by Ganesh Sahathevan
Malaysia's The Star reveals details of Foreign Minister Penny Wong's Malaysian
siblings not made known to Australians - Revelation further complicates relations
between Wong & the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, of which she is now
minister in charge
The revelation that Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has an extended family in Malaysia that includes brother James Wong, who is active in the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce, raises a number of security issues in Australia and Malaysia given Malaysia's history with Chinese businessmen working with the Communist Party China to undermine the country.
That effort seems to be ongoing, despite the execution of Operation Judas in the 1970s (see story below).
Monday, June 6, 2022
Is China trying to turn Sabah against Malaysia, is it time for another Operation Judas?
by Ganesh Sahathevan
The Australian researcher and writer Geoff Wade has observed:
A telling example of China's subnational diplomacy. Wang Yi stops in Sabah, Malaysia on return journey to China and meets with Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan. Only rings Malaysian FM in KL
This would not be the first occasion in which the Malaysian Government has been faced with an attempt by the Communist Party of China to turn an East Malaysian state against the Federal Government. An attempt to do so in the 70s was successfully countered by the execution of Operation Judas.
To Be Read With An Account Of Operation Judas By Tan Sri Leong Chee Woh, One Of Malaysia's Leading Practitioners Of Counter -Insurgency, Who Led Operation Judas:
Finance was the NKCP's main asset in sustaining the insurgency. For a long time, it was suspected that the CTs were well supplied with money but not from the rural folks as they would have to travel far and wide to collect their finance and, in the process, risk running into the SF. We surmised, therefore, that there must be other sources from which they obtained money, and that these sources were the wealthy and the businessmen from the towns. News also filtered through from the rural people that there was a disparity of treatment of the rich and the poor. The former category were spared no matter what they did, even if it was to the extent of supporting the enemy, but the poor were arrested and detained even if they contributed a mere dollar. When more camps were attacked and more documents were recovered and there were more surrenders, a clearer picture was obtained regarding the CTs sources of finance. It was most startling that doctors, timber tycoons, bankers, and wealthy businessmen were all contributing to the SCO's coffers, and that they had been doing so for a long time. When sufficient evidence was available, a mass arrest of the big time financial supporters was planned to allay suspicions of the rural folk that the Government or the authorities were biased against the rural folk.
Operation "JUDAS" was then launched and over thirty prominent people in the RASCOM area, but mostly from the town of Sibu itself, were arrested. Before this took place, an opportunity was given to those involved to come forward voluntarily to clear their cases but this call was ignored. Before they were arrested, those involved must have felt that they would be intentionally bypassed as the majority of them were of high social standing and had contributed generously to welfare schemes
the interior on business whilst I was on my first tour of duty in Sarawak.
During, and after the arrests were made, there were many protests from the arrestees. They demanded to know the reasons and on whose authority they were arrested. The officers and men who were detailed for the operation were briefed to say that they would find out in time. In this operation, the Army provided the transport and all arrestees were taken direct to the prison where they were finger-printed and photographed and put into cells. Whether it was designed or otherwise, the arrests coincided with the visit of the Director of Operations, Sarawak, the Director of SB, and some other important dignitaries, to the State of Sabah, to celebrate its anniversary of joining Malaysia. As there were no senior officials left in Sarawak for the arrestees to complain to I was accused of having exceeded my powers and taken the law into my own hands in ordering their arrests.
They were termed as detainees under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the normal term of detention is two years. Subject to recommendation by the Board of Review, headed by a Judge, and which sat every six months, release could be much earlier depending on the behaviour of the detainee and the recommendation of the interviewing officer. Many of these detainees had been born with silver spoons in their mouths and had never been subjected to any manual labour. In common with other prisoners and detainees, they were subjected to prison rules and regulations and had to earn their keep. It was quite a sight to see them fumbling with a brush when asked to clean their own toilets. They were subjected to regimentation, told when to wake up, when to have their baths, to eat, to sleep, work and play games. By the time they were released, some were probably thankful that, at least for a short while, they experienced and appreciated the difficulties and sufferings of the working class. The one who was in Singapore when Operation JUDAS was launched, was subsequently detained when he returned. He was placed under custody at Kuching and escorted to Sibu where he was formally arrested. He was the wealthiest of the lot and the most influential. As soon as he alighted from the aircraft he demanded to know from the arresting officer who was in command Pointing to me, standing nearby, the officer told him that it did not matter but he insisted on speaking to me and very arrogantly demande
Not long after Operation JUDAS concluded, "That Fellow" returned from leave. He spoke to various people, including relatives of the detainees, and came to the conclusion that I. had mishandled the Operation JUDAS detainees when the operation was laDAS arrests, after about a year, the security situation was reversed and the CTs were on the run. The only obvious place they could go to was West Kalimantan in Indonesia. During the Confrontation days between Malaysia and Indonesia, the Communists
unched. I was supposed to have been too harsh towards the detainees during their arrest by unceremoniously snatching them from their homes and carting them away in military vehicles in full view of the public. Thus my approach was wrong. Subsequently, when he broached the subject, I refused to accept his double standards. To me, an arrestee is an arrestee no matter who he may be and all should be treated alike. There should be no distinction between the rich and the poor.
With pressure brought about by the SF and their financial resources depleted with the JU
RASCOM Rajang Security Command – a special command created in the 3rd. and 4th. Divisions of Sarawak to fight the Sarawak communists
NKCP – North Kalimantan Communist Party
“That Fellow” Head of Special Branch, Sarawak – a person greatly disliked by the author
