Ever since I was a kid, my Grandfather has spoken about his time in Malaysia with the UK army — he spent about four years there (18 — 22) and talks about all these crazy experiences that include regular train hijackings, jungle warfare, and working with Gurkha’s. As a kid, for many years, I thought this was a major war, that it was like our Vietnam War and never really bothered to look into it, thinking they’d teach me about it in secondary school sometime... but they never did.
I’ve done some further reading and found that this was called the “Malayan Emergency” but I still can’t really find much info on how it started - Wikipedia tells me it has something to do with Malaya becoming an independent state but then also goes onto say that the British offered them that opportunity and they rejected it (?), so, what were they fighting for? It also goes on to talk about about how this was apart of the Cold War so, was this like the UK’s version of the Korean or Vietnam wars? and, if so, why isn’t there as much outrage about this invasion as their is about the US’s involvement in those two other countries? I mean, it was a 12-year-long war, thousands died, why is it [according to The Independent] considered a “lost war” source. They try and talk about blaming things like cinema and media coverage for the erasing of this war from history but that doesn’t make sense to me, surely it should be taught in history class regardless of these things? This was 12 years, many of our Grandad’s fought in this thing, why do we pretend like it never happened?
EDIT: uhm... why is everything hidden?
I’m not an expert on The Emergency specifically but have been conducting research on Malayan/Malaysian independence at the same time and I can tell you that one reason you haven’t heard much about it is that many of the records are still sealed. I have looked for and tried to request documents relating to The Emergency from the National Archives at Kew Gardens, but they are still classified (and it should be noted that this is contrast to most of the British gov’t documents dealing with Malaya around the time of independence which have been declassified in the last 10-15 year’s). Information about the Borneo campaign is even sparser in my experience. In touching on British campaigns in Malaya I believe you have hit on a section of 20th-century history which is genuinely lacking in academic and primary source material. However, I can help respond to some of your questions, especially centering on political issues and independence.
The 5-second summary of The Emergency is that it was a consequence of economic and political disruption caused by the Japanese takeover of Malaya. The Emergency was fought against the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), so while in a sense it was a jungle war against independence-minded Communist guerillas like Vietnam, it was never anywhere near the quagmire of Vietnam. Why? Most simply because the MCP and its fighting forces did not enjoy popular support or foreign backing at the same level as Vietnam. The central issue of Malayan (and eventually Malaysian) independence was ethnic and/or racial division. Ethnically bumiputra or Malay people (basically the native inhabitants) composed one major group and wealthier Chinese immigrants the other (with Indians composing a significant but not quite equivalent third). The MCP was mostly dominated by radical Chinese Communist revolutionaries. Obviously, they were not supported by Malay or Indian people and there was a more popular and legal political party called the Malayan Chinese Association which was a part of a governing coalition of uni-ethnic parties (and still exists today). To repeat the main point there, Malaya was an ethnically fractionalized place and so The Emergency never really took off beyond Communist radicals hiding in the jungle because it failed to appeal to the broader Malayan public (and many of its tactics, like assassinating the British High Commissioner, didn't help).
I’m not sure what your comment about Wikipedia and offers for independence being rejected is exactly alluding to, but the British were actually fairly prompt about releasing Malaya as a colony after WWII. Malaya gained serious semi-autonomous powers in 1948 and after constitutional conferences and deliberation between 1955 and 1957, the Federation of Malaya gained independence in 1957 (although maintained a special military relationship with Britain for a time after independence, partially because of the ongoing Emergency).
Last, I’ll try to respond a bit more to why there is not more “outrage” and why it is perhaps a “lost war.” One reason there isn’t as much outrage is that your characterization of The Emergency as an invasion is not correct. British military forces were operating within their own legal dominion, not invading a sovereign state. That said, there are British plans in case things spiraled out of control and they needed to invade Indonesia and nearby areas which you can read at the National Archives. The Independent articles you linked mentions the Borneo campaign which was dealing with Indonesia and is mostly a different conflict, and when that Independent article you cited says that we really don’t know a whole lot about what happened in Borneo in the mid 1960s they aren’t wrong or kidding, and that’s why I have mostly left it alone in this reply. But back to The Emergency, which was not fought on the scale of Vietnam or against the local population to the same degree Vietnam (or at least the invasion of North Vietnam) was. This is also partly speculation, but I think the reason such a war is not popular in school curricula or the media is that Great Britain fought a lot of colonial wars, The Emergency is just not as outstanding as some of the others (or the lack of declassified documents is having a bigger effect on coverage than I think).
