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9 September 2026 – Book Launch/Talk: The "Communist" Role I Played: Undercover During the 2nd Malayan Emergency (1968-1989)

The book launch next week of a former police officer’s memoir on his 31-year undercover fight against communist guerrillas is the first public telling of how he captured an elite insurgent unit without firing a shot.

Source: Penang Institute · August 19, 2026 at 2:01 PM · AI-assisted report

Opinion
9 September 2026 – Book Launch/Talk: The "Communist" Role I Played: Undercover During the 2nd Malayan Emergency (1968-1989)
Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / CC BY-SA 3.0

PENANG, 19 AUGUST 2026 —

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The book launch next week of a former police officer’s memoir on his 31-year undercover fight against communist guerrillas is the first public telling of how he captured an elite insurgent unit without firing a shot.

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Datuk Paul Kiong, one of only four living holders of Malaysia’s top bravery award, will present “The Communist Role I Played” at Karpal Singh Hall, St Xavier’s Institution, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the event notice.

Born in Ipoh in 1944, Datuk Paul joined the Royal Malaysia Police in 1968 and spent three decades in the Special Branch, mainly in Perak, where he worked undercover in both jungle and urban areas. His cover as a food supplier and messenger required him to sleep in hammocks and eat game such as rats and monkeys while moving through hostile territory.

He relied on trust and negotiation rather than firepower. Datuk Paul repeatedly entered the jungle with former insurgents who still carried arms, persuading active guerrillas to surrender. The tactic delivered the Fifth Assault Unit, an elite communist squad, intact: all 43 members laid down their weapons without a single shot fired.

For this achievement, he received the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) in 1983, the country’s highest gallantry medal. The citation credited his “extreme bravery and ingenuity” in operations that preserved national peace and sovereignty, according to the award record.

Datuk Paul retired as a Superintendent in 1998 after 31 years in the force. He is one of only four living recipients of the SP, a distinction shared with just three other officers nationwide.

The launch will not be streamed live, Penang Institute said, but a recording will be uploaded to its YouTube channel the day after the event.

Datuk Paul’s memoir aims to preserve first-hand testimony of the Second Malayan Emergency (1968-1989) and honour the sacrifices of those who served, the organiser said.

Related: Penang

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