"Based on extensive archival research in Malaysia, Great Britain, Japan and the United States, Red Star Over Malay provides an account of the way the Japanese occupation reshaped colonial Malaya, and of the tension-filled months that followed surrender. This book, now in its third edition, is fundamental to an understanding of social and political developments in Malaysia during the second half of the 20th century."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Red Star Over Malaya is an account of the inter-racial relations between Malays and Chinese during the final stages of the Japanese occupation. In 1947, none of the three major race of Malaya - Malays, Chinese, and Indians - regarded themselves as pan-ethnic "Malayans" with common duties and problems. With the occupation forcibly cut them off from China, Chinese residents began to look inwards towards Malaya and stake political claims, leading inevitably to a political contest with the Malays. As the country advanced towards nationhood and self-government, there was tension between traditional loyalties to the Malay rulers and the states, or to ancestral homelands elsewhere, and the need to cultivate an enduring loyalty to Malaya on the part of those who would make their home there in future. As Japanese forces withdrew from the countryside, the Chinese guerrillas of the communist-led resistance movement, the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), emerged from the jungle and took control of some 70 per cent of the country's smaller towns and villages, seriously alarming the Malay population. When the British Military Administration sought to regain control of these liberated areas, the ensuing conflict set the tone for future political conflicts and marked a crucial stage in the history of Malaya. Based on extensive archival research, Red Star Over Malaya provides a riveting account of the way the Japanese occupation reshaped colonial Malaya, and of the tension-filled months that followed Japan's surrender. This book is fundamental to an understanding of social and political developments in Malaysia during the second half of the 20th century.

Japan attacked British-ruled Malaya on 8 December 1941 as part of a wave of military actions that toppled the British, Dutch and American colonial regimes in Southeast Asia. Within seventy days, the conquest of Malaya was complete, and British forces in Singapore surrendered on 15 February 1942. The three and a half years of Japanese rule are generally considered to mark a profound transition in the history of the Malay peninsula, but little is known about this period. This book uses the limited administrative papers that survived in Malaya, oral sources, and accounts written by Japanese officers involved in the Malayan campaign to flesh out the story.

Japanese forces invaded Malaya on 8 December 1941 and British forces surrendered in Singapore 70 days later. Japan would rule the territory for the next 3½ years. Early efforts to maintain pre-war standards of comfort gave way to a grim struggle for survival as the vibrant economy ground to a halt and residents struggled to deal with unemployment, shortages of consumer goods, sharp price rises, a thriving black market and widespread corruption. People were hungry, dressed in rags, and falling victim to treatable diseases for which medicines were unavailable, and there was little reason to hope for better in the future. Using surviving administrative papers, oral materials, intelligence reports and post-war accounts by Japanese officers, this book presents a picture of life in occupied Malaya and Singapore. It shows the impact of war and occupation on a non-belligerent population, and creates a new understanding of the changes and the continuities that underlay the post-war economy and society. The book was first published in 1998 and is now re-issued in new edition that incorporates information from newly translated Japanese documents and other recent discoveries.

Singapore fell to Japan on 15 February 1942. Within days, the Japanese had massacred thousands of Chinese civilians, and taken prisoner more than 100,000 British, Australian and Indian soldiers. A resistance movement formed in Malaya's jungle-covered mountains, but the vast majority could do little other than resign themselves to life under Japanese rule. The Occupation would last three and a half years, until the return of the British in September 1945. How is this period remembered? And how have individuals, communities, and states shaped and reshaped memories in the postwar era? The book response to these questions, presenting answers that use the words of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, British and Australians who personally experienced the war years. The authors guide readers through many forms of memory: from the soaring pillars of Singapore's Civilian War Memorial, to traditional Chinese cemeteries in Malaysia; and from families left bereft by Japanese massacres, to the young women who flocked to the Japanese-sponsored Indian National Army, dreaming of a march on Delhi. This volume provides a forum for previously marginalized and self-censored voices, using the stories they relate to reflect on the nature of conflict and memory. They also offer a deeper understanding of the searing transit from wartime occupation to post-war decolonization and the moulding of postcolonial states and identities.

I really applaud your efforts. It's really difficult to do a book like that.- WAZIRThanks again for your immense work, my family and I are indeed extremely grateful.- AZLANYour effort in writing about the early Muslim doctors is very commendable and would be good for present and future generations to read about.- TAHIRYou are doing valuable work by filling in the gaps in our history. Iwish more of our retirees would impart their memories to repositoriesof knowledge such as the USM.- TAWFIK

War brought them together, a secret love tore them apart… The Iyers’ and the Tans’ tranquil lives are shattered with the Japanese invasion of Malaya, and an unthinkable betrayal forces both families into a treacherous game of resistance and survival. Juxtaposed against this wartime saga of two Malayan families is a modern-day forbidden love story between their descendants. As the third generation navigates work, love and relationships, their secret affair challenges traditional Brahmin beliefs and threatens to destroy an age old friendship. Can past betrayals be forgiven and will the new generation find the strength to move beyond their families’ long-buried pain? ------------------------------ Viji Krishnamoorthy’s sweeping debut novel deftly weaves together vibrant fiction and meticulous research on the heroic exploits of Malayan wartime heroes – Sybil Kathigasu, Gurchan Singh and many others – who fearlessly fought for their beloved country. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Viji Krishnamoorthy was born in Ipoh, Perak to a Tamil father and Hokkien Chinese mother. She spent her early school years in Kuala Lumpur and then in Madras (as it was then known). She completed her tertiary education in the UK. She previously worked as a freelance writer for several magazines and this is her debut novel. The author is happily married with two children and lives in Kuala Lumpur; but enjoys spending time in London.