New Village
Encyclopedia
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
rule over Malaysia in the mid-1950s.
History
The original purpose of the New Villages in Malaysia was to segregate the villagers from the early Malayan Races Liberation ArmyMalayan Races Liberation Army
The Malayan Races Liberation Army was the name given by British security forces to a combatant in the Malayan Emergency, an insurrection and guerrilla war against the British and Malayan administration from 1948-1960 in what is now Malaysia....
insurgents, which were led by the Malayan Communist Party
Malayan Communist Party
The Malayan Communist Party , officially known as the Communist Party of Malaya , was founded in 1930 and laid down its arms in 1989. It is most famous for its role in the Malayan Emergency.-Formation:...
, during the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
. It was part of the Briggs Plan
Briggs Plan
Briggs' Plan was a military plan devised by British General Sir Harold Briggs shortly after his appointment in 1950 as Director of Operations in the anti-communist war in Malaya. The plan aimed to defeat the Malayan communists, who were operating out of rural areas as a guerrilla army, primarily by...
, a military plan devised by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
General Sir Harold Briggs
Harold Rawdon Briggs
Lieutenant-General Sir Rawdon Briggs KCIE KBE CB DSO and two bars was an officer in the British Indian Army during World War I, World War II and the post-war era.Field Marshal Viscount William Slim said of him-Early life:...
shortly after his appointment in 1950 as Director of Operations in the anti-communist war in Malaya
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
.
The plan aimed to defeat the communists, who were operating out of rural areas as a guerrilla army, primarily by cutting them off from their sources of support amongst the population. To this end, a massive program of forced resettlement of Malayan peasantry was undertaken, under which about 500,000 people (roughly ten percent of Malaya's
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
population) were eventually removed from the land and housed in guarded camps called "New Villages".
By isolating this population in the "new villages", the British were able to stem the critical flow of material, information, and recruits from peasant to guerilla. The new settlements were given around the clock police supervision and were partially fortified. This served the twofold purpose of preventing those who were so inclined from getting out and voluntarily aiding the guerrilla, and of preventing the guerrilla from getting in and extracting help via persuasion or intimidation. The British also tried to win the hearts of the new settlers by providing them with education, health services and homes with water and electricity.
The settlements were very effective in accomplishing their stated goal, preventing insurgents from gaining popular support in a way that could have turned the tide against communist insurgents in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
or China
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
. Upon completion of the resettlement program, the British initiated the Hunger Drive in effort to flush out the Communists from the jungle.
Removing a population that might be sympathetic to guerrillas was a counter insurgency
Counter insurgency
A counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
technique which the British had used before, notably against the Boer Commandos in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
(1899-1902).
Population
During the Malayan EmergencyMalayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
, 450 new settlements were created and it is estimated that 470,509 people - 400,000 Chinese - were involved in the resettlement program. The Malaysian Chinese Association
Malaysian Chinese Association
Malaysian Chinese Association is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that represents the Malaysian Chinese ethnicity; it is one of the three major component parties of the ruling coalition in Malaysia called the Barisan Nasional in Malay, or National Front in English.Along with the largest...
, then the Malayan Chinese Association, played a crucial role in implementing the program.
It is estimated that today, about 1.2 million people live in 450 New Villages throughout Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra...
. About 85% of the population in New Villages are ethnically Chinese. The ethnic Malays take up about 10% and ethnic Indians roughly 5%.
Famous Sites
- JinjangJinjangJinjang is a town in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.The town was established as part of the British strategy called the Briggs' Plan during the Malayan Emergency. The strategy aimed to forcibly relocate Malayan people, particularly ethnic Chinese, to isolate them from the communists' influence...
- Kampung TengahKampung TengahKampung Tengah is the name of a small town and village in the district of Segamat, Johor, Malaysia. Kampung Tengah is divided into two main settlements - the Malay village side and the Chinese New Village - where both settlements are separated by Sungai Kapeh....
- Loke YewLoke YewLoke Yew , CMG, LL.D. was a famous businessman and philanthropist during the British Malaya era. He was regarded as the richest man in Malaysia during his time and played a significant role in the growth of Kuala Lumpur and was also one of the founding fathers of Victoria Institution, Kuala...
- Seri KembanganSeri KembanganSeri Kembangan, formerly known as Serdang New Village, is a town located in Selangor, Malaysia. The town is now a considerable city in size - can be seen on the North-South Expressway Southern Route.-History:...
- GombakGombakGombak is a district located in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The district was created on February 1, 1974, the same day when Kuala Lumpur was declared a Federal Territory. Until 1997, Rawang was the district capital; the capital has been moved to Bandar Baru Selayang. Gombak borders Kuala...
- LabisLabisLabis is the second largest town in the district of Segamat, Johor, Malaysia, with a population of about 20,000 people. It has a large Chinese community. Labis is an agricultural town whose main export is rubber...
- Sungai KarasSungai KarasSungai Karas is a small Chinese New Village 华人新村 in Segamat, Johor, Malaysia, 3 km south of Labis. The old village area has about 100 houses, while two new housing areas have about 70 houses. There is one Chinese Primary School, SJK Karas. Most villagers are rubber tappers at their six ekar...
- Sungai Way
- Kuala Rui
- Air Kala
- Selat Pagar
- Padang Guru
- Batu Dua
- Pokok Asam