Personnel who served during Communist insurgency honoured

Tan (left) receiving the PJPN from Kedah police chief Comm Wan Hassan.

FOR serving the country during the Emergency and Communist insurgency, 247 retired police personnel and in-service officers were honoured with the National Hero Service Medal or Pingat Jasa Pahlawan Negara (PJPN).

Star Media Group’s Kedah-based stringer Eric Tan Guan Cheong, 58, and former Star Publication (M) Berhad northern hub office manager Chin Yoon Foo, 69, were among those who received the awards at the Kedah police contingent headquarters in Alor Setar.

Chin was a Special Branch inspector based at the Regional Border Committee Office in Yala, southern Thailand, for 11 years. He served the police force for 23 years.

Tan worked as a Special Branch detective from 1988 to 2001 before joining The Star as a photographer. He is now a journalist.

The PJPN is a medal given to members of the Royal Malaysia Police in recognition of their heroic service for the country.

Chin (left) and Ong posing after being awarded the PJPN.

The recipients served the country during the Emergency era which lasted from July 1948 to July 1960, the Communist insurgency from June 1968 to December 1989 in Peninsular Malaysia and in Sabah and Sarawak from 1962 to 1990 (Emergency Service era).

Tan will never forget meeting the communists who returned home after they surrendered or were captured by the police.

“As a Special Branch detective, I had to locate the returnees to update our data on them but this was very difficult. On the few times I was able to turn up at their doorsteps, I was roundly scolded for ‘disturbing’ them.

“If they are still alive, they would be 90 to 100 years old now.

“They faced many problems in obtaining citizenship and carried red identity cards.

“On one occasion, a woman returnee broke down when talking about taking up arms in the struggle. She confessed she was wrong for following her friends.

“When her son was bashed up by a few teenagers over parking issues, she called me and I helped her.

“I also visited a sympathiser who was very unfriendly. He sternly denied joining any insurgency activities and was very reluctant to speak about the past,” said Tan.

Meanwhile, Chin recalled one of the most unforgettable events that took place during his service.

“I witnessed the signing of the Peace Agreement of Hat Yai in 1989 between Thailand and Malaysia with Communist Party of Malaya which marked the end of the Communist insurgency.

“I was the ADC (aide-de-camp) to the then Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Hanif Omar.

“I was the only Special Branch officer there who was granted permission to talk to Chin Peng during the luncheon after the signing ceremony.

“We chatted in Mandarin and English and I also posed for a photo with him.

“He signed a 100 baht Thai note which I kept as a memento of the occasion,” said Chin.

Retired superintendent Ong Aik Chang who served the police force for 36 years said he had two engagements with communist terrorists at Slim River during his service.

“In one incident at a jungle, our team shot a terrorist and in the second incident at an oil palm estate, the terrorists escaped after we fired at them,” he recalled.