History
The jungle war (12)
by Commander Ah Hai - the first air drop
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History
The jungle war (12) by Commander Ah Hai - the first air drop |
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37 Ah Hai returns to Negri THE PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT and armed forces in the Southern Area had established a line of communication with She Ke of Seremban. Added to that was the desire of Ah Ke, Selangor State member, to return to the Central-Area. State member Ah Ming (Note 109) wanted to return to the Southern Area. Lau Yang proposed that Ah Hai should go off with them and return to Negri from the Selangor Southern Area but that Siao Chang and Lau Han should return by the original route Lau Yang's proposals were accepted and preparations were made for two parties to return to Negri and Pahang. Ah Meng and Ah Hai were old battle friends. Ah Meng led him from Sungai Buloh along the "Dredge Road" at Puchong to People's Movement station at a banana plantation where they rested the night. Chen Sung, an area committee member, who was to turn traitor at the beginning of the war against the British, together with Chou Yang Ping, and a People's movement woman cadre, arranged for us to rest with a family. We were warmly welcomed, The woman cadre cooked us some white rice, which was a treat in those times The next day Ah Meng led Ah Hai to Kajang to "Behind the School" and Sungai Nong village. There we passed through Chao Hwa's house to go to Yang Chiao, a woman cadre's house. Ah Meng instructed the cadres to let Ah Hai eat and after a short rest to arrange for guides to take him to Semenyih and then to Beranang. Ah Hai reached Beranang according to plan. The responsible leader in the People's movement, - perhaps he was Ah Kiu of the platoon or the elder brother of Ah Kiu - arranged quarters for Ah Hai and told him that She Ke had been informed and that he was to wait a few days for She Ke . A few days later She Ke arrived with a patrol and they were received with joy. The Negri and Selangor Party organisations had opened up a new line of communication which showed that their work had developed. This was important and significant in the resistance against Japan |
| From Beranang
forest and walking past a large Malay kampong the forest was reached in
an hour. The route was tough, constantly up hill and down hill, past
streams and valleys, and heading south. We were now at the Pantai
Hills, which reminded us of Titi's "High Ridge", a
look alike mountain range though not as high. But the plants were
the same: damar, lemon, petai, durian, jelutong, tampui, attap and a
kind of palm leaf and rattan. And there
were medicinal herbs to be found here too. were. There were also
jelutong
trees. A few more hours walk we came to the "water pipe" road ( it was said that the water supply reservoir for Jelebu was nearby) then headed for the west of Seremban Suddenly it grew dark and the rains came. We all ran to the attap and sought shelter under them. We had no umbrellas, no canvas shoes, and each had one change of clothing. (Wet clothes were dried by the fire.) When the rain let up we cut the palm leaves and used them as umbrellas and carried on. The strong winds however were too much for our "hill umbrellas," but we were all soaked to the skin like "chicken in the soup". We marched on and it was a hard job getting to the outskirts of Seremban to Temiang to the camp of She Ke's Armed People's Movement Forces. Everyone was fairly exhausted after marching along village and mountain tracks from Sungai Ulu in Selangor to the target area in Seremban for one week (with rests totalling 10 days). We got to She Ke's place in the evening and it was 9 pm when we had finished bathing, washing our clothes and eaten the evening meal. She Ke proposed that Ah Hai should rest and that they should report to him the next day. Bed and hot water had been prepared and a red potatos had been roasted in case he was hungry. After breakfast She Ke reported to Ah Hai the month's work, on the elimination of the traitors Ah Tie, Lee Yan Chang. In its resolution "Go all out to eliminate the top traitors Ah Tie, Lee Yan Chang, X Yung and Hwang Hou" the organisation had sought out Huang Hsin, Tse Chen (Titi cadre who after arrest had been forced to join the ranks of the Ah Tie traitor troop) and asked them to regain their honour by eliminating the traitors Ah Tie, Lee Yan Chang, X Yung, and Huang Hou. They were willing to cooperate and