Operation Janus, page 21
Jason came back to his senses and saw his men staring at him. ‘Get those two Cheena still alive and see they don’t run away. Lilé, go back and get the rope from my big pack, bring it back then open your set.’ And to the Military Commander, ‘As you have surrendered go and stand with Comrade Ah Fat.’
Hinlea recovering a little, checked his pistol, took aim and again fired at Jason who, just in time, dodged. The bullet pinged harmlessly overhead. Kulbahadur, his weapon at the ready, emerged from having had his ‘battle’, took aim at Hinlea and, without another thought, shot him through the head. A death spasm caused the fingers to close and, with the safety catch already off, his finger pulled the trigger hard enough to fire the weapon. The bullet somehow hit the wounded guerilla in his right eye, killing him instantly.
Lilbahadur brought back the rope and Jason ordered Chakré and Lalman to tie Lau Beng by his wrists and ankles. ‘Bandage that foot as best you can, Chakré,’ and, wiping the sweat off his face, he called to Ah Fat. ‘P’ing Yee, if you can walk, please come over here. Take Lau Beng’s pistol, using a cloth so not to touch it with your hands, note its serial number. I’ll witness it. We’ll need it for his prosecution.’
At Ah Fat’s appearance Lau Beng was dumbstruck in amazement: a man or a man of a ghost? Ah Fat looked at the bound man: ‘Lau Beng, comrade no more: in due course I’ll have to let the Central Committee know just how badly you committed yourself. You were always too stupid for your own good.’
Lau Beng spat his disgust, almost apoplectic and hardly able to mouth anything coherently. ‘I blame you, not Wang Ming, for this tragedy. If it’s the last thing I’ll ever do, it’ll be to track you down and kill you,’ voice trembling both with fury and pain in his foot. ‘Ch’uan jia chan’ – May your entire clan be wiped out.
‘You never really meant anything you said unless it was for your personal benefit, not the Party’s. I discount your oath as I have inwardly discounted almost everything I have heard you say. Anyway, for your possible interest, I am, in fact, a Christian so your oath has no power over me. And, for the record, you were never nearly as good as you thought you were. Let’s hope the feng shui of your prison cell is appropriate. Keep quiet.’
Ah Fat’s cold reply stayed with Lau Beng until the hangman’s rope was tied round his neck a few months later.
Lilbahadur called out to Jason, ‘Sahib, I’ve netted the wireless.’
Having put the headset on, Jason said, ‘Hello One Able. Fetch Sunray.’
‘One Able, wilco. Wait out,’ crooned the operator.
‘One Able, Sunray on set.’
‘Sunray 1 Able. I have had an unexpected but successful contact with the daku. My men have killed figures six, including Able How. Roger so far? Over.’
‘Roger over.’
‘I have captured the Regional Committee Political Commissar who was shot in the foot by Able How whose death antics shot and killed the one wounded guerilla. My childhood friend suffered some battering but is safe. We have no casualties. Over.’
‘Roger. Extraordinarily well done. What next?’
Jason had by that time worked out his position and gave the map reference. ‘I will stack and cover the corpses and suggest that a Sugar Baker [Special Branch] rep comes ready to photograph and finger-print them if policy is to bury and not carry out, otherwise please detail carrying party. I have rations only for today. Request a pick-up party to me Able Sugar Peter with a bottle of rum. There should be no more hostiles so movement can be fast. All details later. Over.’
‘Sunray. Wilco out.’
Jason called to his men, ‘Change out of daku clothing before anyone from Battalion HQ reaches us. You probably know that such a tactic is not allowed and what the eye does not see the heart does not grieve. Let’s have a brew.’
What an ending! That misfit Hinlea caused more trouble to more people in a shorter time than most people can manage in a lifetime but, in the end, he was about as successful as a blank file on leave, Jason thought while the water for their tea was being boiled. They gave a mess cover half full to each prisoner – Lau Beng refused his – then sat down, drank theirs and relaxed, supremely content.
