Communist victory

• Police victory (Counter-attack)
• The communists retreated after the second attack

Belligerents

 United Kingdom
Federation of Malaya

• Malayan Police

Malayan Communist Party

• Malayan National Liberation Army

Commanders and leaders Sgt. Jamil Mohd Shah † (Bukit Kepong police chief)
Ali Mustapha (Chief of Bukit Kepong village) Mat Indera  Strength 25 Police officers 180 Insurgents  Casualties and losses 14 officers killed
5 auxiliary police killed
4 officers wounded
Total:
23 casualties 40 killed

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Prehistoric period Paleolithic  Lenggong Valley c. 2,000,0000 BCE  Mansuli Valley 235,000 BCE Mesolithic  Niah cultures 65,000–40,000 BCE Neolithic  Bewah man/woman 16,000 BCE  Perak man/woman 11,000–200 BCE  Neolithic Klang 500 – 200 BCE
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World War II Japanese occupation of Malaya / Borneo 1941–1945 Malayan campaign 1941–1942 Bornean Campaign 1941–1942 Battle of Muar 1942 Parit Sulong Massacre 1942 Battle of Singapore 1942 Sook Ching 1942 Syburi 1942 Sandakan Death Marches 1942–1945 Si Rat Malai 1943–1945 Jesselton revolt 1943–1944
Formative period BMA of Malaya/Borneo 1945–1946 Crown Colony of N. Borneo/Sarawak 1946–1963 Anti-cession movement 1946–1963 Malayan Union 1946–1948 Federation of Malaya 1948–1963 Malayan Emergency 1948–1960 Baling Talks 1955
Independence period Malayan Independence 1957 Singapore self-governance 1959 ISA 1960 1960–2012 Sarawak Insurgency 1962–1990 North Borneo self-governance 1963 Konfrontasi 1963–1966 Sarawak self-governance 1963 Formation of Malaysia 1963 Singapore in Malaysia 1963–1965 ASEAN Declaration 1967 Second communist insurgency 1968–1989
Modern period 13 May incident 1969 National Operations Council 1969–1971 Declaration of Rukun Negara 1970 New Economic Policy 1971–1990 Federal Territory of KL 1974 1977 Kelantan Emergency 1977 Pedra Branca dispute 1979–2008 South China Sea dispute (Spratly) 1980–present Dawn Raid 1981 Federal Territory of Labuan 1984 Memali incident 1985 Operation Lalang 1987 Constitutional crisis 1987–1988 Peace Agreement of Hat Yai 1989 Royal Immunity Amendments 1993 Asian financial crisis 1997–1998 Reformasi Movement 1998–2022 2008 Malaysian Opposition Wave 2008 H1N1 flu pandemic 2009–2010 Sedition Dragnet 2014 1MDB scandal 2015–present Pakatan Harapan takeover 2018 COVID-19 pandemic 2020–2022 Political crisis 2020–2022 Bornean Amendment 2021–2023 Green Wave 2022–present
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Bukit Kepong incident was an armed encounter in 1950 during the Malayan Emergency between the Federation of Malaya Police and the guerrillas of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA), the armed wing of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP). This conflict took place in an area surrounding the Bukit Kepong police station in Bukit Kepong. The wooden station was located on the river banks of the Muar River, about 59 km from Muar town, Johor.

The incident started just before dawn with the Communist gunmen launching a guerrilla assault on the police station leading to the deaths of almost all of the police officers stationed there. When they began the siege, the attackers strongly believed that they would be able to defeat the policemen and gain control of the police station within a short span of time. This was due to several factors in their favour: their arms and numerical superiority and the relative isolation of the station. The battle began at about 4:15 am.

According to eyewitness accounts, there were about 180 Communists attacking, led by Muhammad Indera, a Malay Communist. Despite the odds, the policemen led by Sgt. Jamil Mohd Shah, refused to surrender, although numerous calls by the communists for them to lay down arms were made. Several officers were killed as the shooting continued and two wives of the defending officers took up arms when they discovered that their husbands fell in battle.