reported that Ah Tie and Lee Yan Chang were fond of dancing which they organised every week, drinking between dances and ending with their dragging their partners off to bed. They thought that this was the moment to eliminate them. She Ke agreed and asked them to "strike while the iron is hot" She Ke planned that Huang Sin should kill Ah Tie; Tse Chen, Lee Yan Chang. Immediately Ah Tie was killed the next should be Lee Yan Chang but conditions permitting both should killed simultaneously, but safety was the main consideration. Their weapons and documents if any should be seized One evening in May, during a dance, Huang Sin shot the "fat pig" Ah Tie and Tse Chen shot Lee Yan Chang. Then they shot X Yung and Huang Hou. They then found that Ah Tie though wounded was still alive. Huang Sin and Tse Chen had done as instructed and collected 6 guns and retreated. |
| This battle was
well done. It created a sensation in Seremban. The Japanese troops were
frightened and dared not leave their barracks. It was a few days later that the Japanese talked about "arresting the murderers", "attacking the guerillas" but took no action. The people said that the Japanese were all thunder and no lightning and it was mere words to satisfy their agents who knew that their days were numbered. The Japanese were not going to lose any soldiers fighting for these agents. Meanwhile more and more people were coming to our forces wishing to join one of our organisations and donating money and things to us. Old die hards of the puppet "Support Associations" (Note 110) such as Lee Yee Tan, Chai Tien Hung, Hsing T'ai Nan contacted us and asked to forgive them and we told them that all they had to do was to realise that what they had done was wrong and that we welcomed them to the resistance movement and hoped they would support the movement In this way we gained a united front . Even Hsing Tai Nan's daughter joined in the resistance movement With the improving situation Ah Hai proposed to She Ke that he boldly go forward with the anti-Japanese activities 38. The first drop At the end of May 1945 or the beginning of June, Wu Mian, Liao Hung Liang (Note 111) and Lian Yan led two small groups of about 20 men to escort liaison officers of the Allied Headquarters, South East Asia from 1 Independent to Negri's 2 Independent. There were five of them. One was Major Capson (? Note 112) who it was said was formerly a manager of an estate in Negri. He had with him two radio operators, a code operator and an aide. One of the radio operators was a member of the Kuomintang Youth Corps who had been sent to India to serve at Allied HQ The group met Ah Hai after they had reached the Seremban hills ( in the forest near Pantai) Before they had formally met, Capson had said he wanted to meet Ah Hai but Ah Hai did not want to reveal his identity. The interpreter Koo Ah Yung told Capsan that Ah Hai was not free. Capsan said that he had instructions from higher up to see Ah Hai and that he would have to ask for further instructions. At this moment Capson's radio operator reported to him that the troop led by Wu Min (i.e.Wu Mian) had tied him up for one night. Hearing this, Capsan said, "As your superior officer I order you to shoot the disorderly troop leader". On hearing this Ah Hai asked Wu Min and Hung Liang to explain. These commanders explained that when they stopped for the night at a rubber estate. The platoon leader Huang Tian had stood watch and had with him a few of Capson's men but that when it came to the turn of an English serviceman to be sentry he had refused to serve, contrary to the rules. Huang Tian had tied him to a rubber tree to let the mosquitoes punish him (Hung Liang had shown silent approval) |
| Ah Hai having
learnt the facts told Capson
that his man should be punished.. He told Capson that our men were
under
our orders and that he could not interfere. Capson said loudly, "I want to see Ah Hai, I want to complain to Ah Hai". Ah Hai said that should not be a problem. Because of this incident, Ah Hai told Wu Min and Hung Liang that in future they should adopt a united front policy when dealing with the liaison group and should not be rough and to treat them on an equal footing, for we had brought them in to fight the Japanese. At the same time Major Capson had radioed New Delhi and received directions to have direct contact with Ah Hai. Actually the duty of Capson's pioneer group was to have dropped into Negri but because they were pressed for time they dropped with the Selangor contact group in