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| Agreement Between the Government of Malaysia and the Malayan Communist Party to Terminate Hostilities | |
|---|---|
 Chin Peng, Abdullah CD and Rashid Maidin during the peace agreement signed in 1989 in Hat Yai. | |
| Signed | 2 December 1989 |
| Location | Hat Yai,Songkhla,Thailand |
| Signatories |
|
| Parties |  Malaysia Thailand Malayan Communist Party |
TheHat Yai Peace Agreement marked the end of theCommunist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–1989). It was signed and ratified by theMalayan Communist Party (MCP), and theMalaysian andThailand governments at the Lee Gardens Hotel inHat Yai,Thailand, on 2 December 1989.[1][2]
Losses in Peninsular Malaysia weakened the party's position and forced it to negotiate peace. The MCP realized that they no longer had a place to seek sanctuary, not even inPeninsular Malaysia. The deal was brokered by Thai authorities in collaboration with the Malaysian government.
However, during the negotiation, the MCP refused the usage of the words "surrender" and "capitulation", either by the press or the Malaysian and Thai governments.[3] This was eventually reflected in Item 1.2 of the administrative arrangement signed separately on the same day after the peace agreement.[4][5] Nevertheless, the Malaysian representatives see the peace agreement as an admission by the MCP that Malaysia has won against the communist insurgency.[6]
The peace agreement required the MCP to disband its armed units, cease militant activity, destroy its weapons and pledge loyalty toHis Majesty the Yang di Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.[4][7][8]
After 40 years, 5 months and 26 days (since the start of theMalayan Emergency, from 16 June 1948 to 2 December 1989), the MCP insurgency officially came to an end.[8]
The following delegates were present at the signing of the agreement in 1989:[9][7]
After the signing of the 1989 peace agreement, the Malayan Communist Party was dissolved. Former members of the MCP were resettled in four villages known asKampung Aman (Peace Village). A total of 330 former MCP members were allowed to return to Malaysia.
Those MCP members who settled in South Thailand became farmers, livestock breeders, and traders. They were able to adapt to the new environment and assimilate into the local community.
Members of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM-ML), a splinter group of the MCP, were resettled in a Friendship Village inSouth Thailand known as Chulaborn Village. CPM-ML members who wanted to return to Peninsular Malaysia were required to comply with several conditions set by the government of Malaysia before being able to settle in the state of their choice.
