Malayan Emergency
Darurat Malaya
馬來亞緊急狀態
மலாயன் அவசரநிலை
Part of the decolonization of Asia and Cold War in Asia
Clockwise from top left:
  • Australian Avro Lincoln bomber dropping 500lb bombs
  • Communist leader Lee Meng in 1952
  • RAF staff loads bombs to be used against communist rebels
  • King's African Rifles search abandoned hut
  • Civilians forcefully evicted from their land by the British as part of the Briggs Plan
Date16 June 1948 – 31 July 1960
(12 years, 1 month, 2 weeks and 1 day)
Location
British Malaya
ResultCommonwealth military victory but diplomatic failure
Territorial
changes
Independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957
Belligerents

Commonwealth forces:
 United Kingdom

  • Federation of MalayaFederation of Malaya
  •  Singapore
  • KenyaKenya
  •  Southern Rhodesia
    (until 1953)
  •  Rhodesia and Nyasaland
    (after 1953)
  • FijiFiji
AustraliaAustralia
New ZealandNew Zealand
Supported by:
 Republic of China (Taiwan)
 Thailand
(Thai–Malaysian border)
 United States

Communist forces:
Malayan Communist Party

  • Malayan National Liberation Army
Commanders and leaders

United Kingdom:

  • Clement Attlee
    (until 1951)
  • Winston Churchill (1951–1955)
  • Anthony Eden (1955–1957)
  • Harold Macmillan (1957–1960)
  • Harold Briggs
  • Roy Urquhart
  • Edward Gent
  • Henry Gurney 
  • Gerald Templer
  • William Goode

Malaya

  • Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan
  • Tunku Abdul Rahman
  • Tun Razak
  • Tun Ismail

Singapore

  • David Marshall
  • Lim Yew Hock
  • Yusof Ishak
  • Lee Kuan Yew

Australia

  • Robert Menzies
  • Henry Wells

New Zealand

  • Sidney Holland
    (1951–1957)
  • Walter Nash
    (1957–1960)

Malayan Communist Party

  • Chin Peng

Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA)

  • Abdullah CD
  • Rashid Maidin
  • Shamsiah Fakeh
  • S. A. Ganapathy Executed
  • Lau Yew 
  • Yeung Kwo 
  • Mat Indera Executed
  • Lee Meng
  • Lau Lee
Strength

Over 451,000 troops.

  • 250,000 Malayan Home Guard (Malayan Regiment) troops
  • 40,000 regular Commonwealth personnel
  • King's African Rifles
  • Gurkha regiments
  • 37,000 Special Constables
  • 24,000 Federation Police
  • Unknown number of Iban (Dayak) headhunters

Over 7,000 troops.

  • + 7,000 MNLA full-time troops (1951).
  • + Estimated 1,000,000 sympathisers.
  • Unknown number of Orang Asli allies.
  • Unknown number of Min Yuen civilian supporters.
Casualties and losses
1,346 killed
519 killed
2,406 wounded
6,710 killed
1,289 wounded
1,287 captured
2,702 surrendered
Civilian casualties: 5,000+