Selangor after which they would depend on 1 Independent to escort them to Negri. The task was to contact Ah Hai and to plan the drop, then to contact New Delhi for planes to drop arms and liaison officers to include those of the rank of Lt. Col. to cover the area south to Malacca and north to Selangor Ah Hai asked through the interpreter: What are the criteria of the drop? Capson replied: frst, safety and secondly, flat area Ah Hai discussed the matter with Lau Lan (Lau Shau). Lai Te's proposed drop was difficult to do but Capson's requirements were easy to fulfil. Ah Hai and Lau Lan selected a flat place three miles from Seremban at Pantai Kg Nanais where "duck's feet" jagong was planted. Ah Hai took Capson to inspect the place and then to inform New Delhi. It was already the end of June After 2 or 3 days Capson informed Ah Hai that at 6 pm the next day three B25's would be making drops of ammunition and men and requested a force to meet them Ah Hai discussed the receipt and disposal of the arms with Lau Lan. It was decided that (1) Ah Hai would be in charge of battle, (2) Lau Lan was to take charge of transport of arms by the peoples armed units, (3) Ah Hai was to take charge of escort for the new men to reach their quarters, (4) Ah Lan to to give some of the arms to the armed people's units and to the self defence corps with the state committee in charge, (5) a portion of the arms was to be given to newly formed troops and to place them in Wu Min's units to form a new unit and (6) surplus arms were to be stored in safe places. The next day, in accordance with the plan, Ah Hai led Wu Ming, Hun Liang and a force of 20 men together with men from the armed people's forces and Capson's men to the drop. The battle orders were |
| (1) Wu Min was to
lead a small troop to lie in ambush at the road leading to Kg Nanais
and open fire with light arms, Sten guns and carbines and hand grenades
simultaneously at the enemy when the enemy was 40 to 60 metres away;
they were to attack with everything (2) Hung Liang was to lead a small troop to lie in ambush on high ground 300 metres from Wu Min and the method of attack was to be the same as Wu Min's. They were to do an all out attack if the enemy broke through the first line. (3) Huang Hua (Yeh Png) armed people's forces were to lead the self defence corps to form the third line of defence in support of Hung Liang's group (4) Tse Ming's armed people's forces were to be the drop's guard and ensure the safety of the men and arms At the same time Lau Lan was to lead another armed people's unit and anti-Japanese self defence corps unit to be stationed at one side of the drop with the following duties: (1) To despatch Cheng Sin to guide the peoples armed unit in the transport of arms; (2) Arrange for women comrades to do rear work for the forces and the liaison group; (3) The peoples movement comrades to work with the masses for the transport of arms and other work; As the drop was to be done in the face of the enemy all work had to be properly prepared. Ah Hai told Capson they were ready and to light the fires Capson was in touch by radio all afternoon till the evening. He advised Ah Hai that the planes had reached Port Dickson. Sharp at 6 pm, Capson lighted the 5 bonfires which formed an "A". In a moment a comrade with acute hearing came running to Ah Hai to report that he could hear planes. Those with good eyesight shouted, "The planes are here! The planes are here!" Three B25 bombers dropped arms, enough for two or three companies. These included light machine guns, carbines, Sten guns, hand grenades, anti tank guns and huge quantities of ammunition and medicines. Also dropped were a group of liaison officers which included Lt Col Fenner, Major Allen (who later became head of the KL CID), a stammering lieutenant doctor and a lieutenant who later practised as a lawyer in Seremban, accompanied by some working personnel. These included two men sent by the Kuomintang to New Delhi to be interpreters. Altogether, the planes dropped more than ten persons. While the planes were in the air the Japanese soldiers arrived. There were three enemy companies. They jumped down from their trucks. One company came towards Kg Nanais. We heard a loud command uttered , which was the signal for the attack. When they were |
| 40 to 50 metres
away our troops opened fire as planned. We heard the shouts of the
Japanese soldiers but did not understand what they were saying. Our men
shot where the sounds came from for it was dark and we could not see.
