was distributed
among the Malay villagers. The non-combatants of the two forces
also stored the grain in the jungle. The whole thing was done
in the night.
Han Yan then addressed a mass meeting. He described
the aggression of the Japanese militarists and asked the crowd to
come forward to defend their country. He had a good response. Henceforth
Han Yan and Ah Pau were warmly welcomed by the people
Formerly the anti-Japanese forces dared not enter Malay
villages at will but now they had the support of the masses at Kg
Jampoh, the active ones acting as communications personnel, liaising
with resistance alliances at other villages and developing work at the
Kuala Pilah suburb towns - Tanjong Ipoh area which had
good support.
Shih Ke and Lin Kuan Ying were despatched to the Seremban
area kampongs like Desa Sikamat, Temiang, Pantai,
Kg Nanais, and Pamei to organise resistance groups
Ah Hai inspected work at Bahau, Tampin , Pertang and
Titi.
Lin Chong, Chai Tieh Feng and Chen Ch'un of the Bahau
and Tampin committees worked well with one another. This enabled
the Party organisation, the guerillas, the resistance alliance
and the self defence corps to expand
After he had organised work in Bahau and Tampin Ah
Hai returned to Pertang (Ah Hai's organisation had merged with
the Pertang District Committee and the Ah Shen Group and was located
at the "Little Ungku" Village (a Minangkabau area)
Ah Hai convened a Special Committee meeting to hear
reports from Ah Shen and Siao Liu
Ah Shen reported on the work of the past two months
of the Negri state
Siao Liu reported: (1) After the relocation of the
troops the masses had been affected emotionally but things had
stabilised after patient education and explanations. (2) After
2 Independent had moved, traitors had become more bold but they became
less fierce after 6 Independent had despatched an extermination group
after them. But after the group had gone the traitors against became
active, but they were not as bold as before. The open traitors were
subdued when the Armed Peoples Movement
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sent a group
of 3 or 5 persons for "dog hunting" work. (3) Tan Shin who was short
sighted and could not make out the enemy beyond 50 yards had been
shot and killed. (4) The enemy's "stockade villages" strategy of using
logs to lock in the people gave us no trouble. The people saw to it
that this policy failed. (5) Internal organisation had been strengthened
and spirits were high. (6) Grain supplies presented no problems. Our
people ate well, clad well and we had plenty of medicine. (7) The objective
situation was improving daily and we could see that comrades were encouraged.
Ah Hai asked if the transfer of Shih Ke had affected
things
Siao Liu said that it had had a certain effect but
that it was not a great problem. Ah Hai told Siao Liu that he had
to explain to members that the transfer of Shih Ke was necessary for
expansion of our work and that the enemy had been held at Seremban and
pressure on us by the enemy at Titi had lessened. Siao Liu later reported
what Ah Hai had said to him to a meeting of cadres
33 A meeting with Lai Te
In April 1944, Ah Hai received from Siao Chang Ah Ting's
letter asking Ah Hai to meet Siao Chang at 6 Independent and then
to attend a meeting in Selangor
Ah Hai called a meeting of the Special Committee and
reported the receipt of the letter from Lai Te. Ah Hai asked two
committee members to see to it that the resolution on the Three Months
Plan was carried out while he was away
From Pertang Ah Hai set out for Manchis, thence to
Bentong where Siao Chang and Ma Ting welcomed him.
Ah Hai was delighted to meet Ah Chung, who had lost contact with
the 7th Expanded Executive and Central for a long time and had made
contact again thanks to Siao Chang. Ah Chung was once Ah Hai's leading
comrade in Kampar when Ah Hai was organisation member of the district
committee and Ah Chung the district committee and area secretary.
When they got to Selangor they met Lau Yang who told
them that Lai Te had specially requested that the Selangor committee
and the command of 1 Independent and the Negri Special Committee
and the representatives of East Pahang should come to the meeting.
Lau Yang arranged for guides to take them to a hut
at the edge of the jungle near the Leper Hospital at Sungai Buloh.
Here lived the Ah Ting's - husband and wife, and here was stationed
an extermination squad led by Lee Siew Feng. They and our guide force
formed the security for the location.
