War of the Running Dogs

Annapurna South, Nepal

Scott Sturman

fliesinyoureyes.com

The Tamil Tigers lay claim as one of the most ruthless terrorist organizations of the 20^th century. In their attempt to carve out a portion of Sri Lanka and form an independent country, they resorted to every conceivable terrorist activity to intimidate those who supported the legitimate government. The Tigers killed, raped, bombed, kidnapped, and tortured indiscriminately to destroy the will of the general population.

The Inspector of Police of Columbo, the capital city, was a sophisticated and educated man. His department had recently received a tip from reliable sources that the Tigers planned to detonate a massive bomb somewhere in the city within the next few days. The department's national security division had apprehended three suspects known to have links to the upper echelon of terrorist leadership in the city, but despite vigorous interrogation techniques they refused to talk. The inspector ordered the guards to bring them to his office for further questioning.

Three surly, young men in shackles entered the room under heavy security. The Inspector offered them a seat and a cigarette and asked them if they had any information about a plot to bomb the capital. All profusely denied having any knowledge regarding the affair and stated the rumor was meant to discredit the Tigers in the international press. The Inspector listened politely, adjusted his tie, walked to his desk, and pulled out a large caliber pistol. He repeated the question. The answers were the same. The Inspector nodded his head, approached the nearest suspect, put the barrel of the pistol to his forehead, and pulled the trigger. He repeated the question for the third time to the remaining two suspects, but their answers were more forthright and informative. The two survivors stated there was indeed a bomb planted in the terminal of the main train station in Columbo which was scheduled to detonate in two hours during the height of rush hour. The authorities found and deactivated the bomb. Hundreds of lives and valuable property were saved.

When dealing with terrorists, obtaining accurate intelligence is the difference between catastrophe and life as usual. Do the ends justify the means? This is the question posed by an Atlantic Magazine staff writer in the preceding story.

The War of the Running Dogs by Noel Barber details the Malaysian Civil War from 1948 – 1960, when Communist rebels unleashed a brutal war of terror to drive out the British colonists and install a Maoist regime. The British stymied this terrorist insurgency in Malaya that began three years after the conclusion of World War II. Effective techniques were developed which led to the defeat of the Communists and the establishment of a legitimate Malay government.

In 1948 Communists living in Malaya initiated a bloody terrorist campaign which had all the trappings of similar upheavals – extreme violence, assassinations, wholesale destruction of property, and generalized mayhem. At this time Malaya was a British colony composed mostly of ethnic Malays and a much smaller percentage of Chinese who supported the insurrection. Although the British were in charge, they ruled through Malay surrogates and denied political power to the Chinese segment of the population. Despite being greatly outnumbered, the Chinese were well organized, better educated, and fervent Communists.

The British were presented with some formidable obstacles when combating the terrorists. Malaya is covered by a dense tropical jungle making if difficult to locate persons of interest. What is more, British farmers and native laborers who worked on the plantations were spread throughout the country which made it impossible to guarantee their security. Military units were unable to directly engage an enemy which struck quickly and then retreated to their jungle hideouts or blended into the local Chinese population. Other than increased firepower the authorities had one other advantage – superior intelligence. British traders and officials had been involved with Malaya since the mid 18^th century and were familiar with the local people and their customs.

British leaders were committed to a long term military and political solution and formulated a strategy which relied on cooperation with the inhabitants. They cultivated an atmosphere of trust and convinced the Malaya leadership that once the Communist insurgency was crushed, power would be transferred to them.

SECURITY

To wage a successful campaign against a terrorist insurgency, the general population must be protected. Terrorists thrive where they have physical access to those who they wish to harm and intimidate. The British built guarded compounds in rural areas and required everyone in the area to live in them. All Malaysians were issued a national identity card, without which a person was presumed to be a Communist.

LAND REFORM

In order to encourage the peasants to support the legitimate Malay government, the British convinced the wealthy Malayan aristocracy to transfer vast land holdings to the general population. To landless peasants, owning land conferred stability and a stake in the future of the country; it encouraged cooperation with the authorities.

AMNESTY

Communists were organized into independent operational cells. If a terrorist was captured, only the members of that cell were at risk. This made it exceedingly difficult for authorities to gain access to more important persons in the resistance. To neutralize this disadvantage, the British granted unconditional amnesty to any terrorist irrespective of the act for which he was responsible. This included sabotage, murder, torture, kidnapping, and extortion. In exchange the prisoner was required to divulge information which led to the arrest and conviction of any Communist who held a command position in the hierarchy. Once fulfilled the informant and his family were released with new identities, money, and sent to another part of the country safe from reprisals. As distasteful this was to many British officials, over time the program hastened the destruction of the Communist leadership structure.

INTELLIGENCE

The importance of timely, accurate intelligence cannot be over estimated when combating terrorists. British and Malay authorities used a wide variety of methods in the process. Once the indigenous population felt secure from violence and retribution, they enthusiastically supported the effort which accelerated the demise of the Communists.

War of the Running Dogs, the name taken from the Communist description of any Malay who cooperated with the British, is a book to keep in ones library. Easy to read and informative, it vividly documents a success story in the war on terror.