Those who got through were met by fire from the second line of defence
commanded by Hung Liang. The battle lasted for 1 or 2 hours until the enemy withdrew. Ah Hai gave orders for a withdrawal to the forest Wu Min and Hung Liang took a tally. Not one of our men was wounded and all shouted "We've won ! We've won!" When our men went over the battlefield they saw plenty of weapons lying beside the dead Japanese soldiers. But they were too tired to collect the weapons. Moreover, the collection of the weapons dropped had yet to be completed When they returned to base it was dark but the troops were still elated with victory. On behalf of the Negri Party Ah Hai congratulated Wu Min and Hung Liang for their outstanding conduct during the battle and for successfully carrying out their duties. Weapons had been collected and the liaison officers conducted to safety and now they should all have a rest and prepare for the fresh tasks the next day. This drop had brought us 300 weapons and even when morning came they had not all been collected. As the stuff was heavy Ah Hai asked Wu Min and Hung Liang to get the peoples armed forces to help. Sten guns, carbines and light machine guns were distributed for transport, the surplus ammunition put into metal drums for storage in the jungle The anti-tank guns were to be given to Lau Lan. All this was before daybreak As the drop had given us many weapons Ah Hai decided that Lau Lan should distribute weapons to the peoples armed forces per person as follows: one weapon, 200 - 300 rounds of ammunition, one or two hand grenades. The surplus was to be hidden in the jungle. Although they were tired the peoples armed forces and self defence corps members finished their job before dawn. After he had finished his business Ah Hai and Lt Col Fenner made their way to the temporary camp. Fenner being used to life in the city and had no experience of marches in the jungle and had no idea of navigating in the night through the jungle. He found it tough after a tiring day. Ah Hai understanding the situation told Fenner that everyone was tired and we that we should start after it got bright. He assured Fenner that he had despatched forces or lie in ambush in case the enemy should come. After a rest they should have no difficulty in marching the hour to the camp. Fenner agreed and that is how more than ten of use rested along the way Fenner was a good talker. He asked many questions about the strange world about him and seemed not to want to rest. Ah Hai was reserved and did not tell him much and put him off by saying: Rest and we shall discuss tomorrow! It was only then that Fenner rested |
| At dawn the next
day Ah Hai ordered that
the men get ready to move. After roll call, our men of about 60 strong
were
ready and we marched in single formation with the crack troops in front
and
with the rear guard protecting the rear. The middle section was to keep
a
look out on both side. Everyone was to watch out for the warning
whistle and
not to be excited. These orders were interpreted for the benefit of
Fenner who nodded his agreement. At sharp inclines our men were
to help the liaison officers to make sure that none of them slipped and
fell After two hours and at about 8 in the morning we were near the camp and couriers were sent ahead to contact those guarding the camp to tell them that we had arrived The armed people's unit immediately prepared tea, formed ranks to welcome the liaison officers and the returning troops We entered camp to the clapping of hands by the welcoming unit. Our troop was called to order and a roll call made. The armed forces unit warmly welcomed the liaison officers and invited them to tea. Our men told them of the drop and battle with the Japanese soldiers to their delight. Ah Hai then personally saw to Fenner being led to his temporary quarters. Potatoes were brought for them to eat. Guards were then told to escort them to the river for a wash At 9 o'clock Ah Hai and Fenner opened formal talks. It was agreed that our two forces form two units one led by Fenner and the other by Ah Hai. A handshake confirmed that they would together fight the enemy. At first Fenner wanted more solemn ceremonies with the raising of the British flag and our army flag and photos being taken but Ah Hai said time was pressing and they should prepare for battle and plan the move to a new camp. The formalities could wait until they got to a new place. Fenner agreed. Next was a discussion on moving camp. The present camp was too easily identifiable and the enemy could easily find it. There was no ambush laid at the entrance to the village and an enemy attack could be imagined. The commanders thought their men tired and could not sustain long battles. These conditions and the safety of the liaison officers and the dropped arms led to the decision that we move to another mountain where, having done their tasks, the troops could assemble. About 12 noon, as Ah Hai had predicted, the enemy attacked with 2 or 3 companies strength and the sound of battle arose at the entrance to the village. The battle raged and the sound of gunfire echoed through the mountains. We sent in additional troops consisting of one armed peoples force unit and three self defence corps units totalling 145 men about company strength to strengthen our troops in the battle. Ah Hai had ordered that once the enemy was pinned down out troops should withdraw to good ground to lay a second ambush. A small troop was to stand guard while the others were to "sleep" rest to await a fresh enemy advance and then attack again to gain time for us to withdraw from the temporary camp. |
