Kampung Chulaborn 12, or Ban Chulaborn Patana 12, in Thailand is no ordinary village. It is located deep in a jungle with the nearest town Shukirin about an hour's drive.
The distance to this village from the border town of Golok is some 70 kilometres but the rugged terrain and poor road conditions mean a travel time of almost two hours.
The residents of this village are also a group of 'special visitors of the Thai government' for they are all members of the 10th Regiment of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).
This village used to be their base camp and after the 1989 peace agreement between the CPM, the Thai government and the Malaysian government, these former members of the party were permitted to remain living there.
When it started, the village had about 260 people, most of whom were CPM members and their families, who had agreed to lay down their weapons. They were led by their revered leader Abdullah CD and his wife, Suriani Abdullah.
Today their number stands at about 460 – including extended families and outsiders, and they are still under the watchful eye of their 'protectors', Abdullah and his wife.
“This is beautiful, peaceful village. We have what we want here. The crime rate is almost non-existent. We are a close community,” said 52-year-old village head and ex-communist Dome Za, a Malay-speaking Thai.
“Although I'm the village head, we still seek advice from Abdullah and Suriani on the running of the village,” he added.
About 20 veteran communist leaders, all peers of Abdullah, are still living in this village. Almost all of them were from Malaya originally.
They had joined the 10th Regiment in May 1949 and then moved to the Thai-Malaya border in 1953, to remain in the jungles until the peace deal was signed in 1989.
But why didn't these former guerrilla fighters return to their homeland?
'Guiding lights' of the regiment
Abdullah and Suriani, who had visited Malaysia a several times, including a visit to the Perak Sultan, were adamant in remaining in the village.
“We have our home here... our family is here, our friends are here,” Abdullah told Malaysiakini.
“Also I'm against the Internal Security Act as well as a host of other laws in Malaysia. I don't want them to catch me using any small excuse,” he said with his trademark laughter and slap on the thigh.
The influence of this couple is visible in the village but that is understandable as they were the guiding lights of the regiment during their war years in the jungle.
“We realise that it is time for the younger generation to take up the leadership role. We also realise that both Abdullah and Suriani are getting older and are not as healthy as they once were,” said Dome.
“We will surely miss them when they are no longer with us but I think we can manage somehow.”
For others, such as veteran guerrilla fighter Asi (left in photo), Abdullah and Suriani are like his parents.
“I joined the movement at the age of 11 and I have known them since I was 13,” said the 70-year-old Sungai Siput-born man of Indian parentage.
He is also the only remaining Indian communist left. (His story will be published tomorrow).
“I can't imagine my life out of this village,” said Asi, who is married to a Thai communist and has a daughter.
After the peace agreement, each communist member who wanted to return to Malaysia was given RM300 per month for three years by the Malaysian government.
Those who elected to stay put at the village got a Thai government financial assistance of 540 baht (about RM54) per month for three years, a house and six acres of land.
First batch of university graduates
“The Thai government has helped us a lot and continues to support us,” said the village head.
He added that the Thai princess Chulaborn Mahidol adopted the village in 1993 until 2004 and during that period, the village was supplied with electricity and water supply.
Today almost all houses have a television set with their distinctive long antennas to get better access. One or two houses even have Internet access using a satellite receiver.
There is a government clinic for the villagers with a hospital attendant on stand-by on all working days.
A museum to highlight the historical moments of 10th Regiment is a must-see at this village but it is in need of financial aid to continue running.
They also have a primary school attended by children from the village and other neighbouring villages. This year's intake stands at 88 pupils.
“We also have six of our young ones studying in universities in Thailand. They are our first batch of university students. We also have about 100 of our children studying in secondary schools outside of this village, either in Narathiwat or elsewhere in southern Thailand,” said Dome, whose son is one of the pioneer batch of undergraduates from the communist village.
'We don't want to return home'
Most of the villagers tend their plot of land with rubber or fruit trees but complain of a low return due to over-supply of fruits and low yield of rubber due to the climate.
“But I guess we will still call this place home. Back in Malaysia, we have nothing... only bad name perpetuated by the government's lies against our contributions although we had fought so hard for the sake of Malaya in the first place,” said veteran guerrilla fighter Shukor Ismail, 80.
“Even though I have no blood relations here... these are all my comrades, my friends and I want to be with them until the end. Not with some strangers, though relatives, in Malaysia,” he added, with a touch of irony.
“Malaya is still my country. I still have feelings for it. I love Malaysia, or I would not have struggled and sacrificed my life for it. However it just makes better sense to live in Thailand now.
“Not just because they have taken better care of us but also because of the fear of how we will be looked at if we return home,” added Shukor.
“For that reason, we don't want to return to Malaysia, our beloved homeland,” he said with a tinge of sadness and regret in his voice.
And this sums up the sentiment of almost all communist veterans in this village although some of them are in regular contact with their families in Malaysia.
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