I fear that was all a bit slapdash, jargon-filled, and disjointed; I can (and have) filled dozens of pages about this stuff and so I am happy to answer follow-ups or PMs. Most of my post and claims (other than where I labeled explicit opinion) I can cite to documents at the National Archives, which I’m happy to lead anyone to if you ask. I'll also recommend some other things and resources on this topic which might be of interest to you. First, I am not sure if it still there but when I was last at the Imperial War Museum London about a year ago there was an exhibit covering British spec ops and it had some fascinating stuff on British operations during The Emergency. Second, Britain was also involved in (and to what degree is highly contentious) the Indonesian mass-killings of 1965-66. Whereas rising Communism in Malaysia during The Emergency (especially among the ethnically Chinese) was dealt with by military engagement, usually out of public sight and with spec ops and British army, in Indonesia anywhere from 500,000 to >1,000,000 (the highest estimates cross 2 million) were simply massacred in the streets and fields for allegedly having ties to the Communist Party. Former American CIA officers and diplomats have come forward about the American role in it all, and two Oscar-nominated documentaries, The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence, tell the story (and its impact on modern-day Indonesia) in incredible and shocking detail. Last, if anyone is interested in this period of Malaysian history or maybe all of it and want to dip your toes in the water you can either read the relevant section or all of Jim Baker’s Crossroads: A Popular History of Malaysia and Singapore, it's a good introduction.
Edit: Grammar
Hey OP! Unfortunately, I am not a historian (or anything even close to that); I am, however, a Malayan Emergency fanatic and will try to answer your questions the best I can!
The start of the Malayan Emergency
It is first necessary to understand that Malaysia was (and still is) a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. In 1947, 45% of the population were Malays, 40% were Chinese, and 7% were Indians. Each ethnic group kept mainly to themselves — they ate different food, had different religions, spoke different languages, and lived in clusters with their own people.
Prior to the WW2, there was relative harmony among the three groups. However, when the Japanese occupied Malaya from 1941-45, they had maintained different attitudes policies towards each ethic group. The Malays and Indians were treated relatively well, whereas the Chinese were often beaten and massacred (if you're interested in this, look up the Sook Ching Massacre); the Japanese and Chinese have a long history of animosity towards each other.
This led to the formation of the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), a predominantly Chinese rebel group. After the Japanese left, the MPAJA was officially disbanded, but some soldiers held on to their guns. Chin Peng, a prolific member of the MPAJA who would later become the head of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), was even awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award.
After WW2, there were calls for independence amongst all three ethnic groups. However, as you alluded to in your post, this was no easy task as each ethnic group had conflicting interests. Most notably, in the 1948 Malayan Union arrangement, Malay Sultans had lost most of their powers and were stripped down to ceremonial, religious figureheads, and some Malays opposed the idea of ethnic Chinese immigrants gaining equal rights and full citizenship.
While all this was happening, members of the now-disbanded MPAJA had now regrouped under a new name — the Malayan People's Anti-British Army. They frequently carried out small-scale terror attacks which resulted in the destruction of property and the killing of plantation owners. They were also closely linked to the Malayan Communist Party which, despite their communist ideology, had been permitted to exist as the British did not see them as a huge threat. Chin Peng, the leader of the MCP, was equally frustrated with the Malayan Union plan as he felt that it was unequal to the Chinese. Hence, it is crucial to understand that Chin Peng felt that this was a nationalist struggle as much as a communist uprising.
The British, however, did not simply pull out of Malaya as doing so would be rather irresponsible. Such a situation would not be preferable for local Malayans either as the local political scene was rather chaotic at the time as several prominent members of the Malay community were making clumsy, racially insensitive comments against the Chinese. The British were interested in granting, at the very least, citizenship for the Chinese, some of whom they had brought over as coolies and had been in Malaya for several generations; others, like my grandparents, were both first-generation Chinese who were born in Malaya. In this regard, the British were rather responsible and considerate towards the Chinese. Finally, the British were adamant on providing the Chinese and Indians with political representation; sure enough, the first coalition government established in 1955 — the Alliance Party — contained the United Malays National Organisation, the Malayan Chinese Association, and the Malayan Indian Congress.
In the last few months leading up the the Emergency, tensions between the British, who were busy trying to sort Malayan independence plans out, and the MCP grew. The small-scale terror attacks caused fear amongst the people and led the British to outlaw trade unions and the MCP. Interestingly enough, Chin Peng did not intend for the Malayan Emergency to start so soon in June 1948. The British declared the state of Emergency following the assassination of three European members by MCP rebels on June 16, 1948. The caught the MCP by surprise; Chin Peng wanted to allow for more time before starting an armed insurrection as Malayans were still recovering from WW2 and were not ready to support such an uprising.
The nature of the conflict
Firstly, the Malayan Emergency was relatively non-violent, especially when compared to other communist insurrections from the same region and period (Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia). Less than 15,000 people died during the war. This is mostly due to the small size of the MCP; at the height of the Emergency in 1951-52, the MCP contained roughly 20,000 members, of which 95% were Chinese and 5% were Malay and Indian, whilst the population of Malaya was roughly 5 million. Hence, the MCP only composed of 0.4% of the population at its peak. Chin Peng had envisioned Malayans all across the nation rebelling against the British, causing them to pack up and leave. However, this was never the case. By 1955-56, the situation in Malaya had improved immensely, so much so that the British allowed Malaya to have their first Federal Elections in 1955 and granted Malaya independence in 1957, a full three years before the Emergency officially ended in 1960.
