Death Waits in the Dark - (Contributions in Military Studies) by Roy Davis Linville Jumper (Hardcover)

About the Book

The Senoi Praaq is a Malaysian special forces unit originally created in 1956 by the British colonial authorities to fight communism during the Malayan Emergency. The term Senoi Praaq, which roughly translates as war people, stems from the Semai language and is the basis of a colorful legend in Malaysia. The unit is largely comprised of non-Malay tribal peoples known collectively as the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia. Jumper details Senoi Praaq inception as a private army and its subsequent development into an affiliate of the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) in this fast paced and often graphic account of irregular warfare as it applies to counterinsurgency.

The unit began as a creature of British Military Intelligence and fought in the deep jungle as Special Air Service (SAS) protégés, eventually replacing the latter upon Malaysian independence from Great Britain. They then served as mercenaries employed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency in Vietnam and later fought on Borneo during Malaysia's own undeclared war with Indonesia. Today the unit remains under arms and heads up a large paramilitary apparatus maintained in conjunction with conventional military forces. Malaysia's capacity to project force throughout South East Asia should not be underestimated, Jumper warns. The Senoi Praaq is a unique fighting force upon which Malaysia may rely to preserve her sovereignty.

Book Synopsis

The Senoi Praaq is a Malaysian special forces unit originally created in 1956 by the British colonial authorities to fight communism during the Malayan Emergency. The term Senoi Praaq, which roughly translates as war people, stems from the Semai language and is the basis of a colorful legend in Malaysia. The unit is largely comprised of non-Malay tribal peoples known collectively as the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia. Jumper details Senoi Praaq inception as a private army and its subsequent development into an affiliate of the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) in this fast paced and often graphic account of irregular warfare as it applies to counterinsurgency.

The unit began as a creature of British Military Intelligence and fought in the deep jungle as Special Air Service (SAS) protégés, eventually replacing the latter upon Malaysian independence from Great Britain. They then served as mercenaries employed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency in Vietnam and later fought on Borneo during Malaysia's own undeclared war with Indonesia. Today the unit remains under arms and heads up a large paramilitary apparatus maintained in conjunction with conventional military forces. Malaysia's capacity to project force throughout South East Asia should not be underestimated, Jumper warns. The Senoi Praaq is a unique fighting force upon which Malaysia may rely to preserve her sovereignty.

Review Quotes

"The study is finely detailed and well-documented....[t]he level of descriptive detail Jumper provides is all by itself a noteworthy contribution. Nowhere else could one learn as much about the subject."-Armed Forces & Society

?Jumper has produced a well-researched book on the creation of the Senoi Praaq and its development up to the present day.?-Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society

?The study is finely detailed and well-documented....[t]he level of descriptive detail Jumper provides is all by itself a noteworthy contribution. Nowhere else could one learn as much about the subject.?-Armed Forces & Society

"Jumper has produced a well-researched book on the creation of the Senoi Praaq and its development up to the present day."-Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society

About the Author

ROY DAVIS LINVILLE JUMPER is a political scientist who is trained in the fields of Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Public Policy. He is the author of two previous books: Orang Asli Now (1999) and Power and Politics (1997).