Malayan Emergency 1948-1960 - COLD WAR DOCUMENTARY

Our series on the history of the Cold War period continues with a documentary on Malayan Emergency of 1948-1960 during which the British empire was challenged by the emerging Malayan Communist Party. These events led to the independence of Malaya
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[@TheColdWarTV]

Shoutout to Ben, who recognized our producer and said "hi" last week. Totally made our week. :-)

[@newextremewatcher]

Thank you for focusing on this topic today, The Cold War. For us Malaysians this event was quite significant in our history.

[@user-fj5wn9iq5r]

When you will do an episode about greek civil war

[@tonybren7079]

You should talk about Cambodia at some point.

[@SVCartman]

Talking about the Malayan emergency and the counterinsurgency without speaking about Sir Robert Grainger Ker Thompson?

[@Denis-fj1ky]

Shapiro?

[@HistoryHustle]

This "British Vietnam" is fairly unknown to the greater public. Only a few channels cover this conflict. High five! 🙏

[@hamzahharis2238]

A few channel,this is the only channel that cover this topic as far as I am concern.Who else cover this topic.

[@HistoryHustle]

@@hamzahharis2238 When visiting Malaysia I did a short coverage in front of a monument in Kuala Lumpur

[@MsAkbar14]

maybe to unpopularize the british atrocities during that time?

[@croco3671]

@@MsAkbar14 idk people seem pretty happy to report America's atrocities in Vietnam, so I can't see that being the reason

[@franzfanz]

@@MsAkbar14 I'd say it's more likely that the Korean War, which was going on at the time, probably overshadowed this amongst the general public and as that war is called the Forgotten War it's no surprise that the Malayan Crisis was even more forgotten. I mean much of the Malayan Crisis took place in dense jungle against shifty insurgents. Given people's recent experience of wars like WWII and the ongoing Korean War, which were much more conventional, it's likely that this was simply perceived as a police action, despite how brutal it was. It also lacked the international nature of other conflicts at the time like the first Indo-Pakistani War and was similar to other colonial crises that were occurring at the time such as Algerian War or the rebellion against colonial rule in French Indo-China. All up I'd say that with the amount of conflict going on contemporaneously with the Emergency it's just one more in a list of forgotten mid-century conflicts.

[@kostasastro]

Finally now we know with whom Indy, from World War II, talks to in his phone 😆

[@ilikedota5]

does he do WWII stuff now?

[@---uf2zl]

@@ilikedota5 Yes, world war II every week.

[@kostasastro]

@@ilikedota5 HE does WWII week by week check out World War II

[@EduardoEscarez]

It would great a crossover episode with both chatting though the phones 😁

[@JenniferinIllinois]

We all know Indy is talking to the ghosts of Luigi and Conrad.

[@ShinobiHOG]

I've actually studied this conflict and it was one of the best examples of counterinsurgency of the 20th century.....

[@bangscutter]

It's a shame this is not more widely known. If we don't learn from history, we are bound to fail. This is what happened to the USA in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The Americans focussed on fighting the insurgents themselves, which is futile and never-ending in asymmetric warfare. It fuels the cycle of violence, with the insurgents gaining more sympathy and recruits from the local population. Malaysians are actually proud that they are a success story in counterinsurgency and anti-communism, unlike so many other parts of the world where conflict became bloody and resulted in failed states.

[@Dave_Sisson]

I've heard that the Australians took what they had learned fighting in Malaya and applied it in Vietnam. Which is allegedly why they were able to mostly pacify their province fairly quickly, while the American military lost control in the provinces they were responsible for. No idea if that is true, but it's an interesting idea.

[@johoreanperson8396]

We now have braging rights of stoping insurgencies.

[@tryomama]

@@johoreanperson8396 imagine if some yanks be like: You Malaysian are a third world useless country! I would be like: Well at least we didn't draw an insurgency to more than a decade long war.

[@danishhaiqal5801]

@@tryomama hey actually we are not a third world country OKAY

[@seechunchong9876]

I heard this from my old history teacher in the 70s. During the Malayan Emergency, after the communists ambushed and killed a team of men send out to repair the water works in Tanjung Malim, Gen Templar went and gathered all the town folks in a hall and gave a speech complaining, threatening them about the lack of info and co operation from them to help fight the enemy. "....and if you folks think you are bastards, I will be the bigger bastard!!!" The translator was shocked but Gen said, "Go ahead and translate..." Stunned, the translator cautiously said, "The General said that all your parents were not married when you were born..." The town folks went silent and shocked.... Then, the translator cheerfully continued, "But the Gen also said that his parents were not married when he was born too!..." (I am not sure if this was a joke but apparently, it did happened). Hahaha.

[@marjoriedrakeabdullah5208]

Haha

[@threathy]

Actually the Chinese even do the agriculture things because we still busy fighting the Brits over how much salary thats day.😂

[@JTA1961]

Ap"parent"ly...I see what you did there...

