ASAL USUL BATANG KALI
The Batang Kali massacre took place in Malaysia on December 12, 1948 during British military operations against the communists in the post-World War II Malayan Emergency. The 7th Platoon, G Company, 2nd Scots Guard surrounded a rubber estate at Sungai Rimoh, Batang Kali, Selangor in Malaya. It is claimed that 14 members of the Scots Guards then murdered 24 unarmed and innocent villagers and then set fire to the village. The only adult male survivor was Chong Hong, who was in his 20s at the time. He claimed to have fainted and was presumed dead by the guardsmen. Eye witnesses include the victims' spouse and children and others including Tham Yong age 78 and Loh Ah Choy age 67. At least one female eyewitness has questioned his account[citation needed]. The men had been separated from the women and children for interrogation before the shooting began. The incident today is sometimes described as "Britain's My Lai massacre".
On December 13, 1948, first report appeared in The Straits Times: "Scott Guards and Police were today reported to have shot dead 25 out of 26 bandits during a wide-scale operation in North Selangor....This would be the biggest success as yet achieved in one operation in Malaya, since the Emergency began."[citation needed]
On November 1, 1949 an official investigation was carried out on the instructions on the then Malayan Attorney-General who afterwards was satisfied that "the suspects (the 24 men) would have made good their escape had the security forces not opened fire". This investigation was never made public, nor it's report sent to the War Office in the UK.
On February 1, 1970, a British newspaper, The People, exposes the incident and condemns the brutal massacre. Sworn statements from the British Army (ex-Scots Guards) show the following facts[citation needed]:
- the patrol had prior instruction to wipe out the village;
- members of the patrol were given the opportunity not to take part in the killing;
- the men were shot without trying to escape; and
- there was a conspiracy to mislead the inquiry in 1949.
The British Defence Secretary (Denis Healey) instructed Scotland Yard to set up a special task team (lead by Frank Williams) to investigate the matter. As a result of this investigation, concrete evidence is gathered, which shows that the brutal massacre at Batang Kali in December 1948 has indeed taken place.[citation needed]
The incoming Conservative government chose to drop the investigation in 1970 after it felt that there was insufficient evidence to look further into the events.
Early reports claimed the men had run into the soldiers' gunfire. In contrast, later reports stated that the soldiers gave chase and opened fire on the fleeing villagers. The official account is that the men tried to escape into the jungle after being warned they would be shot if they ran. No one disputes the fact that all of the victims were unarmed. Nevertheless, the charge of a massacre has never been thoroughly investigated by either the Malaysian or British governments. The British troops and locals involved were never charged over the killings.
It was in this campaign that Sir Gerald Templer first coined the now famous phrase "hearts and minds" as part of his strategy for victory.
On September 9, 1992, a BBC documentary, an investigative report into the massacre entitled "In Cold Blood" was aired in the United Kingdom and revealed fresh evidence about it. The documentary includes accounts from witnesses and survivors, including confessions of ex-Scots Guards and interviews with the Scotland Yard Police Officers who had investigated the case in 1970. It apparently points to the guilt of the Scots Guards and a massive cover-up of the massacre.[citation needed] However, nothing was done by the UK government thereafter and no British servicemen have ever been charged.
To date the British government has not made an official unreserved apology to the victims or family members that were mistreated during the massacre.
[edit] Ongoing Debate
On June 8, 1993 with the help of the MCA Legal Bureau, a petition was presented to her Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II asking that justice be done.
On July 14, 1993 a police report was lodged by three survivors, accompanied by the MCA Public Service and Complaints Bureau Chief Michael Chong.
On September 18, 1993, Mr Gavin Hewitt (Head of South East Asia Department of the Foreign Office, UK) states that "No new evidence has been uncovered by the British authorities to warrant the setting up of of another official inquiry into the alleged massacre of 24 villagers in Batang Kali..." This was later followed by him walking away with an empty folder, but later claiming it had a piece of evidence in it.
On December 30, 1997 an investigation report is submitted to the Royal Malaysian Police Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Bukit Aman. It claims that the case is closed due to insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone.
On July 13, 2004, the DAP, a Malaysian political party, raises the Batang Kali massacre in the Malaysian Parliament.
On March 25, 2008, the family members of the massacre victims and several NGOs form an 'Action Committee Condemning the Batang Kali Massacre' and submit a petition to the British High Commission in Malaysia. The petition seeks official apology, compensation for the family members of the 24 massacre victims and financial contribution towards the educational and cultural development of the Ulu Yam community. [1]
On January 30, 2009, the Foreign Office in Britain rejected a call for an inquiry into the massacre of villagers[2]. On April 24 2009, the Government announced that it was reconsidering this decision[3].
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