Dept Of Defence decision that Malaysia was not at war with CCP backed communist terrorists in the 70s, 80s may explain Australian Govt defence, intelligence failure in Malaysia, South China Sea- Boosting FPDA work in the South China Sea deserves a chunk of Morrison's $270 Billion defence gift

by Ganesh Sahathevan

                                                           SEA bathymetry by                                                                                                                                   Katsuto UEHARA


It has been previously reported on this blog that  Australia has chosen to ignore the role Malaysia can play in the defence of the South China Sea :

China reaches into Malaysia,ASEAN to build defence ties while Australia ignores Mahathir's attempts to containChina-Is the Anwar obsession , Mahathir hatred,getting in the way?

This writer has also wondered why ASIO and ASIS seem intent on ignoring the lessons learnt in Malaysia fighting Chinese  Communist Party backed Communist Terrorist: 

Subverting United Front Work Department operations in Australia: ASIO's institutional memory includes 70 years working with and learning from Malaysia's Special Branch to counter Communist Party China and United Front activities; that experience must be put to work now

To the above can be added this account of how the Department Of Defence determined, despite the evidence that is obvious to anyone who had lived in Malaysia in the 70s and 80s, that Malaysia was not at war with the China backed Communist Terrorist during that time:

The Vietnam war was raging and Ubon played a part in it, just as Butterworth did. Ubon had RAAF Airfield Defence Guards (ADGs) protecting the airbase, just as the Army did at Butterworth. But herein lies the rub – the ADGs at Ubon were recognised as being on war service whereas the troops protecting the air base at Butterworth were not.

From 1970 – 1989 when the peace treaty between the government of Malaysia and the Communist terrorists was signed, Malaysia was at war. It was a civil war, or an insurgency. Call it what you will. I’m sure the families of the 150+ Malay soldiers and police who were killed in combat believe they were at war.

In the period that the ADGs protected Ubon, Thailand was at peace. From a comparative perspective why would the guys deployed to Ubon be considered on war service and those deployed to Butterworth not?

If you print out the raw primary data on A4 pages and stack them on the floor, the pile stands over a metre high. The secondary data and anecdotal evidence each stands a similar height. It contains 123 formerly secret documents and one top secret document. Yet, in the face of all that irrefutable evidence, the Australian Department of Defence, DVA, government and public service deny that the Second Malayan Emergency ever took place and what the 9,000 soldiers did was akin to anything they would have done in Australia.

It does appear as if public service , and in particular Department Of Defence inertia is at play. Once a determination has been made nothing must be allowed to disturb it, regardless of the detriment to the national interest.

Clearly, things must change. Intelligence on Chinese Communist Party operations in South East Asia and the South China Sea must be reviewed. That review is likely to lead to the conclusion that some if not a significant portion of PM Scott Morrison's $ 270 Billion gift to the defence budget ought to be allocated to strengthening Australia's work within the Five Power Defence Agreement, principally in the South China Sea.

END