[@rosswhite-chinnery5725]

That's like the time a frustrated Bob Hawke (Australian PM 1983-1991) told Japanese diplomats "I didn't come here to play silly buggers," but the best the translator could manage was "I didn't come here to play with laughing homosexuals."

[@williamcobbett4943]

​@@threathywhat?

[@jamestang1227]

OK, you've made it to South-East Asia, now talk about the Indonesian National Revolution and the shitshow that was.

[@ryandaverayla4910]

Same thing happened with us here in the Philippines. Cold War politics fucked us up

[@redcoat4348]

Do the konftrantasi too

[@yahwehsonren]

James Tang yes hi from indonesia

[@kyerusantonio1118]

@@ryandaverayla4910 and a specific woman *cough cough*

[@addochandra4745]

Also about Indonesian Communist Party Massacre too...

[@biffmuncher23]

Used to serve a nice old man in a pub I worked in. I only found out about his service in Malaya the last few times I served him before he disappeared for a month and I found out had passed away. In his 90s, top bloke, veteran of Malaya. RIP Brian you legend

[@edward3164]

RIP sounded like a great man. Blesses upon him.

[@gailharris5685]

My uncle was part of this conflict, he wouldn’t talk about it much, but did say that the Malaya soldiers would disappear into the jungle , and kill the enemy, that’s why my uncle lived a long life, thanks to these people

[@islander_Fj]

Im from Fiji 🇫🇯🇫🇯.. And our forefathers fought in this war too under the British Empire! My Grandfather fought in this war. Great to see a documentary about the war!

[@AlexSDU]

Thank you for your family's service. Love from Malaysia.

[@mrpapadom7505]

Thanks you sir...

[@2862WU]

My father was with the British Army in Malaya in 1953/54 where he first met Fijians and thought they were good people. He even went so far as to visit Fiji in 1991 and said that though it was a lot different to Yorkshire he really felt at home there.

[@dadagan8815]

@JAYEM LLB So what was your Grandfather's opinion of the empire? my own had a very dim view of it and they were English.

[@andrewmccloud8581]

My grandfather did his national service during this war and served alongside the Gurkhas. He recounted to us many times how he saw a Gurkha dive through the window of an enemy-occupied hut, leave through the adjacent window and the shelter exploding moments later from a discharged grenade.

[@landongsi]

Why didn't Gurkha just throw the grenade through the window?

[@rayjames433]

interesting my step father did his national service with the kings own Scottish borderers with the gurkhas

[@Litany_of_Fury]

My Grandad was stationed in and around Singapore. He fought communists and did general patrol in the city and through the jungles to the many forts. He told me it was a strange time, people were happy that they won the war, but dismayed at the swampish conditions they were met with. The locals in the cities were friendly enough and there was a general superiority complex among the Commonwealth forces. It was a difficult task to really defend anything since most of the forts and defenses were facing the sea. My Grandad never saw the enemy alive, all he was met with were hails of bullets from the jungle, the occasional bomb and the 'burp' of the enemy submachine guns. He was stationed there for over a year, but couldn't take the heat and the invisible enemy anymore, he was considering joining the paratroopers when his sergeant committed suicide after spending all his money buying alcohol and chocolate for his men. "Better to jump out of planes than to spend another night in that heat."

[@Photojouralist123]

I lived in Malaysia from 1966 to 1973 my dad was in the US Embassy. Moved back to KL from Seattle in 1996 and I’m still here. Thanks for the history lesson

[@michelachinic1704]

Are you by any chance Patti Ishi's brother?

[@grease8922]

Im Malaysian, yes, known as Malayan before, if you will.. :).. thanks for a good high level coverage of the conflicts... Just wanna add, British also brought in Indians from India, to works in rubber plantation, as per depicted in your videos above.... While chinese were brought in mainly to works on tin mines as correctly depicted above.... The local Malays remain in agriculture and as a fishermen on those early days.... A typical divide and conquer tactics by the brits.... Just to say the least.. :)

[@qus.9617]

There are many ancient statesmen from India and China who espoused that sort of theory. It is easier to control people by designating any group to a specific trade.

[@SangAyie]

@Light Head they pretty much learned it from Rome. With all the Greek philosophies embedded deep in their ideology.

[@mariacheebandidos7183]

it is more exploiting the division than it is dividing and conquering.

[@AlexSDU]

Actually, Malaya is part of Malaysia. Malaya is just half of Malaysia. The other half is Sabah & Sarawak. Remember, Malaya, Singapore, Sabah & Sarawak signed the Malaysian Agreement to form Malaysia in 1963. 1957 is not Malaysia's independence day, but Malaya, because Malaysia haven't exist yet before 1963. As Malaysian, you should know that.

[@pendragonluver]

@@AlexSDU How do you know he's not from the peninsular? Hence why he referred to himself as a Malayan in context of pre-Malaysia, 1963. A lot of the older Malaysian today who was born before 1957 and 1963 do called themselves as Malayan. Its only after 1963 and especially for people who were born after the merger that the term Malaysian and West/East Malaysian really makes sense since they were never Malayan/Borneon.