As they waited, Jason had an idea. After the Military Commander had drunk his tea, Jason beckoned to him. He cautiously moved over. ‘Sit down beside me. P’ing Yee also come here.’ Cautiously, so that Lau Beng could not hear, Jason said, ‘Officially you have surrendered. I also heard you say that you were disillusioned …’
Against his better judgement, the Bear interrupted, ‘Sinsaang, how could you have done? Impossible!’
‘No, not at all. You had a pee near two arum lilies. I was hiding behind one of them and heard you say so.’
The Bear’s startled expression should have been captured on film. It never occurred to me that those two arum lily leaves were out of place!
‘May I suggest that, once we get to Seremban, you ask Special Branch and the OCPD if you can join the staff and work for the Government? I’ll recommend you.’
After a long silence, an ungrudging ‘Yes’ was the answer.
Monday, 1 September 1952
Excitement in Special Branch had been intense at the arrival of Lau Beng and Wang Ming on the previous Friday, brought in by Ah Fat – whose appearance had been explained to as few people as necessary that he was in his Special Branch mode – and Ian Clark had gone into a huddle with Moby. ‘Shall we let Wang Ming see those who served under him and see the reaction?’ Ian had asked.
Moby thought that one over. ‘I have an idea, Ian, that might work better if we let him kick his heels for a couple of days.’
‘What’s that, Moby?’
‘I’d like to get him into a frame of mind forming a ‘Q’ Group composed of the men who surrendered with Jason Rance as his leader.’ He paused, looked at Ian and said, ‘If you think there’s any mileage in it I’ll give C C Too a bell and ask him to come down here on Monday and talk to them about it.’
‘Moby, I’ve been so busy what with one thing and another and you have with debriefing the people who recently surrendered that I forgot to mention that Jason Rance phoned me after he came back and told me that he had already spoken to Wang Ming, whom he also called the Bear, just on that subject and that, of his own accord, the idea has been accepted.’
‘Even better but I’d still like C C Too with us. We don’t have a secure phone but I’ll put our point to him in such a way that he’ll be more than intrigued to come down.’
‘Yes, and I’ll get Jason in as well. He’ll have some good ideas, I expect, being such a shrewd operator.’
And so it was, that Monday, most secretly, under C C Too’s supervision, that the Bear and the surrendered guerillas entered into a pact, having sworn the most solemn oath a Chinese can swear, that the group would be forgiven any previous bad behaviour, promised pay on a regular basis at the rate of a Special Constable with new names and supporting documentation at the end of their ‘service’.
The final outcome was that Ah Fat was to be the ‘political commander’, using the ‘Q’ Group where it was thought best while the Bear would be the tactical commander. The Bear had one request: if ever the Shandung P’aau had any special operation to consider, he, the Bear, would be only too pleased to be under his or P’ing Yee’s command.
Jason had two points: one that he could not guarantee being allowed to or even be available to undertake any such operation; his other was that if such were allowed, it should have its own code name. After much thought, he suggested Operation ‘Blind Spot’. Ah Fat suggested that it were better to use the physical Maan Tim rather than ‘blind in the mind’, Sam Lei Maan Tim, which was too cumbersome. C C Too fully agreed with this. Eventually approval was given but only as a ‘last resort’ if all other methods were seen as either useless or unacceptable. But first of all, it was decided that Ah Fat would go back to Central Committee, give a doctored report of what had happened and volunteer to go back and re-establish the Negri Sembilan Regional Committee. All military operations in the Kuala Klawang-Titi area were discreetly suspended while Ah Fat and three of his ‘Q’ Team made contact with the Regional Committee there. That done, the ‘Q’ Team men were to return and Ah Fat go on up to the Central Committee as it was normal for such people.
Saturday, 13 September 1952
The sentries around the camp of the Central Committee were surprised to see five figures coming up the hill towards their camp. They recognised only one of them, Comrade Ah Fat, not the others with him. They let them pass into the camp. Ah Fat reported to the General Secretary, Chin Peng, who expressed surprise at not seeing the expected gwai lo.
‘Where’s the new comrade, the Lustful Wolf as we’ve been calling him? We were all expecting him around now? Why is he not with you?’ he asked, almost churlishly.
