NORTH MALAYAN FIGHTING WITH BANDITS

Grey River Argus, 13 April 1948, Page 3

NORTH MALAYAN FIGHTING WITH BANDITS

SINGAPORE, April 12 In the last phase 01 the uig fe _.. operations against, banditc in Malaya for 5G years, a large combined military and police force at. dawn prepared for action against armeu guerrills, said to number 400, in tne jungle on the Malay-Siamese border. For the last three days, strong forces have been taking up their positions at various points along the Gru. road, in Upper Perak, in an attemp. to wipe out well organised gueixu.k. who nave been imposing- levies traffic between Malaya and SoUui. . Siam .and some parts of Noxtii i c.,. A police officer said that in sui.i parts of -North Perak, the guerrilhi.. had established their own govcio ment, and collected taxes, lie .<•/, that success in the present operation would have repercussions throughout Malaya in the fight against bandits operating from the Siamese border to Singapore. No contact has yet been made with the guerrillas, wno are well arrneo and are expected to make a fight c± it. Many guerrillas are former jungle fighters against the Japanes. and they still possess arms dropped to them'by the secret Allied organisation. . . They refused to disband after the surrender of Japan. Recently, further efforts to make the guerrillas surrender failed, and the present combined operation has been undertaker as a result '