Death Waits in the Dark

by Jumper, Roy Davis Linville

• ISBN13: 9780313315152
• ISBN10: 0313315159
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-08-30
• Publisher: Praeger Pub Text

Summary

The Senoi Praaq is a Malaysian special forces unit originally created in 1956 by the British colonial authorities to fight communism during the Malayan Emergency. The term "Senoi Praaq," which roughly translates as "war people," stems from the Semai language and is the basis of a colorful legend in Malaysia. The unit is largely comprised of non-Malay tribal peoples known collectively as the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia. Jumper details Senoi Praaq inception as a private army and its subsequent development into an affiliate of the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) in this fast paced and often graphic account of irregular warfare as it applies to counterinsurgency. The unit began as a creature of British Military Intelligence and fought in the deep jungle as Special Air Service (SAS) proteges, eventually replacing the latter upon Malaysian independence from Great Britain. They then served as mercenaries employed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency in Vietnam and later fought on Borneo during Malaysia's own undeclared war with Indonesia. Today the unit remains under arms and heads up a large paramilitary apparatus maintained in conjunction with conventional military forces. Malaysia's capacity to project force throughout South East Asia should not be underestimated, Jumper warns. The Senoi Praaq is a unique fighting force upon which Malaysia may rely to preserve her sovereignty.

Author Biography

ROY DAVIS LINVILLE JUMPER is a political scientist who is trained in the fields of Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Public Policy. He is the author of two previous books: Orang Asli Now (1999) and Power and Politics (1997).

Table of Contents

Maps	vii
Abbreviations	ix
Foreword	xvii
Charles H. Ley
Preface	xix
Introduction	1	(8)
Part I: The Political Background	9	(20)
The Orang Asli and Malay Peoples in Perspective	11	(6)
Legacy of the Malayan Emergency	17	(4)
The Senoi Praaq: A Legend Unfolds	21	(2)
Orang Asli Auxiliary Organizations Today	23	(6)
Introduction and Part I: Notes	25	(4)
Part II: The Emergency and Turn of Events Leading to Formation of the Senoi Praaq	29	(24)
The Struggle for the Fringe Areas	31	(6)
The Emergency Moves to the Deep Jungle	37	(8)
The Emergency in the Heart of Darkness	45	(8)
Notes	47	(6)
Part III: The Senoi Praaq Takes Shape	53	(24)
Constructing the Senoi Praaq Mystique	55	(4)
Senoi Praaq Deployment	59	(6)
Trouble Among Allies	65	(12)
Notes	71	(6)
Part IV: The Senoi Praaq Deploy in South Vietnam	77	(28)
The Deal is Cut and the Die is Cast	79	(6)
The Senoi Praaq Hardcore Makes Its Way to South Vietnam	85	(8)
The Situation Begins to Unravel	93	(12)
Notes	99	(6)
Part V: The Senoi Praaq Stands Down in South Vietnam as the Indonesian Crisis Erupts	105	(28)
The Highland Environment Becomes Unstable and Unproductive	107	(6)
Impetus for the Senoi Praaq Withdrawal	113	(6)
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going	119	(14)
Notes	125	(8)
Part VI: The Indonesian Confrontation on Borneo and Its Spread to Peninsular Malaysia	133	(24)
The Borneo Crisis	135	(4)
A Senoi Praaq Salvage Operation	139	(4)
The Senoi Praaq Prescription	143	(14)
Notes	151	(6)
Part VII: Senoi Praaq Rehabilitation	157	(24)
The New Routine	159	(4)
The Senoi Praaq in Transition	163	(4)
Mohamed Ruslan bin Iskandar Abdullah Takes the Senoi Praaq into the Future	167	(6)
The Senoi Praaq Today	173	(8)
Notes	177	(4)
Conclusion	181	(8)
Conclusion: Notes	187	(2)
Glossary	189	(4)
Selected Bibliography	193	(12)
Field Work	193	(1)
Interview Subjects and Their Backgrounds	193	(5)
Unpublished Document Sources	198	(1)
Published Documents and Unpublished Papers	198	(7)
Index	205