Massacre in Malaya: Exposing Britain's My Lai

The Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) was the longest war fought by British and Commonwealth forces in the 20th century. Today this 'war without a name' is largely forgotten, though it had a powerful and secret influence on American strategy in Vietnam. Drawing upon recently released files from the National Archives, Massacre in Malaya will unfold a compelling narrative based on eye-witness accounts from both government forces and Communist fighters, and will expose the truth about the notorious massacre of Chinese villagers at Batang Kali, Furthermore, it will show that British tactics in Malaya were more ruthless than historians have so far conceded. Like the conflict in colonial Kenya against the Mau-Mau, British tactics in Malaya involved massive resettlement programmes, ethnic cleansing, indiscriminate aerial bombing, and the brutal exploitation of aboriginal forces.