[@aimanmarzuqi4804]

Finally we are talking about my country and "Bintang Tiga" (the other name for the communist forces in Malaya, it means three star).

[@epicfailanimation2901]

My grandpa was a Gurkha rifleman vet from that war,he never told me anything about that but he said he was just on the peaceful side,he is still with me

[@muhammadnursyahmi9440]

Gurkha are badass peoples. I think they are the closest we can get in real life to Doomguy in Doom.

[@andrewmccloud8581]

@@muhammadnursyahmi9440 My grandfather did his national service during this war and served alongside the Gurkhas. He recounted to us many times how he saw a Gurkha dive through the window of an enemy-occupied hut, leave through the adjacent window and the shelter exploding moments later from a discharged grenade.

[@Archer89201]

A friend of mine during college days was from Nepal whose family has served in the British Gurkhas for 3 generations, his grandfather was a Bren carrier during the Malayan Insurgency

[@ianthebarefootwoodworker516]

I’m glad you briefly mentioned other countries who made contributions to this conflict. Very little is known about it here in Australia. My grandfather fought there and by all accounts it’s part of the reason why Australians did so well in counter insurgency operations in Vietnam than some of the other nations there.

[@5chr4pn3ll]

Interesting to note is also that this was the conflict that saw the British SAS being re-formed. This is the true start of modern Special Forces and where the squad combat methodology, that is now used all over the world, was developed. Everything from squad size and movement, to armament composition within squads was worked out by the SAS in this conflict.

[@snake45aiman]

And the birth of two SAS child..malaysian police VAT 69 (police junggle special force "the commie nightmare") and the group gerak khas (army commando)

[@tryomama]

@@snake45aiman yeah. . . I totally forgot about that.

[@BenAhmed67]

SAS gave birth and trained the VAT 69 hence the sand berets in their uniform...the Royal Marine Commandos trained the GGK hence the Green beret and light blue lanyard..

[@awalramadan8867]

@@snake45aiman My late father, a policeman and a Force 136 veteran was a lieutenant in the Jungle Squad platoon at the beginning of the emergency. Maybe this is the first 'Polis Hutan' batalion or or so which later on led to the establishment of the VAT 69; I presumed. Harshed training led by British officers, pre-WW2 veterans were selected among policemen to join this squad....after the war ended. He passed away at 94 in 2009 as a unsong hero to his country and religion. Alfatihah

[@tryomama]

@TheGodEmperorofMankind that's what he said. Reformed

[@tryomama]

Wow. That's rare someone talking about our emergency.

[@jmr1090]

Quite possibly the most successful counterinsurgency in recent memory. The Forces in Malaya were not only British and Malayan, Commonwealth troops were also brought in. There were contributions from British Kenya, Rhodesia & Nyasaland, Fiji, Singapore, and the self-governing Dominions of Australia and New Zealand.

[@sebastianlyon6432]

First time I heard of the Malayan Emergency was in the show Pennyworth. Alfred Pennyworth (Batman’s Butler) talks about how he fought in Malaya Emergency.

[@LazarusUnwrapped]

My father fought in that conflict. He was in the Somerset Light Infantry ( now disbanded). My aunt said that when he left for the conflict he was a real joker and the life of the party. When he returned he was a changed man, broody and bad tempered. He never spoke of his experience. When i was about 7, i discovered a shoe-box in a cupboard, it contained black and white photos of dead insurgents some with brains on the ground or a severed arm with the shoulder bone protuding. When my mother found out she made him burn them. Dad died at 64 of cancer and mom blamed it on his expisire to Agent Orange (which she initially referred to as “Ancient Orange”).

[@IDK64]

Agent Orange wasn't used in Malaya.

[@LazarusUnwrapped]

@@IDK64 No, but a type of defoliant was used when he was there, he told her so. Mum just used the name, she wasnt a military historian. it did the same job, and he was exposed to it.He didn’t know what it was called either and probably didn’t ask.

[@theblackprince1346]

Another forgotten conflict like Korea here in the UK.

[@ozdavemcgee2079]

Malaya was a prelude to Vietnam, for Australia. It was where we gained our skills to fight a jungle war, and engage the locals in a friendly manner, mostly. One NVA Generals diary was caprured during the war and translated. Words to the effect of " when you find you are engaged with Australian Soldiers, break off the attack, withdraw and especially watch your flanks" . Clearly the Australian Army learnt a few things in Malaya.

[@DirtyMikeandTheBoys69]

You've been listening to too many pub stories, no diary was ever captured, nor did any NVA General say something to that affect. Not to take away from the men who served there, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

[@trevorlewis847]

Learnt junglewarfare new guinea ww2 honed those skills Malaya put them into practice vietnam,🤔😊

[@1201alarm]

Many thanks for this excellent overview of the Malayan Emergency. I am about to record an oral history interview with a British National Serviceman who arrived the day after the Emergency was declared. Your documentary has raised certain possible new lines of questioning. I'm sure I will be viewing further resources in your collection. Jonathan Kempster, IWM London.