One day, a member of the extermination squad called
Ah She (a sharp shooter who had taken part in the extermination of
Huang Tieh Tse ) reported that Ah Lieh (Lai Te) had come. All went
to welcome him. We saw from a distance Lee Siew Feng's squad. In the
middle was a slight figure - Lai Te. Ah Hai had never set eyes on Lai
Te and was keen to see what he looked like. The man was about 1.62m
tall, the face squarish and the hair was cut in a circular fashion parted
in the middle. He was about 40 and
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wore sun
glasses which when he put down revealed eyes which showed a mixture
of Cantonese blood.
Ah Chung, Lau Yang and Siao Chang took turns
to shake him by the hand. When it came to Ah Hai's turn Lai Te
asked, "So you are Ah Hai?" He was very courteous. Ah Hai thought
his accent a little strange; it was Mandarin with a Hainan accent
and yet not quite the same.
In his conversation with Lai Te, Ah Hai was constrained,
Lau Yang and Siao Chang intervening occasionally.
Lai Te on being asked how he was said that he did not
eat well, and that there was a lot of work. It was difficult from
his accent to tell what nationality he was
The meeting then started. It was called the Central-South
Senior Military Cadres Meeting (see Note 99)
In attendance were Lai Te, Ah Chung, Yang Ko, Siao
Chang, Ah Hai, Liu Yao (Note 101), Ah Ting (Lai Te's secretary
and recorder of the meeting)
The Agenda was
1. Address by Lai Te
(1) This meeting was the Central-South Senior
Military Cadres Meeting
(2) Central Committee wanted to know about situation
regarding the work of cadres of the Central-South
(3) What were the difficulties facing each state, and
what did they want?
But everybody wanted to hear Lai Te speak. So he spoke
on the present international situation. The Red Army he said had
scored victory after victory in its counter offensive, forcing the
Hitler fascists to retreat again and again so that they were now on
the strategic defence. In China the anti-Japanese war had entered the
phase of counter offensive and the invading forces were in difficulties.
The Allied forces of Britain. USA, and France were on the counter offensive
in Western Europe, East Africa and South East Asia
Lai Te hinted that he had been to India and Vietnam
(?). He said that we would soon have radio contact with Allied HQ
at New Delhi. He also hinted that he had met Nguen Ai Kok (Note 102)
to discuss the counter offensive against Japan.
(In fact we learnt later that Davies (Note 103) and
four others had landed by submarine at Pangkor Laut in May 1943 and
had made contact with the Malayan Communist Party with a view to
cooperating in the fight against the Japanese, that we, on
our part, in the spirit of a united front had welcomed the proposal
and had taken Davies to the camp in the jungle at Bidor. In the
same year, in November, Lim Bo Seng had also landed at Bagan Datoh and
Chen Ping had sent guerrillas to meet him and bring him to meet Davies.
The negotiations comprised on the Allied side Chapman, Davies, Broom,
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Lim Bo Seng
and on our side Chang Hung (Lai Te) and Chen Ping. A general
agreement was achieved. But in May 1944, at this meeting, Lai Te only
told us some bits and pieces in order to increase his prestige, hinting
he had left the country, hoping to bamboozle us country yokels. Lai
Te's analysis gave us the impression that victory was near in the resistance
war (the news on the radio also predicted this)
We asked Lai Te: After the victory how do we set up
a government?
He answered that we had to set up a police force to
maintain order (there was nothing about setting up a democratic
government of a democratic republic )
We asked: how do you set up broadcasting stations?
He replied that we had to find high ground then despatch
people for training with the Allied forces before setting up the
station
Lai Te could see that we were not satisfied with his
answers about the post war government. After he had said
the questions were a "headache," he declared a recess.
During the recess Ah Chung said : "Ah Leh's (Lai Te)
talk makes clear that the victory will soon come! The old man is
a wise guy and has a tough time - he's busy from morning till night
and suffers from frequent headaches"
Ah Chung recalled that during the 2nd executive meeting
Lai Te had suffered severe headaches which became worse during the
7th extended meeting.
Siao Chang mentioned that it was said that monkey brain
could cure headaches
Ah Hai said there were a lot of monkeys in the jungle.
He agreed with Siao Chang that it being dangerous for the old man
to move about it was best for him to live near the jungle with a guard.
