Cloak-and-dagger operation: Kiong filing an intelligence report on communists activities at a makeshift field office of the police Special Branch. The photo was taken hours before Kiong and his comrades laid a successful ambush on a group of incoming militants moving into Perak from Kelantan.
With sheer bravery and cunning, this ‘communist buster’ cop broke them from within
PETALING JAYA: Risking life and limb battling the ruthless and elusive communist terrorists was a deadly and daunting challenge for our fighting men during the insurgency.
To effectively outdo the enemy and uncover its devious plans, one police officer infiltrated their ranks, endangering his life for over six years all for the sake of a greater future he envisioned for Malaysia.
Datuk Paul Kiong, then a 23-year-old in the Special Branch, undertook the extraordinary espionage mission that would test the limits of bravery and deception.
He went on to penetrate and work alongside the cells, demonstrating a remarkable blend of bravery and strategy in his role, leading to the capture and elimination of over 50 communist terrorists.
“The CTs (communist terrorists) were advancing and spreading communism among our youth in the 1960s at the height of the Second Emergency. They wanted to build a communist state and were setting up strongholds all over.
“We could not allow that to happen to our multiracial country. Imagine a country without religion. Our nation was under serious threat and it was our responsibility to bring the CTs to their knees,” said the Ipoh-born police veteran in an interview recently.
Kiong, now 80, said the youth then were being indoctrinated and brainwashed heavily with subversive propaganda and received physical training to prepare them to fight for the cause.
He was based in Perak where the communist underground network was very active in both urban areas and rural jungles.
“Our strategy was to penetrate and destroy the underground units supplying logistics to the militant wings. They had small cells of up to six insurgents and none were known to each other.
“While the militants were armed, those in the underground units were not and were merely supporters,” said Kiong, who specialised in jungle warfare, jungle trekking, psychological warfare and interrogation tactics.
After sneaking into the enemy circle and blending in as one of them, he was given three main tasks as a messenger, food supplier and transporter.
“I was tasked to deliver letters which were tiny handwritten notes that were folded in a special way and placed in medicine bottles. Halfway into the journey, I would open it up and take note of the information.
“I had to fold the letter back the same way again or I would be found out. Then when it came to delivering food items, I would cut down their supplies and give them all sorts of excuses such as having a bad back or being unwell to carry too much.
“When hungry soldiers fight on an empty stomach, it will kill their morale and push them to desert. This is what we call psychological warfare,” Kiong said.
In his third role as a transporter or taxi driver, he was to ferry heavily armed communist terrorists between towns in Perak.
Kiong said he constantly lived in fear of being found out and had to guard against blowing his cover.
“There were times when the CT leaders would call for me. In those moments, my heart would sink wondering if they knew who I was. I would have been shot dead. I had to focus on staying alive knowing I have a family to return to,” he said.
Kiong said he preferred to capture and rehabilitate communist terrorists to help the authorities defeat the whole outfit.
However, in two encounters in Slim River and Kuala Kangsar, he had to resort to gunning down six communist terrorists when they turned out to be an immense threat to the safety of his men.
His success earned him commendations, promotions and the highest federal medals of valour.
“Among those we mowed down was the elite 5th Assault Unit which was Chin Peng’s pride as they were a formidable unit. Later, we crippled the other units,” he said.
When the Communist Party of Malaya laid down its arms in 1989, Kiong, promoted to superintendent was posted to Bukit Aman before retiring early due to boredom with office work after a long field career.
Kiong, the fourth of six siblings, said he was a hyperactive kid who loved the outdoors and adventures.
Aspiring to be in law enforcement, he applied to join the Customs Department, military and police force, with the latter offering him a position first.
In 1971, he married the late Datin Veronica Low who he described as tolerant, understanding and his pillar of strength.
“She stood by me through thick and thin. She knew the nature of my work, my responsibilities and the dangers that came with it. Never once did she ever question me for the years I was away performing covert operations.
“She single-handedly raised our only son. After 43 years of marriage, she passed away in 2014,” Kiong said with a touch of sadness.
Now residing in Petaling Jaya, Kiong spends time with his 48-year-old son and enjoys domestic travel, reflecting on his legacy as a “communist buster.”