| The commanders
arranged that during the move troops of good fighting men supplement
the crack troops and also act as rear guard, the liaison
officers were to be in the middle, messengers were to keep Fenner
in touch with the command. At about 13 hours no more firing was heard. By 4 oclock in the afternoon we reached the new mountain top base and the commander reported to Ah Hai that they had completed the march. Ah Hai ordered that they were to strictly follow the rules that prevailed at the temporary camp and to prepare for a surprise enemy attack. The commanders ordered 1) that there should be two sentries at the camp and that they should be changed every hour 2) a shot should be fired if the enemy was sighted 3) Any of the 6 platoons hearing shooting were to report to the commander who would then despatch the platoon to support the sentry, the rest to await further orders 4) each platoon was to establish its rest place 5) kitchen staff were to start preparing the evening meal 6) after the meal they were to take turns to bathe At 6 pm, while Fenner and Ah Hai were in discussions, sound of firing came from near the temporary camp and among the liaison officers there was tension. Ah Hai asked Fenner to tell his men to be calm and get to sleep. It was getting dark and the enemy would not dare move in the dark and would probably spend the night in the temporary camp. About 8 pm Wu Min and Hung Liang brought the troops who had engaged with the enemy back to the new camp where they reported to Ah Hai the course of the battle. (1) about 12 o'clock the enemy had walked into our ambush. We were on high ground with a lot of tree cover whereas the enemy was on lower ground without trees. We opened fire on them from two sides. They shot back and retreated at the same time and after half hour the firing stopped. (2) The battle would have been much better if our troops had not been so tired and if we did not have so many raw recruits. (3) As there appeared no movement on the enemy side scouts were sent out to investigate and they reported that the enemy had completely withdrawn to the village (4) As planned our troops withdrew to the second ambush position |
| (5) A self defence
corps member reported that their commander called "The Small Beard," a
Kwangsi from Kg Nanais had died in battle. One of his men
said he was very brave. He stood up and shot at the enemy with his Sten
gun and was killed while doing this. He cried out before he died:
"Long Live the victory of the anti-Japanese war!" and "Long Live the
Democratic Republic!" The commanders ordered that they bring back his
body. He was washed, then there was a three minutes silence
before
he was buried with military honours Our soldiers were elated with victory and marched back to the temporary camp cheerfully. After posting sentries they rejoined the main force In this battle we lost one man while the enemy lost as many as 60 to 70 dead and wounded After receiving the reports Ah Hai addressed the troops as representative of the Negri Party organisation and the 2 Independent Command and the Resistance Alliance and Self-Defence Corps Headquarters and congratulated them on their victory. In the two days they had done two battles and acquitted themselves well, protecting the liaison officers and the arms they brought but this was not without sacrifices for we had lost one fighter, He called for three minutes silence to honour those who had fallen in battle (The Resistance Alliance and Self-Defence Corps comrades took the body of "The Small Beard" to bury at Kg Nanais. After the war they erected a memorial to him and other martyrs at "Satu Road," Seremban) Ah Hai then instructed Wu Min and Hung Liang to have the troops rest, eat and bathe and to sleep and instructed the rear services to give a good impression to the People Resistance and the Self Defence Corps and the Liaison Officers by their work. After the Pantai battle the troops settled down into the new camp That was the longest period that the liaison men and us lived together Below is a sample of the conversation between Fenner and Ah Hai Fenner: What is the name of the commander of the Malayan Peoples Anti Japanese Army? Ah Hai: The name of the commander of the 2 Independent is Teng Fook Loong (Chen Ch'un) and the second in command is Siao She Ke Fenner: What plans have you for the expansion of the forces? Ah Hai: We want to develop 2 Independent into regiment. Fenner: How many men have you? Ah Hai: "Men" we have a-plenty. The question is how much material you can supply |
