Evening star., 1949-05-02
Communicated Insurrection in Malaga Lacks
General Support of Natives, Eden Declares

General Supper
mr.. Eden Is "hetr apparent"
to Winston ChurchIl's leader
ship OF the British Conservative
Party. and a likely Prime Min
ister of England IL the party b
Dtctortous In the 1850 elections.J
By Anthony Eden
LONDON, May At Is Of little
use to consider the problem Of
Malaga In isolation. 1t Is part Of
the problem of Southeast Asia, an
area of the world which lies dam
gerously open to Communist in
fiation. The Goth century has wit
messed an awakening Of nation
alism In Southeast Asia as else
where. But it would be a pro-
found mistake to imagine that
the troubles In Malaga have any
connection with nationalist SEN
timent.
The insurgent movement is
small. political and professional.
1t is an attempt to seize power
which has at no time received
any significant measure Of sup
port from the Malays. The move
ment appears to be modelled on
the Communism Of Moscow. rath-
er than on that of China-but
the model. Of course. can change.
In Malaga today you will hear
criticism that the authorities were
slow to accept the seriousness of
the insurgent menace in its early
stages. Repeated warnings are
said to have gone unheeded. 9th
ers maintain that the government
at home has the main respon-
sibility and persisted too long in
policies which, however admirable
In the abstract. had little relation
to the gathering storm.
Savage Warfare Possible.
There is no doubt some truth
In this; but. however that may
be, we were certainly fortunate
not to fare worse. The strain
upon planters. tin miners, off,
cials, soldiers and police has been
enough as 1t is. Had the in
surgent leadership been more dis
eliminating and intelligent. the
price must have been heavier still,
for Malaga has by nature been
endowed with all the conditions
to facilitate the most savage type
of jungle and guerrilla warfare.
Moreover. japanese rule had
planted seeds of distrust among
sections of the non-European
population, and these have made
confident collaboration most difi-
cult, even in a naturally law-abid-
ing community.
The insurgents may number
about 1900 convinced Communists
and perhaps 5000 hangers-on.
some Of whom have been enrolled
by intimidation or by kidnapping.
They are financed by protection
money"-that is, by subscriptions
extorted under the threat Of a
bullet. Some Of the increased
wages now being paid have found
their way into the pockets Of the
insurgents. and 1t is not unknown
for q shopkeeper to be command
ed to charge higher prices for his
goods. the difference being taken
by the terrorists.' @
Failure of q the Communist
movement to gather momentum
in Malaga has been due above
all, as I have explained. to its
inability to win support from any
material section of the popula-
ton. n The Malays would haye,
none Of 1t, and though the Chl1
Inese suffered the loss Of some Of
their leading men by assassina-
ton and in consequence others
were for q while intimidated, in
formation from Chinese sources
now Is coming In on a much more
heartening scale. In the Ipoh
area, for instance. reports are now
being proffered so fast as to re-
quire the drafting Of additional
interpreters from Singapore.
Leaders Called Communists.
Although the bandit leaders are
certainly Communists. there ap-
pears at times to be a good deal
of confusion In their thought. !
have heard tell of one Communist
headquarters where the walls Of
the meeting room displayed pic
lures of the hammer and sickle
and King George vi, Mr.. Stain
and Princess Elizabeth; also
Messrs. Attlee and Beyin. Ger
tainly q distinguished gathering,
If perhaps an astonishing, one.
But, however confused all this
appears, the odious cruelty of the
assassinations is stark and real
enough. Nor, as the Communists
love to allege, are the wealthy
employer or the man Of the right
the only victims. I will give one
illustration from Penang. There
the leader of the Chinese COM
munity was DR.. Ong Chong Keng,
q man universally respected and
even loved.
One evening this doctor re-
ceived an urgent summons to the
bedside of a sick woman. With
out hesitation he responded and
was lead in the darkness to q
house where the patient was said
to be-only to be savagely muir
dered by the Communists. His
loss was mourned by all races in
Penang except for the handful to
whom the murder of an unarmed
doctor or an errand Of mercy
marks the advance of democracy.
Planters Problems Cited.
The planters have had much
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