The Malayan Emergency began in 1948. It was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces of the British Empire. In October 1951, the British High Commissioner in Malaya, Sir Henry Gurney, was assassinated in an MNLA ambush on Fraser’s Hill. General Gerald Templer arrived as the new High Commissioner in January 1952. During his two-year command, the British were successful in reducing the levels of insurgency and terrorism significantly. Dr Kumar Ramakrishna will speak about British propaganda during this period and Templer’s impact. The Communist Party of Malaya’s decisive defeat in 1960 led to its armed struggle in Malaysia and Singapore from 1968 to 1989, known as the Second Emergency – an event that tends to be overlooked. Dr Ong Wei Chong will address the legacy of Templer and the transition of Malaya to Malaysia.

This event will be chaired by Raffaello Pantucci, a Senior Associate Fellow of RUSI