| ID | 141049 |
| Title Proper | Repatriation of the Chinese as a counter-insurgency policy during the Malayan emergency |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Chin, Low Choo |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | During the Malayan Emergency, British High Commissioner Henry Gurney pushed the policy of repatriating to China thousands of ‘alien’ Chinese detainees suspected of supporting the Malayan Communist Party's guerrilla war. This article traces the stages of this controversial policy, which, despite obstacles, remained a key counter-insurgency strategy until 1953. But the policy ignored the civil war in China and risked jeopardising Sino–British relations. When China closed its ports, the British administration put forth more desperate proposals to continue repatriation, often in the face of Foreign Office objections, ranging from negotiations with the PRC, to dumping deportees on the coast of China, and even approaching the Formosan government. Yet, while the Chinese were the target of both harsh early counter-insurgency techniques and communist violence, when the faltering repatriation policy was replaced by the mass resettlement of ‘squatters’ in Malaya itself, the Chinese were given a path to citizenship, changing their political future and that of the nation. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of South East Asian Studies Vol. 45, No.3; Oct 2014: p.363-392 |
| Journal Source | Journal of South East Asian Studies 2014-12 45, 3 |
| Key Words | Malayan Emergency ; Repatriation of the Chinese ; Counter - Insurgency Policy ; Henry Gurney ; Counter - Insurgency Strategy ; British Administration |