| Fenner: What is
your estimate of what a regiment needs? Ah Hai: 1000 rifles, 3 - 400,000 rounds of ammunition, an ample supply of hand grenades, explosives and small cannon Fenner: Apart from supplies what do you in mind in respect of military action? Ah Hai: We can take action in conjunction with the landing of troops Fenner: Have you got any military intelligence in you possession? Ah Hai: Of course. In the course of our guerrilla war we have certainly collected all kinds of intelligence Fenner: How much military intelligence do you have? Ah Hai: I have with me secret material on the Japanese navy at Port Dickson. Among them maps showing the defence strong points Fenner on hearing this asked to be shown the documents. On being shown the documents he said "Excellent!" and asked how we got hold of them Ah Hai said that he should not pursue the subject Fenner pointed at a map and asked if he could have it Ah Hai said he could lend it to him but it should be returned when he had finished with it Fenner said ok (but he never returned the map) Fenner asked Ah Hai what in fact was his name Ah Hai said he had already told Major Capson (?) When Fenner did not get a direct answer he again asked that he should meet Ah Hai and Ah Hai said that this could be done Fenner remarked that Ah Hai had wide powers and Ah Hai replied that Fenner too had wide powers Both men laughed and Fenner said, where did I first meet you? He was not mistaken. Fenner had met Ah Hai in May 1941. Fenner was then head of the Special Branch at Ipoh and had planned to arrest some trade union leaders. On the 2nd May accompanied by two detectives had gone to Kinta Rubber Workers Union at Tronoh to arrest Ah Hai but drew a blank. He then went to the Parit office of the union but again failed to find Ah Hai. They then went to a riverside coffee shop for coffee. |
| At the same time Ah
Hai and Comrade Li Pai were also having coffee at the rear. Li Pai was
very alert and saw that these persons who were up to no good and
signalled Ah Hai to go out by the back door. But Ah Hai missed the hint
and Li Pai prepared for a fist fight in order to give Ah Hai time to
slip away. Ah Hai moved to the w.c. and then made his escape. Li Pai
showed he was willing to sacrifice himself for Ah Hai's safety. And
added to that the fact that detective Lo Chang who would have
recognised Ah Hai at Tronoh did not come with these detectives, they
again missed their quarry Ah Hai asked Fenner where he worked before and Fenner said Ipoh in Perak. As Ah Hai did not think the time was ripe for exposure said that he was at the time in Negri Fenner said that he thought the drop would be safer at Lingkap village at the Kuala Pilah hills. Later, we discovered that his idea of going to Kuala Pilah was to carry out his own plans one of which was to see the Sultan and to encourage activities in the Malay kampongs to split us. Ah Hai said to Fenner that since he had decided they would not force him to remain where they were but would help him prepare to go but he told Fenner that he would be meeting Teng Foo Loong (that is Ch'en Ch'un) the next day. He would ask Teng to meet Fenner at Kuala Pilah and from there he would be escorted by the deputy commander Siao She Ke Fenner agreed and gave his pistol to Ah Hai and said: Keep this as a memento from me Fenner asked if they would meet again and AH Hai said there was a chance they would meet again Fenner in fact did not meet Ah Hai again. When he was with Ch'en Ch'un he often asked Ch'en Ch'un about Ah Hai. He would for example ask if Ah Hai's representative was in fact Ah Hai. Ch'en Ch'un would answer: "Negri does have two Ah Hai's!" Fenner frequently asked Ch'eng Ch'un what he would do after victory and Ch'en Ch'un would just say wait and see. Fenner said he would give him a business to do and Ch'en Ch'un said what business? I won't do a "losing" business. Fenner said "Making money" Ch'en Ch'un said: "Only if proper!" At which Fenner laughed |
| 39 A new
commander for 2 Independent In July, Ah Hai, representing the Party Central Committee relayed orders regarding the command of 2 Independent, new troop organisation and deployment of troops 1) Ch'en Ch'un was to be the new leader of New 2 Independent (i.e. its commander) with Siao She Ke as the deputy commander. Chai Shang Yin was to be head of the political department. (Fenner did not like the term "political department" and so the term "Control Department") was used instead. 