[@halcyoncomrade9983]

My grandpa actually fought in the Malayan Emergency. He was working for the Royal Navy at the time.

[@Doochos]

The British actually fought the communists in Vietnam, after the end of WW2. They were nearly successful in destroying the viet Minh. But then the French army replaced the British... There's a vid on KZbin by Mark Felton Productions

[@tacticalidiots2340]

Yeah I hope they cover it but I'm not sure if it falls under the Cold War

[@MrDzack91]

the best part, japanese even fight together with british to destroy the communist

[@azumarzi6305]

@@MrDzack91 The sad thing is they "failed".

[@ammarsulaiman5069]

@@MrDzack91 nope...after ww2, british and united states start againts communist with together...

[@commando4481]

Gavin Lim Exactly at the end of the ww2 the British army had mastered jungle warfare because of the Burma campaign so they knew how to beat the Vietcong then when the French took control they were beaten and later on the yanks too

[@jamiealcock118]

One of my family members fought in the malayan emergency he was called up through national service and was posted to malaya. As far as i'm aware a lot of british troops who fought were national servicemen.

[@Ayns.L14A]

@Joshua N. Ajang National service call up ended in 1960 the last national serviceman ended his service May 1963.

[@edward3164]

My grandfather was a British soldier during the conflict. He survived a helicopter crash, and survived a land mine which costed him his eye while serving in the jungles in Malaysia.

[@navinkumarpk86]

Just a correction- the ethnic Indian population in Malaya was the one working the rubber plantations, not the Malay population. The ethnic Chinese worked the tin mines. The ethnic Malays were mainly the food Farmers... please make that correction👍all in all a good documentary

[@MisterSiza78]

Many ethnic malays do work as rubber smallholders in malaya. To this many still do. Half of my grand dad income came from rubber tbh.

[@tryomama]

@@MisterSiza78 I guess the misconceptions came from our text books. Seriously, there's way too many inaccuracies in our text books. If the US textbooks is a shit show. I can't imagine how bad ours are.

[@AlexSDU]

@@tryomama Considering that our History textbook mainly focus more on Malaya sides, so I'm not surprise. Meanwhile the other literally half of Malaysia, Sabah & Sarawak, only get a few pages to tell their histories.

[@tryomama]

@@AlexSDU Sabah and Sarawak have like a few chapters while the Malayan history covers like 3-4 books. It's disgusting

[@AlexSDU]

@@tryomama Do you notice how every National Day, they would say that Malaysia gained independence in 1957, eventhou Malaysia haven't exist yet at that time. It was Malaya that gained independence in that year, while Sabah & Sarawak gained theirs in 1963. Also Malaysia Day have been put aside for a long time until some voices spoke out loud how much important is the date for Malaysia. Guess when did Malaysia Day celebrated as a public holiday? 2010! 47 years after the formation of Malaysia.

[@robertorojnic4370]

LOL, that bit with the red phone was amusing; very likable! Great work, David. Cheers

[@Ericotheriault]

I had never really heard of this conflict....and I’ve been self studying history all my life...thank you for this channel....learning so much

[@MizanQistina]

Sadly South East Asia history being brushed under the carpet by the western world, as if they don't want the world to know what they did here for 400 years...

[@FunAllDayLong4353]

One of my neighbors was a Sergeant in the RAF regiment which protected RAF bases in Malaya during The Malayan Emergency. He seemed particularly proud of having been there and done his part in countering the Communist insurgency.

[@alikhidzam3749]

Thank him for his bravery , without him Malaya would be a communist nation

[@affandi99]

This really what makes Indonesia ended up did confrontation with Malaya Federation with support from United Kingdom in 1964. That confrontation not only brings Indonesia to a surprise defeat, but also the reason why Singapore out from Malaya Federation a year later in 1965. To date, this confrontation are still sensitive in my country, even now with prison threat and fines >:(

[@EvoSwatch]

There are no actual winners of the Konfrontasi, because no one declared an actual war. More like Proxy war than actual one.

[@affandi99]

@@EvoSwatch Yup, it's proxy war after all, surprisingly got huge effect on both sides.

[@MansMan42069]

Singapore was out thanks to Lee Kuan Yew's power hunger. He tried to contest in the federal government when he wasn't allowed to. Basically, treason.

[@affandi99]

@@MansMan42069 i see...

[@tryomama]

Let me guess you are Indonesian? I didn't know the Konfrantasi can lead you to jail just by saying it. A little fun fact I live just a 10 minute drive from where like 4 of the Indonesian paratroopers landed. That operation was a total failure. What are they thinking?

[@Pork_eating_crusader]

The MPLA's predecessor was the MPAJA which fought an asymmetrical war against the Japanese occupation of Malaya and Sinkapore.

