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They are pooling their resources to build a surau today, the Muslim place of worship.

The structure is nestled on a flat promontory, overlooking lush green hills, rubber trees and fruit orchards. Not an impressive structure really, but large enough to contain the 62 Muslim families in Yala's Chulaporn Village, about 60km from the southern Thai town of Haadyai.

"We are waiting to collect more funds to complete the building," said Salamah Abdullah, 72, the penghulu 's [village head's] wife.

According to Salamah, the surau has been funded by various well-wishers.

"They are mostly philanthropists and politicians. Malaysia's former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin has donated RM30,000 towards the fund. More recent ones who have come to donate money are big shots such as Perlis Menteri Besar Shahidan Kassim."

Salamah, an ethnic Chinese, hails from Kedah, and her husband, the penghulu , is none other than Rashid Maidin, one of the legendary leaders of the outlawed Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).

The couple live in a quaint double-storey cottage on top of the hill surrounded by coconut trees, orange lilies and pink hibiscus plants.

Rashid, 85, who was ex-commander of CPM's 10th Regiment, is now the imam (religious head) of Chulaporn, one of the 12 'friendship villages' provided by the Thai authorities as part of a 1989 peace treaty inked by three warring parties Malaysia, CPM and Thailand.

According to the treaty, CPM agreed to forsake their arms struggle against Malaysia's post-independence government and disbanded their armed units, the Malayan People's Army.

Religious lot

The village's surau and Rashid's daily rituals of baca doa (prayers) appear to be at odds with the communist ideology. After all, religion is the opium of the people, so said father of communism Karl Marx.

"No, contrary to perception, CPM has never prevented its members from practising their own faith," Rashid explained.

"We are a multiracial and religious lot. We only had one focus in mind and that was to give our lives to our motherland," he added.

Rashid and other village members had fought the Japanese occupiers in the 40s and later turned their guns on the returning British colonialists.

By the 50s, however, they were driven deep into the jungles and were mostly contained in bases near the Malaysian-Thai border.

Today, about 1,000 of them are adjusting to a new life in designated locations provided by the Thai government.

"We have never given up our quest for a just and equal society," said Salamah. "But times have changed and we have to be pragmatic".

Pragmatism, to communists like Salamah, who used to be CPM's messenger girl, means the former guerillas built their villages to cope with cash economy without compromising their collective and communal lifestyle.

Monthly allowance

The Bt540 (RM50) monthly allowance offered by the Thai authorities as a 'start-up' fund were pooled together to form a cooperative, which provides sundry goods to the families at minimal cost.

A tiny plot of land and Bt16,000 (RM1,600) were also given to each family to build a house. Later, the leftover money from the party became a kind of rolling fund or loan for those who wanted to expand their homes, especially those with additions to the family.

Fifteen rai (six acres) of agriculture land which were given to the former communists were planted with rubber trees, where able bodied members tap rubber each morning to make ends meet.

Others took part in fishery projects in a pond nearby the village's main source of protein. To supplement their diet, each household also rears chickens, ducks, goats and cows.

These former guerillas earn just enough to live comfortably and send their kids to school.

The more industrious ones trade bamboo and fruits with other villagers. As a result, many of the households in the village are able to afford electrical items such as a television, video recorder and washing machine. Motorcycles are a common mode of transportation.

Stress free

Ruding, 68, who has lived in the jungle for more than 30 years, said that he has grown accustomed to life in the Thai village.

"Nothing can be worse than staying in the jungle," he told malaysiakini in Bahasa Melayu which betrayed his Perak origins.

"Although life is simple here and we don't earn much. We are compensated by free medical supply provided by the Thai government, and our children do not have to pay school fees and life here is free of stress."

Ruding, hails from Taiping and left his Malaysian home to join the communist army at the age of 17. After settling down to 'normal' life in Chulaporn, he became a carpenter. His craft earned him not only cash but admiration. His art can be spotted in several homes.

Although Ruding has no plans to return to his motherland, he conceded missing his family back home.

"But it's too tedious to apply for a passport. [Ruding is now a Thai citizen]. We have to go as far as Haadyai or Bangkok and that is too expensive. I long to see them [his brothers and sisters] sometimes. They, too, have grown older like me and can die anytime," he lamented.

Self-sufficient

Across the hills, Malaysia beckons the land where milk and honey flow. And here, across the border, is a community whose members have sacrificed much of their youth to free the country from the shackles of colonial masters and capitalism.

But younger members such as Zakaria, 40, have little memory of the motherland. He joined the communist party when he was a mere teenager.

Karia, as he is popularly known, mans the cooperative and often make trips to nearby towns to purchase sundry goods for the kampung (village) comrades. At times, he becomes taxi driver for those who wished to go to town.

"What more can we ask for (in this village)? We are self-sufficient and our survival is a community effort," he said.

This is the first of a seven-part series on the 'Life and times of Chin Peng', exclusively for Malaysiakini subscribers.

Chin Peng's memoirs to be released this year

Chin Peng and other ex-communist leaders not coming home

'We did not praise Mahathir': ex-CPM leader Chin Peng