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The MCP disagreed with the British idea of a Malayan Federation because there seemed to be no direct way to communism. The party’s new leader Chin Peng decided to set the revolution rolling.

In June 16 1948 MRLA guerillas killed three British rubber planters. Britain declared a State of Emergency. The enemy was named CT – Communist Terrorists. Despite the term “emergency” it was a full-scale guerilla war between MRLA and British and Malayan authorities. MRLA tortured and killed dozens of British and Malay civilians (including children), ambushed soldiers, sabotaged installations, attacked slightly-defended rubber farms and destroyed transportation in a deliberate terror campaign. Four hundred civilians died in the first year.

Support for the MRLA was mainly based on about 500,000 ethnic Chinese (there were 3.12 million Chinese in total); the Malay population at large did not support them. The Chinese had no franchise in elections, no land rights to speak of and were usually very poor. MRLA called their agents within the Chinese population "Min Yuen".

The MRLA had its hideouts in the rather inaccessible jungle. Most of them were Chinese with some Malays and Indonesians. They were organized into communist political regiments with political sections, commissars , instructors and secret service. They also had lectures about Marxism-Leninism and political newspapers. MRLA included many women and soldiers had to get official permission for romance.

Abroad, the emerging Korean War eclipsed the developing conflict. Part of the British attempt at resolving the situation was the so-called Brigg’s plan that meant resettlement of people – especially 400,000 Chinese - living in jungle areas to the relative safety of new, partially fortified villages. People resented that but some became content with better living standards in the villages. They were given money and ownership of the land they lived in. Removing a population which might be sympathetic to guerrillas was a counter insurgency technique which the British had used before, notable against the Boer Commandos in the Second Boer War (1899-1902).

The British also brought in soldiers from units like the Worcester regiment and Highlander MarinesThe Royal Marines are the United Kingdom's amphibious forces and a core component of their Rapid Reaction Force. They are lightly equipped, able to operate independently in all terrains, and highly trained as a commando force. History The first unit of En. One side effect was a re-creation of Special Air ServiceOfficial force name Special Air Service Nicknames The Regiment ''The SAS (British Army phonetic) "the sass" Motto Who Dares Wins Description Britain's main Special Operations Force. Readiness Unknown, but able to deploy counter-terror teams quickly. Speci as a jungle commandoCommando (military) is an individual, a military unit, or a style of military operation Commando (movie) is the title of a 1985 film Commando (game) is also a 1985 computer game, unrelated to the film Commando (verb) To not wear underwear''. unit in 1950. The Permanent Secretary of Defence for Malaya was Sir Robert ThompsonSir Robert Thompson is/was a British counter-insurgency expert. He has received the orders KBE, CMG, DSO and MC. Fought as a Chindit in WWII. As Permanent Secretary of Defence for Malaya, Sir Robert Thompson was a major player in the defeat of the communi who had served as an officer in the ChinditsThe Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 3rd Indian Infantry Division were a British jungle Special Forces unit that served in Burma from 1943 until 1945 as part of the Fourteenth Army during the Burma Campaign in World Wa during World War II. This meant he had a lot of experience in jungle warfareJungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain. It has been the topic of extensive study by military strategists, and was an important part of the planning for both sides in m and was sympathetic to the development of jungle commando units.

In 1951 some British army units begun a " hearts and minds campaign" by giving medical and food aid to Malays and indigenous Sakai tribes. At the same time, they put pressure on MRLA by patrolling the jungle. Units like the SAS, Royal Marines and Gurkha Brigade drove MRLA guerillas deeper into the jungle and denied them resources. MRLA had to extort food from Sakai and earned their enmity. Many of the captured guerillas changed sides. In turn, MRLA never released any Britons alive.

In the end there was about 35,000 British and 100,000 Malay troops against maybe up to 80,000 communist guerillas.

On October 7 1951, the MRLA ambushed and killed British High Commissioner Sir Henry Gurney . Gurney’s successor Lieutenant-General Gerald Templer pushed through measures to give ethnic Chinese residents a right to vote. He also continued the Brigg’s plan, installed Malay executives and speeded up formation of a Malayan army. His most important deal was a promise of independence once the insurrection was over. He also instituted financial rewards for detecting guerillas and expanded intelligence gathering.

With the independence of Malaya under Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman on August 31 1957, the insurrection lost its rationale as a war of colonial liberation. The last serious resistance from MRLA guerillas ended with a surrender in the Telok Anson marsh area in 1958. The remaining MRLA forces fled to the Thai border and further east.

In July 31 1960 the Malayan government declared that the Emergency was over. Chin Peng fled to China.

During the conflict security forces killed 6710 MRLA guerillas and captured 1287. Of the guerillas, 2702 surrendered during the conflict and about 500 at the end of the conflict. There were 1346 Malayan troops and 519 British military personnel killed. There were 2478 civilians killed and 810 missing as a result of the conflict.

In late 1960s the coverage of the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War prompted the initiation of investigations in the UK concerning alleged war crimes perpetrated by British forces during the Emergency. No charges arose, and it has been suggested that the incoming government of Edward Heath acted improperly in terminating the investigations.