[@jollygoodyo]

Pork loving Malaysian

[@Pork_eating_crusader]

@@jollygoodyo We both babi orang

[@professionaldisappointment1654]

@@Pork_eating_crusader kinda true doe especially when we drive

[@crystalwaters2260]

It never even crossed my mind that this channel would discuss my country! Thanks so much!

[@justinG9493]

Thank you for the pronunciation David. I've never heard about this before and I like to think myself well read. I really appreciate your content and I'm a huge fan. You rock.

[@JTA1961]

Same here. I guess hearing about this from the other sides perspective would surely have a new slant...

[@umaransari9765]

David's narrations are getting better and better by every video Amazing guy

[@ibnyahud]

yeah...if he relaxes a bit and shows his personality a little it makes it more comfortable and easier for people to relate to his words

[@umaransari9765]

@@ibnyahud yep that's what I was talking about I loved the scene when he received that call and when he talked about howvhe is forced to pronounce full name of chemicals And many other scenea too were amazing We didn't saw these types of scene In earlier videos because he was too serious in earlier videos That's why i saw many people complaining in comment section but now no one complains

[@brandtlucasbrandt]

Ah yes. The South-East Asian Nations. This gonna be fun.

[@neale4774]

Great episode! Keep up the great work!

[@tyy597]

Thank you for covering such a less known area and topic

[@98irshad]

This video is great but it is simplified and many important key points is left behind .

[@aguy6771]

America: *fails to win vietnam* USSR: *fails to invade afghanistan* Commonwealth: "watch and learn."

[@salokin3087]

Overall, your content has progressivly gotten better and better! Fun intro

[@Litany_of_Fury]

Funny story my Grandad was in line to become an officer during the Malaya business but failed to do so because he pointed out they're fighting the very forces they backed against the Japanese.

[@cluckingbells]

British Army Documentaries YT chan has a four episode (2hr) program of the Malayan Emergency. Just watched it the other day, which is why I clicked on this.

[@hartmann3288]

My grandfather was a medic deployed in Malaya in 1959, he was deployed when the situation was just about wrapped up, so he didn't get to see any combat

[@muhammadnursyahmi9440]

He's lucky i guess. The early phase of the insurgency (1948-1950) are ugly business.

[@diegomorata2885]

He was a criminal

[@diegomorata2885]

@@muhammadnursyahmi9440 they aren't insurgents, they are freedom fighters

[@hartmann3288]

@@diegomorata2885 to whom do you refer specifically as a criminal?

[@adolfus5962]

@@diegomorata2885 freedom fighter who actually against malaya independence..ironic

[@theoheinrich529]

Noice. Another video from one of my favorite channels!

[@2710cruiser]

As a Singaporean, we had to study this as well...

[@richardmackay6804]

Well Singapore wasn't a country at that time and very much part of the wider theatre in this war. That's why Lee Kuan Yew made a lot of effort to distance himself from the communists. I wonder had the communists won, whether Singapore would even exist or be nearly as prosperous as today. Very important history for Singapore.

[@wakakabravo7998]

@@richardmackay6804 singapore already a country during second malayan emergency.

[@momotaro__]

@@wakakabravo7998 that's a whole another story....the second emergency that I know focused on Perak when the communist did an epic comeback in Malayan peninsula

[@thirstea06]

@@momotaro__ nice epic

[@momotaro__]

@@thirstea06 yeah they did an epic comeback.... there's TV drama about it too...just search insurgensi in youtube

[@adriancoria2584]

Great work, i didn't knew enough about this, it should be more well known

[@wfp9378]

Its not really taught in Malaysian schools either.

[@petephone9353]

I have now watched a few of there cold war videos and I find them easy yo listen to because of the hots's easy manner, unlikr a few other war history channels. I must congratulate the host, you do very well for a yank. You don't even wince or gag when you mention socialism or communism. Well done !

[@indian2003]

It was the Batang Kali massacre. I remember those days during the emergency in Malaya. I used to live in a "black zone". The father of a friend of mine, Chong was the only one who survived and we have spoken a lot about Batang Kali. I do remember British helicopters landing with troops just beside the house we lived in at Sungai Kong Kong estate in the late 50s. We lived in a "black area" then. I was about 10 years old. Food was distributed from our house every day and people had to queue up for their daily rations. Sardine cans were punctured giving them very limited storage in the heat.

[@colinhudson3867]

Hi, enjoyed the documentary, just one point of order, you mentioned that there was NZ air force there, but there was also NZ army ground forces as well, including our special forces. I know personally a few of them who served in the Malaysia, and Singapore conflicts

[@britisheastindiacompany6031]

A well presented documentary

[@Tuberuser187]

I cannot recall ever seeing any kind of video or documentary of this before, I learned of it from serious books about the spread of communism, proxy wars and British Military actions around the world. It is great to see someone covering this topic, thank you and I will look forward to binge watching your channel.

