Second Emergency
Eight years after escaping to Southern Thailand, the Malayan Communist Party decided to restart their war against the Malaysian Government with a fiery ambush on a convoy of Police Field Force personnel based in Kroh on 17 June 1968. Sixteen policemen were killed in the ambush with another seventeen wounded.
Communist Killer Squad
Thirst for more kills, they had also launched several death squads to assassinate key government personnel, including the Chief of Malaysian Armed Forces, the Chief of Singapore Armed Forces, Special Branch officers, and men. The hit squad had a string of successes.
1. DSP Wong Lim Hoon in Selangor on 18 July 1973.
2. Chief Inspector Chin Chin Kou in Serdang on 12 July 1973.
3. Detective Sergeant Choy Kek On in Sungai Siput on 22 October 1973.
4. Detective Lee Seo Kow in Malim Nawar on 3 January 1974.
5. Detective Ong Soon Chua in Chemor on 20 April 1974.
6. Detective Sergeant Lee Yoo Chin in Melaka on 20 April 1974.
The hit squad’s effectiveness culminated in the killing of Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Hashim, then the Inspector General of Police somewhere near today’s Menara MayBank on 6 June 1974.
The Killings Continued
But the murders did not end. Another three detectives were murdered.
1. Detective Foo Kek Wee in Paloh on 17 April 1975.
2. Detective Leong Ming Kwong in Langkap on 17 May 1975.
3. Detective Sergeant Tong Weng Poh in Selangor on 18 May 1975.
Solution Needed
Noting that the situation had gotten worse, his replacement, Encik (later Tun) Hanif Omar who took over as the next Inspector General of Police, quickly set the target to eliminate the threat. The intelligence apparatus managed to identify a man named Kar Lin who was responsible for masterminding the unit. Kar Lin and Koo had previously operated together when they were in MPAJA. They were also able to identify the next target, Yuen Yuet Leng who was then the Perak Chief of Police. With this knowledge, Encik Hanif Omar called for Koo (then a Datuk) to instruct him to be transferred to Perak and to swap places with Yuen Yuet Leng. He agreed immediately, provided that Haniff talked to his wife. Below is a transcript of the conversation between Koo’s wife and Encik Hanif Omar, as narrated by Capt (R) Abdul Rahman.
Cheah Choy Yim : En. Hanif, please do not transfer Jimmy back to Perak. He will be killed. They have been hunting him for years and would definitely find him. En. Hanif, tolonglah jangan pindahkan Jimmy balik ke Perak. Dia akan mati. Mereka sudah lama memburu dia pasti akan bunuh dia.
Hearing this, Hanif asked Koo if he has any reservations. He replied that he will move to Perak as he had promised and it is his responsibility.
The move was made in February 1975. And the murders still continued.
1. Deputy Superintendent Low Kam Fook was murdered in Batu Gajah on 12 June 1975,
2. Detective Ong Ten Chin in Ipoh on 20 June 1975.
3. Detective Lim Hee Way in Seremban on 27 July 1975.
To be continued...
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