2) 2 Independent was to be reorganised to comprise four companies which would later be expanded a) 1 Independent was to send one company of 80 strong with Huang Ching as Party representative (Note 113) with Chuen Min (Fng Ming) as commander and Wu Mien (Min) as deputy commander; Liao Hung Liang, head of political department; Rei Yen (Lian Yen) in the Control Department. Twenty of this company were to form the escort for Major Capson(?) and his 5 men. Another part with Huang Ching and Chuen Min had arrived in June. The State Committee planned that half the cadres and the men of the company would form the first company of the New 2 Independent. Wu Min was to be commander with Liao Hung Liang as his second in command and head of the political bureau and Teng Yan was to be head of the Control Bureau and in charge of the Rear Services The new 2 Independent was under the command of the new 2 Independent command and led by the Executive Committee (in practice this committee faded away leaving the State Committee in charge) The local Anti-Japanese Self-Defence Corps of 90 men were be absorbed by the 1st Company which was to be active in the areas of Seremban, Port Dickson and Mantin (Satu) Huang Chin Hua was appointed the political bureau chief of what remained of the old company despatched by 1 Independent. The old company commanded by Chuen Min was to work together with the local armed peoples forces which were then under the command of Lin Chung who was also secretary of the Area Committee in mass work (including united front work) in the Seremban, Port Dickson and Bunting areas Huang Ching was appointed State Committee member to lead the old company with power to recruit from the Self-Defence Corps whenever the old company was short of men (b) 3 Independent had also despatched an 80 strong company. Ch'en Ch'un was empowered to take 40 of the cadres and troops to form a 3rd Company with Ho San as commander and Wang Chang Hai as his deputy as well head of the political bureau. Hong Peng was to be in charge of the Control Bureau as well as the head of the Rear Services Department |
| Ninety from
the local Anti-Japanese Self Defence Corps were to be absorbed by the
3rd Company which was to be active in the areas of Kuala Pilah and
Tampin-Johore (c) What remained of the company that came from 3 Independent was to be named the 7th Company with Tng Cho Hua as commander Ch'en Chng Hua as his deputy and head of the political bureau with Ssu Hai as head of Control The 7th company was to active in the areas of Tampin and Padang Malacca (d) 6 Independent would also be despatching a company of 80-90 strong. Ai Ke was its Party representative and the commander was Tang Yin Hsing with Wu Shih Fu as deputy and deputy company commander Chu Kuang Half of this force was to become the 5th Company with Chu Ah Kuang as commander and Chen Hua as his deputy as well as head of the political bureau and Yi Min (known as the "Big Devil" in Pahang) in charge of Control Areas of activity were Bahau, Rompin, Gemas and Ayer Hitam Yeh Ai Ke was promoted to the State Committee Tang Yin Hsing and Wu Shih Fu were to take the old company to Titi and get recruits from the local Self Defence Corps. The old company's area of operations was to be Titi, Jelebu, Pertang, and Jimah. Yeh Ai Ke as representative of the command of the 2 Independent was to be leader of this old company (e) The new and the old companies were to conduct warfare and political work together under the Negri State Committee. Generally speaking the new troops were to conduct open warfare and the old troops were to do secret military and political work. (f) Both old and new were to co-ordinate their work closely with the local Peoples Movement and avoid conflict and contradictions After he had transmitted the orders Ah Hai asked if Lau Chen had anything to say about them and he answered that he agreed fully with them and would do his duty Ah Hai said that henceforth they were to call him Ah Chang. He explained that when Capson asked for Ah Hai he had told him his name was Li and that he was Ah Hai's representative. Similarly he had told Fenner that Ah Hai was not well and was at Titi He added that he understood Capson (?) to be a blockhead and would be easy to deal with. But Lt Col Fenner was a ‘smiling tiger" and should be handled with care. Major Allen did not speak much and was often talking to the lower ranks gathering information and was perhaps a secret service man. As for the rest they should be observed and watched. |
| The present task
was to strengthen political education and military
training in order to expand the forces; this was because the new
recruits
made up more than 80% of the force and they came from the Anti-Japanese
Self Defence Corps and Resistance Alliance. Although their
enthusiasm was high they lack political education and as for their
military prowess, the less said the better. Military training was
essential if we were to fight the coming larger battles, and vigilance