[@yixinkua936]

Thanks for the vid I have an exam on decolonisation tmr and this was very helpful :D

[@yonglizen]

thanks for this broski

[@vigneshlambertderulo]

As a Malaysian and a history buff, I feel so ignorant for not knowing about the Batang Kali massacre. Thank you David and the team for bringing me to light on this matter. Really appreciate the work you guys are doing here.

[@yaldabaoth2]

When you first started the channel, David was a bit stiff in front of the camera. Great that he grew into the role so well.

[@rosswebster7877]

Major kudos for covering one of the least talked about conflicts of the Postwar Era. It’s really fascinating how much of its tactics would inform the Vietnam War playbook. However it sounds like the Brits did a bit better in the “Hearts & Minds” dept.

[@James-sk4db]

The brits had just left Vietnam doing the same and winning against the Viet Minh, only to give it to the french who screwed it all up

[@kanbedaisukesman986]

Thank you for making this video,I feel very sad for what our grandparents had to go through. I feel even more grateful for my country 🇲🇾

[@habibainunsyifaf6463]

Malaysia : checked Indonesia : ? Phillipines : ? Singapore : ?

[@theodore-jef5664]

Give it time I'm sure they'll cover them when they get to it.

[@eustache_dauger]

Malaya : checked Malaya ≠ Malaysia

[@heckleypanes4988]

Phillipines is still at war with NPA until present

[@faeizfuad9526]

Singapore???

[@mikewallice2795]

Malaysia : checked?...Malaya is not Malaysia...theres more to it...how about the war in Sabah and Sarawak..?

[@Mrhickeydickey]

You underscored the ethnic nature of the conflict. The communist forces were almost entirely ethnic chinese and, in general, the malayans supported the British who ensured eventual independence

[@khairulhelmihashim2510]

also the chinese and indian immigrants were offered citizenship in exchange for loyalty. An offer that was difficult to resist by both community as they might become a stateless person once the British decided to leave Malaya.

[@justarandomnobody7451]

Actually, you are mistaken. it was far from entirely Chinese, Malays comprised around 20-25% of the communists fighting in malaya(Sarawak was less than 10%). And there were around 1000 orang asli fighting for them as well. There were quite a few Malays leading the fighting in the jungle, Rashid Maidin, Shamshiah Fakeh, CD Abdullah, Mat Indera were all well known leaders in the party with fighting experience against the Japanese. Prior to the end is of the ww2, the communist party had fairly large support from the Malay community. But, when the war ended, certain bands of the MNLA(communists) conducted brutal reprisals against villagers whom they accused of collaborating with the Japanese. Chinese, Malay, and “collaborators” of other ethnic groups were murdered but some revenge killings were perceived by the Malays as targeting the Malays. This greatly reduced support from the Malay and the Bukit Kepong attack later on in 1950 ended any hope of reinforcements from that community. Oh one last thing, 400 Japanese joined the MNLA at the end of the war. They weren't primarily motivated by ideology, more so by their fear of reprisals from British troops. When the peace treaty was finally signed in 1989, only 2 Japanese survived to witness the signing, following this they finally returned to Japan, 44 years after the end of ww2. Fascinating stuff.

[@MobiusCoin]

First read about this campaign in The History of the SAS by Chris Ryan. The book makes their efforts seem vital. Here, they aren't even a big enough part of the story to warrant a mention. Also, the book describes the new villages very differently. It's interesting to see how soldiers justify and view their own efforts in a war compared to what the general record is.

[@vedantmehra6970]

Which is strange, the SAS had a huge role in this conflict and definitely shaped the outcome but here they dint even get a mention..which is very strange

[@JTA1961]

JUSTIFY... should have been in ALL caps... or bigger

[@aizatchedoesthings8345]

This video is commendable but as in another comment here, there were a few KEY omissions. The communist guerrillas were in fact trained by the British during WW2. The majority population did not support the communist insurgency unlike in Vietnam. They were either opposed or just apathetic to the communist cause. The British "hearts and minds" strategy were key as well as their re-adoption of concentration camps. It was like a carrot and stick approach. These were major differences if compared to the situation in Vietnam (and also modern day Iraq and Afghanistan) where support from the local populace was lacking

[@acey1337]

A majority of people actually supported the communist movement thanks to the war years and also because they spent a lot of time going out to the villages to spread their word. People sent food and other resources to them but many decided to stay away from them after emergency was declared because of the fear of getting arrested.

[@jamiengo2343]

I suppose this is the template for counter-insurgency operations. Keep control of the populace with both the carrot and the stick. You may not like the tactics used, especially when we use the stick, but if it gets the job done, it gets the job done. If you don’t want the military to use harsh tactics, don’t send them into an environment where harsh tactics are necessary

[@s_ainsburys1749]

My grandfather was a police officer who patrolled the jungles of Malaya when it started. He’s still alive today.

