Chin Peng
Malayan communist leader who fought two guerrilla campaigns.
Chin Peng (21 October 1924 – 16 September 2013), originally named Ong Boon Hua, was a Malayan communist politician, guerrilla leader, and revolutionary. He held the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) longer than anyone else and also commanded its military branch, the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA). A follower of Maoist ideology, he guided the CPM from 1947 until it was formally disbanded in 1989. He is remembered for directing two failed guerrilla uprisings: the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) against British colonial authority, and a later campaign (1968–1989) against the independent Malaysian government.
Born into a middle-class family in Sitiawan, then part of Perak in the Federated Malay States, he fled to Kuala Lumpur in 1940 at age 15 after becoming a revolutionary the year before. He joined the CPM in 1941 and soon became active in local party committees and labour unions in Perak. During World War II, he fought as an anti-colonial guerrilla in the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) against the Japanese occupation, working alongside Force 136, a British-backed covert resistance group. For this, he received the Burma Star and the 1939–1945 Star.
As the highest-ranking CPM member to survive the war, he played a key role in founding the MNLA in 1949 and from 1948 to 1960 waged an unsuccessful war—the Malayan Emergency—aimed at winning Malaya’s independence from Britain. After Britain agreed to grant Malaya independence and the CPM chose to demobilize, Chin went into exile, first in China and later in Thailand. From 1968 to 1989, he launched a second guerrilla campaign against the now-independent Malaysian government, which also failed. This ended with a final peace agreement in 1989 that permanently dissolved the CPM. He was never allowed to return to Malaysia and died in exile in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2013 at age 88.
Chin Peng remains a divisive figure in Malaysia. Critics accuse him and the MNLA of committing many atrocities during the Emergency, labeling him an ideological extremist and terrorist. Supporters, however, credit him with helping to push Malaya toward independence and view him as a prominent anti-imperialist rebel leader against British colonialism.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Ong Boon Hua
- Birth Date
- 1924-10-21
- Birth Place
- 36 Kampung Koh, Sitiawan, Dindings, Straits Settlements
- Death Date
- 2013-09-16
- Death Place
- Bumrungrad International Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
- Office
- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Malaya
- Term Start
- 6 March 1947
- Term End
- 2 December 1989
- Predecessor
- Lai Teck
- Successor
- Position abolished
- Party
- Communist Party of Malaya
- Spouse
- Lee Khoon Wah (1945–2008)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Chin Peng was born into a middle-class family in Sitiawan. In 1939, at age 15, he became a revolutionary and fled to Kuala Lumpur in 1940. He joined the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) in 1941 and quickly involved himself in local party committees and labour unions in Perak. During the Second World War, he fought as an anti-colonialist guerrilla in the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) against the Japanese occupation, allying with the British-funded Force 136. He was awarded the Burma Star and the 1939–1945 Star for his wartime service.
As the most senior surviving CPM member after the war, Chin Peng was instrumental in founding the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) in 1949 and led an unsuccessful war—the Malayan Emergency—from 1948 to 1960 aimed at winning Malaya's independence from Britain. After Britain agreed to grant independence and the CPM demobilized, he went into exile in China and later Thailand. From 1968 to 1989, he launched a second guerrilla campaign against the independent Malaysian government, which also failed, ending with a peace agreement in 1989 that dissolved the CPM. He died in exile in Bangkok in 2013.
Reader's Guide
Chin Peng remains a controversial figure in Malaysia. His detractors condemn him and the MNLA for committing numerous atrocities during the Emergency, characterising him as an ideological fanatic and terrorist. Others credit him for contributing to the Malayan independence process and view him as a prominent anti-imperialist rebel leader against British colonialism. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving postwar revolutionary leader to have successfully fought for independence from colonialism in Asia. His legacy is disputed, with no consensus on whether he was a freedom fighter or a terrorist. The source article notes that his OBE was revoked by Britain due to his actions during the Emergency, and that he was never allowed to return to Malaysia.
Did You Know?
- Chin Peng was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his wartime service, but it was later revoked by Britain.
- He was the most senior surviving member of the Communist Party of Malaya after World War II.
- He led two unsuccessful guerrilla campaigns: the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) and a second campaign (1968–1989).
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