On a mountain top in Malaya last week, John Davis waited for an old wartime friend. Davis had slipped into Malaya by submarine during the Japanese occupation, fought as a guerrilla against the Japanese with the man he was now waiting for: Chin Peng, Chinese-educated leader of Malaya's Communists. After World War II had come a parting of the ways: after marching in the victory parade in London, Chin Peng had gone back to the jungle to continue his guerrilla war, this time against the British and the Malayans; Davis had become a senior district officer in the government of Malaya. As Davis watched the jungle, two scouts walked across the border from Thailand; then came Chin Peng. No longer the slight, pimply youth of the World War II underground, Chin was now a pudgy, soft-faced 34. Laughing, he shook hands with Davis. Said Davis, in Chinese: "Long time no see."
It had, in fact, been something over eight years since non-Communist eyes had rested on Chin Peng. In that time, Chin and his force of 6,000 Communist terrorists had bobbed up all over Malaya, killed some 3,000 unarmed citizens and 2,000 police and soldiers. Running after Chin and repairing his disruptive work had cost the British (who still control Malaya's security and defense forces) a fabulous $1.4 billion. They had put a price of $82,500 on Chin's head, reduced it to $9,900 as the strength of his forces was halved and Chin's value declined. Though far from licked, the terrorists, driven into the remotest jungles, had been forced to set up their headquarters across the border in Thailand.
Recognition. To bring the war to an end, Prince Abdul Rahman (the Tengku), Chief Minister of Malaya's newly elected government, offered to surrendering terrorists an amnesty guaranteeing safe conduct, fair treatment, a pardon, or safe passage to Red China if desired. But he did not promise legal recognition to the Malayan Liberation Army, Chin's name for his Communist outfit. Chin made propaganda out of what he called the "peace negotiations," just as the British had warned the Tengku he would. When at last Chin rejected the amnesty offer, the Tengku was still hopeful, if only he could explain the amnesty terms personally to Chin Peng. Said he: "I am going to listen with an open heart to all Chin Peng has to say." Out of the jungle came a letter from Chin demanding that anti-terrorist activity be suspended over 400 square miles of northern jungle in order to give him safe conduct.