[@daus7018]

Wow...so nice

[@magnasyst]

Thank you to your grandfather. From Malaysia(Malaya)

[@shodaime748]

thank you for protecting malaysia.--sincerely from a Malaysian

[@bassmith448bassist5]

I just discovered this channel. Great narrative, great content. I knew Of the malaya emergency but that was about it. Kind of a UK version of Viet Nam. Liked and subbed. Good job mate!!! Cheers!!!!

[@testertang8613]

Wonderful video!

[@Bustamamgendut]

My dad served in the 2nd Malaysian Insurgency as the jungle paramilitary police force as the machine gunner assistant in his platoon.

[@ausbrum]

Apparently the "emergency" was that the Communists didn't want Britain in Malaya whereas the British who had fought and involved locals in a war against Axis powers holding on to Europe saw nothing strange about staying on in Malaya

[@cjclark1208]

Yeah, lots of cognitive dissonance in this comments section. Like, it’s okay to set up concentration camps and slaughter civilians all because they want self determination and freedom of there country back.. and not to be exploited. The real communists were the colonial masters.

[@Darryl_Francis]

My Grandfather fought in this conflict, by his recount he had rather a good time over there.

[@cptrelentless80085]

Ask him what condoms are for

[@davidscz]

@Liverpool 11 I think there were sizeable portion of british soldiers deployed in the jungle. For the fact my mom as a young child in the mid 60s could recall being curious about the occasional British soldiers' patrol alongside their rations of canned beans, (anyway brit canned beans eventually fused into local cuisine, localised of course, we have it mixed with rice quite often) and setting camps by the road side (in rubber estates bordering jungles) meant quite a lot of brits were in the jungle.

[@snake45aiman]

Thank you for your grandfather service

[@theplotarmoredtitan5781]

In any chance, maybe our grandfather met during the insurgence.

[@RIFLQ]

@@theplotarmoredtitan5781 Did they also exchange fire?

[@owlgothic248]

My father fought in this War.He was a police corporal as an malay interpreter to British officer.In this war Sir Henry Gurney was killed in a ambush near a place called Raub in the state of Pahang.This war continued until 1962 and eventually in 1989 if I'm not mistaken The Hadyai Aggrement in Thailand end's this conflict where the Communist lay down their weapon.Thank you for your documentary where this war was never to be forgotten by our generation and we move on to make a better country and left all the bitters behind never or less Preparation for war is a process to maintain peace ☮️✌️☮️ good Day to you Sir

[@tim01263]

Ah, hello new favourite channel!

[@Dan19870]

Ah... the Malayan War. The first time I heard about it was after a re-re-re-run of Steptoe and Son in which the youngest of the cast regards his deployment to Malaya as the best time of his life. As a youngster I made the mistake of asking my Uncle what the war was about, only to hear that he served over there as part of his National Service. When will you cover the Sarawak War?

[@joaquinpraveenvishnu8509]

I'm a 3rd generation Malaysian, a student of Politics and History. I approve this video

[@momotaro__]

What's a 3rd generation of Malaysian? What generation am I?

[@joaquinpraveenvishnu8509]

@@momotaro__ google dude or Ma'am

[@momotaro__]

@@joaquinpraveenvishnu8509 I'm a boy..

[@andrewlim9345]

Thanks for this refresher in Malaysian history. Your video acknowledges that the ethnic composition of peninsular Malaysia complicated the development of nationalism and anti-colonial resistance. There was also a Communist insurgency in Sarawak which also drew upon ethnic Chinese support. Malaysian history school curriculums have neglected Sarawak and Sabah, giving priority to events in the peninsular.

[@jonmichael2670]

Thanks for covering my country's history,The Cold War!

[@ryandaverayla4910]

Please also cover the Philippines during the Cold War. We Filipinos were the petri-dish for cultivating Low Intensity Conflicts via US testing of Anti-guerilla/ Anti-insurgency operations.

[@MarkS00NMcknown]

Finally, a Southeast Asia video! Can't wait for you to cover Indonesia.

[@alyssaray9268]

God bless this video. I am now finished with a paper with a more clear understanding. Thanks :)

[@nevjones1990]

My husband served in Malaya 1953/56 always says it was a bit tough. He served in a jungle Fort for two months which was situated twenty six miles in, he will be eighty six this year, still going .

[@JTA1961]

Thanks for sharing.

[@TheKinky4ever]

my dad served in an airbase as in officer in the Australian Army in the 70's, never went into contact he said just patrols etc.

[@richardwong5616]

This is a very good documentary! It's not biased as most media only show Communist atrocities and this video is also very informative about both sides of the conflict. Very good! Also it's not the Malayan People's Liberation Army, but the Malayan National Liberation Army or mistranslated as the Malayan Races Liberation Army

[@raz1683]

Continue making this!!!

[@victorcabanelas]

And the phone works, haha! Great work, guys, keep it up!!