Throughout this discussion Lau Yang did not utter one
word
Liu Lung carried on a conversation with his guard,
the "Bengali."(This man turned traitor during the war against
Britain and led the British Special Branch man, Stafford (?) In
an attack on the "Back of the School" in Kajang in which Liu Lung
and Siao Yang were killed).
We returned to the meeting when Lai Te announced a
resumption.
Lai Te asked about the situation in Party and army
work
Ah Chung reported that on the British retreat and before
the Japanese entered Kuantan, East Pahang District had led
the people to seize guns from police stations and collected hunting
guns as well, all totalling more than 100. They had organised armed
and partly armed men totalling about 200 men which established the
East Pahang forces, with its own command. He requested that a cadre
be sent
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to be political
officer in the command
Feng Yun (Siao Chang) reported that in June 1943 the
2 Independent had merged with the West Pahang forces to form the
6 Independent with Feng Yun as the Party representative and Chen
Kwei Peng (Ma Ting ) as commander and Chen Hau as deputy commander.
The political department was short of staff and he requested that a
cadre be sent
Ah Hai reported that the work in Negri was developing
daily and had reached the outskirts of Seremban, the border between
Tampin and Malacca, the border area between Tampin and Port Dickson,
the border area of Bahau, Kuala Pilah and Pahang, and border
areas of Negri's Durian Tipus and Pahang's Manchis.
Ah Hai proposed that Central restore the Negri State
committee to leadership of the whole of Negri, and to send
Liew Yit Fun back to Negri and to tell Ah Chuan and Lau Shao to come
to the meeting (Ah Hai on return to send messengers for those two
to attend)
Yang Ko and Liu Long reported that the work in Selangor
had developed to the area between Negri, Perak and West Pahang.
They requested that a cadre be sent to be in command of the troops
Lai Te approved the following:
(1) East Pahang to formally set up the 7 Independent
People's Anti-Japanese Army. Ah San from the south area of the
1 Independent to be the head of the political department of the 7
Independent (Ah San had turned traitor when caught in Seremban but
had returned to us in Port Dickson, and Ah Chuan had despatched him
to the south troop of 1 Independent)
(2) West Pahang to formally set up the 6 Independent
People's Anti Japanese Company. Lai Wen Ming to be sent from Selangor
to be head of its political department (in the end Wu Liang Ming
replaced him and he was appointed to the West Pahang committee)
(3) Restore the Negri Committee with Ah Hai as secretary,
committee members to be Ah Chuan, Shao Yang, Ah Shen and Siao Liu.
Liew Yit Fun was to return to Negri from 3 Independent to be State
Committee member. Teng Sin was to leave the 1 Independent South troop
to return to Negri. (Teng Sin and Ah Chuan could not get on with each
other)
(4) P'ei Nung (Note 104) of the 4 Independent to be
commander of the 1 Independent
Lai Te then said a few good words about the development
of the Central-South and said encouraging words about the work of
each state
A little later Lai Te talked individually to Siao Chang
and Ah Hai. He requested that each fix a meeting point so that he
could keep in touch direct. (This they immediately did on returning
to their posts and informed Lai Te that it had been done). But soon
afterwards Ah Hai's men at the contact point discovered that the hut
opposite had visitors. Ah Hai told Siao Chang about this and Siao Chang
found that his men too were under surveillance. We only understood that
this was a scheme to eliminate us after Lai Te was discovered to be an enemy
agent.
Ah Ting had Lai Te's talk printed as a booklet entitled
"The May Talks" which contained the Survey of the Present International
Situation, other subjects. The proposals of the Central-South were
omitted on the grounds of "secrecy".
After the meeting Lai Te and the cadres talked about
this and that. Siao Chang and Ah Hai said that it was comparatively
safe in the jungle and that Lai Te, because of his age, should not
travel but remain in the jungle with a guard. But Lai Te said that
although it was a good idea, the jungle was not convenient for international
relations. Ah Chung said that Ah Lie had a way. Lau Yang did not say
a word and neither did Liu Long
Lai Te went back the way he came (He came by car to
Sungai Buloh, then into the village, hiding the car then following
Chi Feng and Ah She into the jungle). He was escorted out by Lu Yang's
guards commander Li Siu Feng and guard Ah She. When they got to
the place where the car was hidden Lai Te drove off. The guards watched
until he disappeared from view.#
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(To be continued)
for Part 9 go to
Part 9
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