Malaysian Anti-Japanese Army

By the beginning of World War II, Malaya was a protectorate of Great Britain . The Japanese invasion of the peninsula began on December 8, 1941, when units of the 25th Japanese army launched an offensive from Indochina through Siam to northern Malaya. By the end of December 1941, Japanese troops captured the main part of Malaya, on January 24, 1942 they took Kuala Lumpur , on January 31, 1942 they occupied the southernmost point of Malaya. On February 1, 1942, British troops in Malaya began evacuating to Singapore ^[1] . On February 15, 1942, Singapore surrendered .

The occupation regime established by the Japanese provoked an increase in resistance, which was attended by local residents and Chinese immigrants living on the peninsula, they were also joined by individual soldiers of the British, Australian and local colonial troops hiding from the Japanese.

General leadership of the movement was carried out by the Central Military Committee of the Communist Party of Malaysia (located in Pahang), which subordinate to the regional military committees and partisan detachments. The training of military personnel took place at two-month military courses at the Central Military Committee in Paranga and at the People’s Academy at the headquarters of the 6th separate detachment, operating in the south of the Johor Sultanate ^[2] .

The underground organization "Anti-Fascist League", the core of which was the Communists, was created in Saravan ^[3] .

At the end of 1943, an anti-Japanese uprising was launched in Sabah ^[3]

The anti-Japanese army of the peoples of Malaya joined the activists of the organization "Anti-Japanese Union" ^[3] .

The partisans of the Anti-Japanese army of the peoples of Malaya conducted reconnaissance activities in the interests of the Western allies and the reconnaissance and sabotage groups of "Unit 136" landed in Malaya. In response, from the end of 1944 to August 1945, the allies transferred 3,500 small arms and ammunition to the partisans, and sent 500 servicemen and saboteurs to the partisan’s area of ​​operations, who took part in the hostilities and were engaged in military training of partisans ^{[ 2]} .

In January 1945, the Japanese launched a major offensive against the partisans ^[2] .

In 1945, units of the Anti-Japanese army of the peoples of Malaya accepted the surrender of Japanese troops ^[4] . By the time of the surrender of Japanese troops, the total strength of the Anti-Japanese army of the peoples of Malaya was 10 thousand partisans ^[5] . In total, during the war, partisans destroyed 10 thousand soldiers of the occupation forces, as well as 2.5 thousand traitors and Japanese accomplices ^[2]

On September 1, 1945, units of the 14th British Army landed in Malaya. The British military command began the demobilization of the partisans - in this case, in case they surrendered weapons, each fighter was paid an allowance in the amount of 350 US dollars ^[6] . At the same time, the creation of the organs of the British military administration began ^[7] .

On September 7, 1945, the text of the manifesto Six Requirements for England, which provided for the creation of the Malay Democratic Republic, was sent to the British military command and government of Great Britain. No response was received to the manifest ^[6] .

In December 1945, the Anti-Japanese army of the peoples of Malaya and the people's committees created by its supporters were banned by the British colonial authorities ^[8] .

In June 1948, the British colonial authorities declared a state of emergency in Malaya. The fighting began . In February 1949, the Liberation Army of the People of Malaya was created to fight against the British, which included many fighters and commanders of the Anti-Japanese Army of the People of Malaya ^[4]

• (in small) Indrajaya Abdullah. Ringkasan Sejarah Tentera Anti-Jepun Rakyat Malaya (A Brief History of the Anti-Japanese Army of the People of Malaya). Kuala Lumpur: SIRD, 2014. ISBN 9789670630403

• Anti-Japanese Army
• Phaiom Chulanont