Commemorating Hat Yai Peace Accord 30 Years Later

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A day before the 30th anniversary of the Hat Yai Peace Accord, a group of former members of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) organised a gathering in Malaysia to commemorate the signing of the treaty
The CPM had signed the peace accord with the government of Malaysia in Hat Yai, Thailand on Dec 2, 1989 which saw the end of its 21 years of armed struggle
The gathering, held in Kajang today, saw about 300 people in attendance, mostly elderly folks
Those in attendance included Sungai Pelek assemblyperson Ronnie Liu, PKR veteran Syed Husin Ali, PSM's Dr Michael Jeyakumar and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia professor Abdul Rahman Embong, among others

The ceremony, which started around 10.15am, saw speeches from several former CPM members as well as Liu and Michael
Former CPM member Tan Yi Yu said the purpose of organising this event is not only to commemorate their history
"It is also to restore the truth which has been distorted and correct the wrong perception of the public to our history
"The struggle of CPM is a war that is anti-colonial and anti-imperialism, which fought for the country's independence, democracy, freedom and peace," he said
Fellow ex-CPM member Indrajaya Abdullah who is residing in Thailand said he is very grateful to the Thai government who has followed the peace accord
He said for these 30 years, they have built their home in Thailand and have integrated fully into the Thai community
Meanwhile, Liu had stressed that he was attending the event in his personal capacity and in his speech, he related the story of his grandfather and brother who were involved in the communist movement
He said his grandfather had been involved in the movement to free Malaya from the British after the Japanese were driven out
For his involvement, Liu said his grandfather had been banished to China
"I am worried that my words here today will cause some to paint me as a communist or communist sympathiser, but I still feel called to speak here today," he said
There were a couple of dance and music performances to round off the gathering, which ended around 12.30pm
This commemoration comes after it was revealed last Tuesday that the former secretary-general of CPM Chin Peng's ashes had been returned to Malaysia by a group in September
This had sparked outcry by certain quarters who criticised the action
Chin Peng, whose real name is Ong Boon Hua, was the secretary-general of CPM until it laid down its arms in 1989. He died in Thailand in 2013
Former inspector-general of police Abdul Rahim Noor, who was directly involved in the peace accord then, as the chief of the police Special Branch, had defended the return of the ashes as he said CPM is no longer a threat
He also said the terms of the peace treaty also allowed all CPM leaders to return to Malaysia, including Chin Peng
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also pointed out that other CPM leaders had returned to Malaysia without a fuss, and other oppressors such as the Japanese occupation were also forgotten
There will be another commemoration event for the peace accord in Hat Yai tomorrow. - Mkini

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