Ah Fat looked straight at his questioner, feigning sadness and dismay – tradecraft: Operation Blind Spot! – and shook his head. ‘Oh Comrade, let me give you the bad news, the bad, bad news straightaway: something went so very wrong. All our group, except me, were ambushed and killed. The gwai lo comrade was killed as were many other comrades, less Comrade Lau Beng who was wounded and captured. It was only by the grace of Lenin that I was saved by having surprisingly contacted another comradely group when I went to shoot deer with a comrade. I took them to one side so that the group with the Lustful Wolf could continue without their knowledge. It was then that the disaster occurred. I stayed back only long enough to find out details of any casualties then moved on to Titi with my own escort. So thankful to be alive and back with you, can hardly be said forcibly enough. When I’ve changed and had a rest I’ll go into details of what happened.’
‘Well, that is indeed a grave disappointment and completely unexpected. I hope the Running Dogs have been acutely embarrassed even without their captain not joining us. There has been nothing on the wireless about a British officer being killed or any other casualties. If there was anyone to blame, tell me now who he was.’
Remembering the golden rule of all Communists: blame the absent or, better still, the dead, Ah Fat said, ‘It was Lau Beng – hard to believe, isn’t it?’
‘We’ll have a plenum tomorrow when you can explain it all. I’m only so pleased about one aspect,’ and Chin Peng looked at Ah Fat straight between the eyes, ‘At least you weren’t involved in any way.’
My tradecraft has let me win through.
Saturday, 13 September 1952
Re-training was over and on the Monday rifle companies would once more be deployed away from Battalion HQ. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Williams had asked Captain Rance and his four men round to his house for a drink and to say a private and personal thank you for their outstanding military prowess. No one mentioned that Hinlea’s death had, in fact, solved a lot of unpleasant problems. ‘A much misguided man, Jason,’ the CO said. ‘I had never thought he’d get killed. He never should have been commissioned. Your final summing up of him?’
Jason had a flash of inspiration. ‘I remember my first head master when I went to England telling me that it takes three generations to make a gentleman and the hapless Hinlea wasn’t really even the first generation.’ He paused and had another flash: knowing how the CO’s mind worked, he felt a biblical quotation would satisfy him. ‘Sir, I forget the exact words I read in St. Matthew’s gospel but I’ll paraphrase them: “One cannot expect grapes from thorns and figs from thistles”.’
The CO bowed his head slightly in reverence to a gospel being mentioned. Before they left, he led Jason out onto the verandah. ‘Listen, Jason. You have saved the army and the regiment from a great and soul-searing disgrace. You have incurred danger beyond the dictates of duty but under no circumstances can this become public knowledge. No bravery awards can be made. A thick, dark, heavy curtain has to be drawn over these recent events, never to be pulled back. I hope you understand.’ He paused, as though making up his mind. ‘I shouldn’t really tell you what my senior officer told me but I will: I asked the Brigadier if he’d support bravery awards for all five of you but,’ and here he faltered slightly, ‘he refused, point blank. Rather pompously, I thought, he said “The Army, like the Royal Academy, desires docility in her children and even originality has to be stereotyped”.’ Jason thought the CO looked rather forlorn as he said that.
The Colonel cleared his throat and continued, ‘Your empathy with the men is as irrefutable as the shorthand of the Recording Angel. You have the indispensable virtues of humour, humility and honesty but sadly, in this instance, the only record will be on your confidential Record of Service. Apart from wearing enemy uniform which is strictly forbidden under one of the Geneva Conventions, the only law you have broken is the Law of Averages.’
It was Jason’s turn to bow his head, if only to hide his facial expression. ‘Thank you, sir, for those kind words. I share your feelings. I could never have done what was done without my Gurkhas. I merely guided them. They have already come to terms with what is good for the regiment. Their proverb says it all.’
‘Which proverb? I can’t call one to mind.’
‘Pure gold needs no touchstone, nor a good man any adornment.’