Secondly, the conflict was split along ethnic lines. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Malay and Indian membership in the MCP never exceeded 5% despite composing roughly half the population in Malaya. Additionally, many Chinese were not favour of the MCP for a myriad of reasons whether ideological or not. The MCP actually began alienating many Chinese after killing and publicly displaying the dead bodies of ethnic Chinese who did not want to support the MCP. Speaking anecdotally, my grandmother claimed that many members of her village were fearful of the MCP and did not believe in the communist ideology at all. Thus, in spite of this resembling somewhat of an ethnic conflict, many Chinese did not blindly support the MCP simply because they were a predominantly Chinese group.
Finally, the Emergency is an excellent example of counter-insurgence done right and often studied by those interested in guerilla warfare. Unbeknown to most, the phrase 'winning the hearts and minds' was actually coined during the Malayan Emergency — not the Vietnam War — by High Commissioner to Malaya Sir Gerald Templer. Templer focused heavily on winning the support of the local Chinese population as that was the MCP's prime support base and was careful not to alienate members of Chinese society. He imposed many interesting measures, such as the implementation of "New Villages", which entailed the resettlement of entire Chinese communities into fenced-off villages to isolate them from communist insurgents and to prevent the communists from extorting food and intelligence from sympathisers. Towards the end of the Emergency, he was extremely lenient towards members of the MCP by promising not to jail them should they willingly surrender to the British, and by placing huge bounties of prolific members of the MCP which led to disillusioned to communists killing their own superiors.
In short, why did the Malayan Emergency fail?
The Malayan Communist Party was almost 'doomed' from the start due to its inability to gain support from almost all Malays and Indians and most Chinese, making them small and ineffectual. The British administration was also extremely competent and effective in gaining the support of disillusioned Chinese into trusting the British and the government, as well as the few remaining members of the MCP who had become disillusioned with the struggle after facing much hardship in the jungle. Credit must go to the innovative strategies used by Gerald Templer to keep the Emergency from becoming violent and gaining the trust of the Malayan population.
Was it part of the greater Cold War?
The Malayan Communist Party never received much support from either the Soviet Union or Communist China. Some historians contend that Chin Peng did indeed liaise with Comintern during early stages in the war. Nonetheless, the Malayan Emergency was, at the forefront, a localised, nationalist struggle by a small group of predominantly-Chinese communists who wanted to establish a communist People's Republic in Malaya. This is why I believe the Malayan Emergency doesn't receive as much attention as the Korean/Vietnam War as it did not involve either the USSR, the US, or China, and because of its relatively non-violent nature.
Sources:
Malaya's Secret Police 1945–60: The Role of the Special Branch in the Malayan Emergency by Leon Comber
The Communist Insurrection in Malaya, 1948-1960 by Anthony Short
Malaysia: The Making of a Nation by Cheah Boon Kheng
The point about the British offering Malaya independence might be a misreading of Wikipedia article. It may be referring to the formation of the Malayan Union which was not an offer of independence.
After WW2 but before the Malayan Emergency, there were 11 states in Malaya (present day peninsula Malaysia) that were administered in 3 different ways.
There were 4 Federated States that were administered from Kuala Lumpur, the federation's capital. The British were responsible for defence and foreign policy. The Sultans of these states could administer domestic policy as they wished, but they had to accept the appointment of a British Resident General, who was a bit like an advisor, except the Sultan's were bound by treaty to always take his advice. The Resident General was based in Kuala Lumpur.
There were 5 Unfederated States. These were administered separately, as British protectorates. The Sultans of these states had varying degrees of power, although they all had to accept a British Advisor, one for each state. How much power they had depended on what the British had been able to negotiate through the years.
And finally there were the Crown Colonies of Penang and Malacca. These were governed by a British Governor who reported to the Colonial Office in London.
After WW2, the British decided to simplify administration and turn all 11 states into Federated States. The plan was to have them administered from Kuala Lumpur and to have a common set of federal laws and institutions.
The Sultans were not keen on this arrangement. The only powers they would retain under this arrangement was power over religious matters. The British did eventually manage to arm twist them into signing on and created the Malayan Union.
The Malayan Union was still a British colony, it was not independent or self governing. In fact, the Sultans had even less power than before.
With the formation of the Malayan Union came the concept of Malayan citizenship, and the British proposed a path to citizenship that would make it easier for anyone to acquire Malayan citizenship. They also tried to push the idea of equal rights for all citizens, regardless of race.
Malaya had (and still has) a fairly large Chinese population (20 to 25%). These were either immigrants or the descendants of immigrants. They, of course, were delighted with the British proposals.
However, the Malays saw themselves as native to Malaya and felt that the Malayan Union didn't reflect that status. That, combined with their Sultans' loss of power, created strong opposition to the Malayan Union among the Malays.
The British disbanded the Malayan Union to address Malay grievances. They replaced it with the Federation of Malaya which restored several of the Sultans' powers. However, that in turn angered the once delighted Chinese, which then made it easier for the communists to recruit among them.
Malaya wouldn't achieve independence until 1957, when the Communist Emergency was dying out. Independence destroyed Communist claims to be fighting for independence and the insurgency ended soon after.
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