Chin Peng, Malaysia's controversial 'independence' hero, dies in Bangkok

Dr Nasir Hashim, chairperson of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), said yesterday that Chin Peng should be remembered as one of the pioneers in the struggle for independence as he fought against the colonial masters – first the Japanese and then the British. “If history is rewritten, he has a place in the country’s struggle for independence,” he said.

Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar said Chin Peng’s death marked the end of an era. “He was a resourceful leader in difficult times,” he said, adding that whatever Chin Peng had done, it had been done for the greater good of the people and the principles he stood for.

Chin Peng’s struggle, however, began to be viewed negatively when he continued to fight the forces of the newly independent Malaya.

Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali said his ashes shouldn’t be allowed back into the country.

“To me, Chin Peng was not only the head of the violent communist movement but also a criminal. Chin Peng must be erased from history, so people especially the younger generation do not know him.

“There are some black moments in the county’s history that should be taken as lessons, but not the history of terrorist and criminals who did harm to the country,” he said.

Malaysian government leaders have consistently insisted that Chin Peng’s return would upset many Malaysians who lost their loved ones during the communist insurgency.

Some 10,000 people are believed to have been killed in the Malaysian communist insurgency.

Chin Peng led guerrilla insurgency and fought against British and Commonwealth forces to establish an independent Communist state.

The insurgency officially ended on December 2, 1989 when the Malaysian government signed a peace treaty with the party, less than a month after the Berlin Wall came down.

He lived in exile in Thailand for more than five decades and was not permitted to return in Malaysia.

Born in late October 1924 with the name Ong Boon Hua, in the small seaside town of Sitiawan, in Perak state, Chin Peng was Malaysia’s best-known former communist guerrilla and remains highly controversial.

For his resistance movement during the Japanese occupation of Malaya (1941-1945), he was awarded the Order of the British Empire, one of Britain’s highest accolades.

However, when the British colonialists returned, he confronted the British forces during the period known as the Emergency, the bloodiest time in the country’s modern history.

Some 10,000 people are believed to have been killed during that time.

He stopped being an independence hero when he continued to fight the forces of the newly independent Malaya.

Chin Peng lost a legal struggle in recent years to be allowed back into Malaysia and lived with some of his compatriots in Thailand. He held a Chinese passport.

Malaysian government leaders have consistently insisted that his return would upset many Malaysians who lost their loved ones during the communist insurgency.