Former Communist Party of Malaya secretary-general Chin Peng passed away today at a hospital in Bangkok. He was 89.
According to the Bangkok Post, he was pronounced dead at 6.20am.
Chin Peng, born Ong Boon Hua in 1924, is reviled by the Malaysian authorities over CPM's insurgency which left many Malaysians dead and ended only in 1989 after a peace treaty was signed.
However, some historians said Chin Peng has his place in history as he had led communist forces against the Japanese invaders and British colonialist.
The peace treaty resulted in Chin Peng living in exile in Southern Thailand. He has made unsuccessful attempts at convincing the Malaysian court to allow his return.
Chin Peng first rose to prominence when he took to the jungles to fight against the Japanese under the auspicies of the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA).
He had also assisted the British against the fight, earning him the award as officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Some were not allowed back
The award was later withdrawn when the Communist Party of Malaya under Chin Peng set his sights on the British when they returned to power following Japan's surrender in Malaya.
Emergency was declared on June 16, 1948 after the CPM attacked and killed three European plantation managers and the party was outlawed a month later.
The
open hostilities lasted for 12 years until 1960 when the emergency was
lifted and the CPM's guerilla war fizzled with Chin Peng and his men
fleeing to Southern Thailand.
The CPM finally laid down its arms in 1989 and one of the terms of the peace agreement was for the former CPM members to be allowed to settle in Malaysia.
Since then, some communists such as Shamsiah Fakeh (left) were allowed back in the country.
However many others like Rashid Maidin and Abdullah CD, like Chin Peng, were denied entry despite the peace agreement.
According to the Bangkok Post, he was pronounced dead at 6.20am.
Chin Peng, born Ong Boon Hua in 1924, is reviled by the Malaysian authorities over CPM's insurgency which left many Malaysians dead and ended only in 1989 after a peace treaty was signed.
However, some historians said Chin Peng has his place in history as he had led communist forces against the Japanese invaders and British colonialist.
The peace treaty resulted in Chin Peng living in exile in Southern Thailand. He has made unsuccessful attempts at convincing the Malaysian court to allow his return.
Chin Peng first rose to prominence when he took to the jungles to fight against the Japanese under the auspicies of the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA).
He had also assisted the British against the fight, earning him the award as officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Some were not allowed back
The award was later withdrawn when the Communist Party of Malaya under Chin Peng set his sights on the British when they returned to power following Japan's surrender in Malaya.
Emergency was declared on June 16, 1948 after the CPM attacked and killed three European plantation managers and the party was outlawed a month later.
The
open hostilities lasted for 12 years until 1960 when the emergency was
lifted and the CPM's guerilla war fizzled with Chin Peng and his men
fleeing to Southern Thailand.The CPM finally laid down its arms in 1989 and one of the terms of the peace agreement was for the former CPM members to be allowed to settle in Malaysia.
Since then, some communists such as Shamsiah Fakeh (left) were allowed back in the country.
However many others like Rashid Maidin and Abdullah CD, like Chin Peng, were denied entry despite the peace agreement.