was needed to guard against bad elements within. Ch'en Ch'un then spoke thanking Central Committee for giving him new tasks which he said he would carry out. He spoke on his experience of war, something that weighed heavily on his conscience. He said he had been secretary of a branch of the Singapore Workers in Foreign Companies and a committee member of the Singapore City Committee. He had faced no problems. But in 1942 he had worked with the command of the 2 Independent to seize weapons from the Kuala Pilah police station. It failed and he was blamed for the failure. Lai Fu Ching had spoken to Lai Te accusing him of exceeding his powers over 2 Independent and causing losses. Chai Ke Ming had reported to the Negri State Committee that Lai Te had wanted to punish Ch'en Ch'un. Ch'en Ch'un said: "Luckily you (meaning Ah Hai) and Ah San defended me and the punishment I got was demotion from the State Committee to the rank of ordinary member. In fact the Kuala Pilah attack was decided on by all, so how could I have been accused of "exceeding" my command. The decision to attack was because the group led by Lau Liu had had their weapons stolen by the enemy. It was decided by Lau Liu, Ma Ting , Liao Te (deputy commander , political department head, and head of Rear Services of 2 Independent respectively) and I decided to get back those weapons. As a result of discussion it was agreed to attack and plans were made accordingly. Thirty men including those from 2 Independent and the local guerrillas were to attack from three directions, seize the weapons and then retreat. Another group was to lie in ambush for enemy reinforcements. The attack group waited 200 metres from the police station for the right moment. Suddenly, the call came to attack - we didn't know from where - and this warned the police. Because the police station was on higher ground we suffered heavy casualties and were forced to withdraw. We lacked experience and should have examined the causes of our defeat; instead all the blame was put on me, was it fair? I have never forgotten this and have to talk about it" Ah Hai who knew Ch'en Ch'un to be a good comrade said: " Of course it was not fair that is why the State (District) Committee opposed Lai Te's proposed punishment and Ah Hai and Ah San resigned their posts. In the end the punishment was demotion from State Committee member to ordinary Party member status. Ch'eng Ch'un, old man! History is the best witness. Now you have been appointed the new commander, so put all that behind you!" Ch'en Ch'un laughed and said, "There is one more thing. Lai Fu came to Lingkap near Tampin reporting the "San Hup Kang" Resolution to Ah Kang, commander of the Independent platoon of Lingkap to disperse his men to a rubber estate to do "mass work" and to live in the "stilt house." This exposed the troops who were wiped out by the enemy. This disaster the old 2 Independent never mentioned. I think we should be critical of the Resolution in order to learn lessons from it. After a pause Ah Hai said:" What has happened has happened and those who are dead are dead. You have taken back the weapons and reformed the Tampin Independent Platoon and you have had victorious battles, so let's leave it alone. Now time presses and we have a lot to do so let us |
| concentrate now on
winning the next battle." # NOTES (109) Ah Ming also Chang Chu also Chang Chang Ming. A Perak cadre. Despatched to Selangor where he was a State Committee member . At the 8th Enlarged he was elected provisional central committee member. When the war against Britain broke out he lost contact with the Party and went to Hong Kong. Later he met Ah Hai and expressed a desire to join the guerillas at Tung Chiang for which he had Ah Hai's support. He worked in the village for a long time and then in the 90s became the Malayan Overseas Association chairman (110) Puppet Support Associations. Formed by the Japanese of traitors to help the Japanese maintain security (111) Liao Hung Liang. Deputy commander and political officer of the No 1 Company of the New 2 Independent. After the victory over Japanese aggression was committee member of the Negri New Democratic Youth League. After the disbanding of the Army and during the low tide of the revolution he went to Hong Kong and studied at the Ta Te College. When the new China was established he went to Peking to study at the Youth Training Class and on graduation was sent to do local work (112) Lt Col Capson. The writer is not sure if his name is correctly spelt). He was the first liaison officer from the headquarters of the South East Asia Allied command to contact 2 Independent. Chapter 39 (113) Huang Ching, also Ah Chao. After the war he left the Party Go to the top (To be continued) for Part 11 click on http://thepenangfile.bravehostapr-2007/histr52.htm |
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| ______ INDEX Point to the article that you want to read, and CLICK Index page Baba words Cricket in Penang The Fairy fish Food guide The jungle war (12) Letter from Pulau Tikus Pablo Neruda in Penang A reader from Chennai Restricting rubber production (Part 2) Temasek, a poem An untypical life |
| _____________________ The Penang File Issue 53 |