List of Characters
People acquainted with the author
Mubarak, Ismail, Head of Special Branch, Seremban, known as ‘Moby’, an ‘Ace’ operator
Rana, Ksatra Bikram, Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding Officer, The Mahindra Dal Nath, the only Nepalese Contingent unit the Maharaja allowed to operate outside India in WWII
Templer, Sir Gerald, General, High Commissioner and Director of Operations, Malaya
Theopulos, John, Manager, Bhutan Estate, near Seremban
Other real people
Chin Peng, Chairman, Malayan Communist Party
Mao Tse-tung, Chinese Communist leader
Marx, Karl, German founder of modern Communism
Stalin, J, Soviet leader
Stilwell, General Joseph W, United States Army, Northern Burma Combat Command, 1943-44
Too Chee Chew, a.k.a. Mr C C Too, brilliant propagandist, Special Branch, Malayan Police
Zhdanov, Andrei A, Soviet theoretician
Fictitious characters
Ah Fat, non-voting member of politburo and police agent
*Chakrabahadur Rai, Rifleman, 1/12 Gurkha Rifles
Clark, Ian, OCPD, Seremban
*Ganeshbahadur Rai, Rifleman, 1/12 Gurkha Rifles
Goh Ah Hok, fresh ration contractor for 1/12 Gurkha Rifles
Hinlea, Alan, Captain, 1/12 Gurkha Rifles
Honker, M CA, Brigadier, Commander 63 Gurkha Infantry Brigade
Hung Lo, ‘Bear’, nickname of Wang Ming, q.v.
Kenny, Richard, Lieutenant Colonel, General Staff Officer (GSO) 1, HQ Malaya Command
*Kulbahadur Limbu, Rifleman, 1/12 Gurkha Rifles, expert tracker
Kwek Leng Joo, barman at Yam Yam and senior Min Yuen (Masses Movement)
Lalman Limbu, Rifleman, 1/12 Gurkha Rifles
Lau Beng, Political Commissar, Negri Sembilan Regional Committee
Lee Kheng, ‘sleeper’ in Special Branch, Seremban
*Minbahadur Gurung, wireless operator, Rifleman, 1/12 Gurkha Rifles
*Padambahadur Rai, communist in Darjeeling
P’ing Yee, ‘Flat Ears’, nickname of Ah Fat, q.v.
Rance, Jason Percival Vere, Captain, 1/12 Gurkha Rifles
Shandung P’aau, ‘Shandung Cannon’, nickname of Captain Rance, q.v.
Sik Long, ‘Lustful Wolf’, nickname of Captain Hinlea, q.v.
Siu Tse, ‘Little Miss’, cabaret taxi girl in the Yam Yam
Vikas Bugga, secret Bengali communist
Wang Ming, Military Commander, Negri Sembilan Regional Committee
Wang Tao (f); OCPD’s table servant
Williams, Robert, Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding Officer, 1/12 Gurkha Rifles
Yap Cheng Wu, manager of Yam Yam nightclub
Yong Kwoh, second in seniority in Malayan Communist Party
* Names ending in ‘bahadur’ often use the ‘é’ ending instead, especially when talking.
Abbreviations
2 IC Second in Command
AVM Air Vice Marshal
CO Commanding Officer
DSO Distinguished Service Order
DWEC District War Executive Committee
GHQ General Headquarters
GOC General Officer Commanding
GR Gurkha Rifles
GSO 1 General Staff Officer, Grade 1
HQ headquarters
ID identity
Int Intelligence
IO Intelligence Officer
KGB Russian initials for the Soviet secret police
LMG Light Machine Gun, (Bren Gun)
MC Military Cross
MCP Malayan Communist Party
MRLA Malayan Races Liberation Army
MTO Motor Transport Officer
NCO non-commissioned officer
NRIC National registration identity card, also known as ID card
OCPD Officer Commanding Police District
OSPC Officer Supervising Police Circle
‘O’ Group Orders Group, the staff officers and sub-unit commanders needed to put tactical orders into action
QM Quartermaster
RV rendezvous, term used for designated positions to ‘close on’
sitrep situation report
SWEC State War Executive Committee
Tac Adjutant Tactical Adjutant, the CO’s operational staff officer
Wireless Jargon
