OPERATION HAMMER - The making of our Sarawak gulag
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| Construction of our Sarawak gulag in progress at Siburan |
In fact, the Sarawak Communist Organization had not succumbed to stealing since they had been indoctrinated “struggle” must be in strictest accordance with Mao’s 3 Rules and 8 Points: “Do not take a single needle or piece of thread”.
The British insisted Sarawak communists had carried out the raid, and overnight, ‘new villages’ were ringed with high barbed-wire fencing where curfews, searches without warrants, harassment and food rationing were the order of the day. Horror stories abound where the man of the house could be killed for breaking curfew, but behind closed doors, whispers hint of more sinister goings-on where accidents happen when the father tries to defend his wife or daughter when night closed in.
Tim Hardy, Sarawak Special Branch head recalled it as ‘a cruel and unnecessary chasetisement of people I knew to be innocent of the crimes for which they were to be harshly punished … Hammer was vindictive, unjust, small-minded and politically daft … ‘
Lina Soo: One former communist would tell me that if he needed to dig out some sweet potatoes, he would leave one dollar in payment and a thank-you note; he had never stolen anything from the villagers. When they came out of the jungle they were to relate that they were called ‘sua ngiao choo’ (wild rats in Chinese), because they would panggang and eat the jungle rats which were extraordinarily large in size. Ewwwww …
Credits: Lina Soo
By, Rajah Raqafluz
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