Two armoured vehicles that served with the Royal Malaysia Police during the Malayan Emergency (1948 to 1960) were handed over for display recently.
The vehicles, a GMC Armoured Personnel Carrier and a Lynx Armoured Scout Car, were presented to the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) by the Perak Police Chief, Commissioner Dato’ Sri Abdul Rahim bin Haji Hanafi during a ceremony held at the MPOA Malayan Emergency Monument and Gallery, Sungai Siput Estate on Tuesday, May 24.
The monument and gallery, incidentally, are at the very spot where two British planters were killed by communist terrorists. The incident prompted the colonial government to declare Emergency on June 16, 1948. The armoured vehicles were mainly used for ferrying police personnel, VIPs, payroll payments, and scouting. They were also used as ambulances when required.
The Lynx Scout Car, designed in 1941, was based on the Daimler Scout Car (Dingo). This light-armoured vehicle could accommodate two armed personnel. Its primary role was for reconnaissance mission over rough terrain. The GMC Armoured Personnel Carrier, on the other hand, could carry ten armed men. It was intended for quick deployment of police personnel to troubled spots. The carrier was developed by General Motors (Canada) based on the American M3 Scout Car design.
Present at the handing-over ceremony were Chairman of MPOA (Perak) R. Sivalingam, Director of the Royal Malaysia Police Museum Superintendent Selamat bin Sainayune, local historian Harchand Singh Bedi, Director of ipohWorld Commander Ian Anderson (Rtd) and British Defence Attache staff, Warrant Officer Neil Anderson.
The vehicles were originally owned by the Royal Malaysian Police Museum, Kuala Lumpur.
Nantini
