Two English-language books which recorded the oral history as told by Chin Peng, the legendary secretary-general of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), will be published in the Chinese language before the end of this year.

It is understood that the translation of Alias Chin Peng: My Side of History and Dialogues with Chin Peng: New Light on the Malayan Communist Party have almost been completed.

Alias Chin Peng was co-authored by two veteran Australian journalists now residing in Singapore, Ian Ward and Norma Miraflor, while Dialogues with Chin Peng is a verbatim record of a February 1999 academic seminar held in Canberra's Australian National University and the transcript was co-edited by historians CC Chin and Karl Hack.

In another development, according to an Oct 9 report in Singapore's Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao , the country's prestigious Institute of Southeast Asian Studies is also considering publishing another Chin Peng book.

Last week, Chin Peng made a low-key three-day visit to Singapore to speak at a closed-door two-and-a-half hour academic seminar held by the institute. It is understood that the seminar was also attended by a number of Singapore's academics and former politicians.

Chin Peng, who turned 80 this month, appeared to be "in good health" and spoke fluently in English at the seminar, answering a range of questions which included the role of CPM in Singaporean politics in the 1950s and 1960s as well as the Malayan 'Emergency'.

First visit in almost 50 years

This was Chin Peng's first visit to Singapore in almost half a century - he last visited the island state in 1948 just before the anti-communist 'Emergency' was declared by the British colonial authorities.

During the trip, Chin Peng took the opportunity to tour several historical landmarks, including the City Hall where he was awarded the 'Burma Star' and '1939/45 Star' by the Allies' supreme commander of the Southeast Asian command Louis Mountbatten 48 years ago for his exploits against the Japanese invaders during the Second World War.

He also visited the Civilian War Memorial and the memorial dedicated to Lim Bo Seng, an India-based British Force 136 special agent who infiltrated into Perak during the Japanese occupation and was protected by Chin Peng and his communist underground in the Kinta Valley in Perak.

Lim, however, was subsequently captured by the Japanese and believed to had been severely tortured. He died in Perak's Batu Gajah prison before the liberation of Malaya.

Chin Peng was also reportedly driven through Singapore's Queen Street where the headquarters of the Communist Party of Malaya was once located.

Chin Peng also met Elizabeth Choy, 94, who was detained and tortured by the Japanese military police for 193 days for allegedly supplying banned radio parts to the Allies' prisoners of war interned in Singapore in 1943.

Public enemy No 1

The legendary guerilla fighter, who was born in Sitiawan, Perak on Oct 21, 1924, became CPM leader in 1947 at the age of 23.

During the 44-month Japanese occupation of Peninsular Malaya and Singapore, he was the party's political representative and was appointed the resistance's secret liaison officer with the Allies' Ceylon-based Southeast Asia Command special operations unit - Force 136 - led by John Davis, a prewar British police chief in Kampar, Perak.

Awarded the Burma Star, 1939/45 Star and Order of the British Empire after the liberation of Malaya and Singapore for his contribution to the Allied war efforts, Chin Peng was stripped off his awards after the British declared an anti-communist 'Emergency' in June 1948, which lasted 12 years until 1960.

In the early years of the 'Emergency', which Chin Peng and his comrades call 'the anti-colonial war', the communist leader was also declared by the British administration as 'Public Enemy Number One'.

He went into exile to China in 1961 until his return to southern Thailand - where his party had set up its base - in 1989 to sign a peace accord involving the CPM and the governments of Malaysia and Thailand.

Although the accord stipulated his right to return to his homeland, this was nevertheless denied by Malaysian government.

Chin Peng is now believed to be living in southern Thailand with his former comrades, including communist leaders Rashid Maidin and Abdullah CD.