[@keith1410]

9:51 was footage of Gen Sun Li-jen (ROC Army) and Gen Joseph Stilwell taken during the Burma Campaign in 1943-1945. Neither of them participated in the Malayan Campaign

[@deltahunter2302]

1:31 Indian, 1:39 Chinese, 1:44 Chinese not coming to Malaya on their own, both Indian and Chinese were brought in by the Brits as Coolie. There are chinese which they call peranakan were much earlier came than this brits Coolie. 1:58 it is not Malay who works primarily at rubber plantation, it's Indians... And some other wrong info.

[@jamestown8870]

My grandma met my gradapa during the war ... she feel in love with their singing and dancing ..🤣🤣 .. she said they were super relaxed even being in the middle of the war and it was the first time she felt safe . must be an island thing .....🇫🇯 much love to the auzzie,kiwi,britz and fiji army 🇭🇲🇫🇯🇬🇧🇳🇿

[@JTA1961]

When you're from "down under" everywhere else & you'd be lookin up.🤪👌

[@thisway6539]

good work

[@scott2452]

I usually enjoy these videos but there are a few key omissions that make this seem biased. For example, there was no mention of the British plan to give equal rights to all citizens in 1945 (voted down by the Malay majority) Or just failing to give any sense of scale to the conflict. Someone watching this may think it was on a similar scale to Vietnam...but only around 12,000 died in the Malay Emergency over more than a decade compared to millions in Vietnam. Framing it as a “British vs Insurgents” struggle also ignores the contribution of the local population (the majority of which opposed the insurgency). Their soldiers and police suffered nearly three times as many casualties than the commonwealth forces.

[@scott2452]

Fateh Invoker My source had it as: MLA casualties: 6,710 Malayan troops + police: 1,345 Commonwealth forces: 519 Civilians: 2,478 (with 800 missing) I’d be happy to look at other sources though. Either way, the point stands: The Vietnam War was orders of magnitude more devastating.

[@Number1FanProductions]

It talks about British giving voting rights and aid at the end

[@scott2452]

Hi Flavyyy . They did mention that as a measure in the early 1950’s...I was referring to the formation of the Malayan Union in 1946 by the British that gave equal rights to all citizens. This was protested by the Malay majority in the form of civil disobedience... So the Malayan Union was dissolved and the Federation of Malaya was formed in 1948. I guess all this didn’t fit the narrative.

[@gunner678]

Very well said. It's extremely thin and indeed biased.

[@vinesauceobscurities]

Pretty sure the Federation of Malaya was also founded in 1948, not 1955.

[@Usunaable]

great job!! i hope someday will be about another south-east asia country "Indonesia" inside cold war theater

[@shahancheong9792]

My family grew up in Malaya in the 1950s, right when this stuff was going on. My dad and uncle, when they were kids, used to do their homework by oil-lamp up in their bedroom...and they could hear shellfire from commonwealth artillery in the distance.

[@muhdzulkarnain428]

One of the most iconic battle of the Malayan Emergency is the battle of Bukit Kepong. It is not a huge battle, it was just a battle for a Malayan Police station. The communists surrounded the police station numbering up to 180 guerillas. The police station was defended by 25 police officers. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Police fought hard and well to defend their outpost. It was only after 5 hours of intense battle that the communist managed to break the Malayan Police defences. Eventually, the Communist achieved victory. But the communist did suffer considerable losses. Around 40 communists were killed in the battle. This battle although a defeat, it gave a huge morale boost to the Malayans seeing the bravery of the officers in defending the motherland.

[@joeboom0697]

My grandad fought in Malaya with the royal engineers apparently. I had never heard of it before

[@streetfighter1853]

There were 2 emergencies in malaya or malaysia. The first was from 1948 - 1960. The first emergency involved locals,british and the commonwealth countries against the communist.The second emergency was from 1969 until 1989. The second emergency was a conflict between the malaysian military and the communist. The new villages which harold briggs started in the 1950's are now business, shopping and industrial centres.

[@akotro101]

First KZbinr to acknowledge that viewers can read the title of the video before watching them 👍

[@AshraffNorAriff]

I'm Malaysian and it is called Batang Kali Massacre not Batang Kang. Great channel. You just earned a sub!

[@ahmadadiyaat9779]

Could you cover the Indonesian National Revolution, and maybe how the country progressed throughout the 50s to 60s.

[@redcoat4348]

The Indonesians have been bullies to their neighbors their whole history...

[@EvoSwatch]

@@redcoat4348 hyperbole... Mostly only the 60s. And only to certain countries.

[@Xenonfastfall]

Progress is an extremely strong word to use in terms of Indonesia lmao

[@vtecpreludevtec]

Indomees Konfrontasi

[@EvoSwatch]

@ here we go again. Another day another Hyperbole eh Aussie?

[@dont_listen_to_Albo]

Although the Malayan Communist Party, and its armed wing the Malayan National Liberation Army, was dominated by ethnic Chinese, there were a number of ethnic Malays (and Indians) among its top leadership, including Rashid Maidin, Abdullah CD and Kamarulzaman Teh.

[@billsummy2412]

AWESOME video :-)

[@matiasd5216]

It your summary at the end of the video that I found most interesting.