In the final hours of the fierce battle, the Communists set fire to the officers' barracks and station. Two women and their children were burnt to death in the married quarters. At that point only three policemen plus a village guard were still alive. They rushed out from the burning station, unable to withstand the heat. They then assaulted the Communists position, killing at least three of them.

Only about five hours after the first shot was fired did the communists manage to break their defences and set the place ablaze. They then retreated into the jungle.

Fourteen policemen, two civilians, five auxiliary policemen, the wife of Abu Bakar Daud (one of the surviving policemen), the wife of Abu Mohd Ali and two of their children were killed in the incident.

During the attack, reinforcement were sent from Kampung Tui as the battle reverberated throughout several of the nearby villages. A band of villagers led by the village chief Ali Mustafa from Kampung Tui was escorted by 13 Auxiliary policemen. They were ambushed by the Communists en route about half a kilometre away from the station. The villagers were outgunned by the Communists who were using automatic weapons as opposed to rifles and shotguns held by the villagers. Several village guards were wounded and two more auxiliary police officers killed. Although stopped halfway, their presence relieved some pressure of the Bukit Kepong defenders and forced a general Communist retreat.

Due to the lopsided situation, Ali Mustafa ordered his guards to retreat while the rest were asked to defend the perimeter around Bukit Kepong town. The Communists eventually retreated after setting fire to the village office and robbing a few stores.

At the same time, another village guard group came from Kampung Durian Chondong using a sampan heading towards Bukit Kepong to render aid. They arrived there at 10 a.m. and that was when the first news of the attack on Bukit Kepong police station was communicated.

When the village guards entered the village, they were able to observe the aftermath of the attack. The village chief took command of the outpost until relieved by a police team from Muar. The battle at Bukit Kepong is considered to be tragic defeat although it strengthened the Government and people's resolve to fight the Communist insurgency. A small force defending against overwhelming odds gave the war against Communist insurgency a massive boost in terms of morale. Some drew comparisons between the Bukit Kepong incident and the Alamo, where the Bukit Kepong policemen, similar to the Texans, came under overwhelming odds and fought to the last man.

1. Sergeant 3493 Jamil Bin Mohd Shah (Bukit Kepong police chief)
2. Corporal 7068 Mohd Yassin Bin Haji Wahab
3. Lance Corporal 7168 Jidin Bin Omar
4. Police Constable (PC) 3933 Hamzah Bin Ahmad
5. PC 5674 Abu Bin Mohd Ali
6. PC 7493 Muhammad Bin Jaafar
7. PC 7862 Abu Kadir Bin Jusoh
8. PC 8600 Jaafar Bin Hassan
9. PC 9136 Hassan Bin Osman
10. Extra Police Constable (EPC) 3475 Mohd Tap Bin Lazim
11. EPC 3795 Jaafar Bin Arshad
12. Marine Constable (MPC) 60 Ibrahim Bin Adam
13. MPC 68 Awang Bin Ali
14. MPC 181 Basiron Bin Adam
15. MPC 37 Abu Bakar Bin Daud

1. AP 1925 Ali Akop Bin Othman
2. AP 2127 Othman Bin Yahya
3. AP 2130 Samad Bin Yatim

1. AP 1912 Mahmood Bin Saat
2. AP 2098 Redzuan Bin Alias

1. Embong Lazim
2. Koh Ah Cheng

1. Fatimah Binte Yaaba – wife of Marine Constable Abu Bakar Daud
2. Hassan Bin Abu Bakar – son of Marine Constable Abu Bakar Daud
3. Saadiah – wife of Constable Abu Mohd Ali
4. Simah Binte Abu – daughter of Constable Abu Mohd Ali
5. Arafah Binte Yusoff - wife of Marine Constable Ibrahim bin Adam

40 guerilla fighters (names unknown)

1. PC 7645 Haji Yusoff Bin Rono (retired within rank of Sergeant, died on 14 April 2005)
2. PC 10533 Othman Bin Yusoff
3. EPC 3472 Ahmad Bin Khalid

Note: All officers are deceased

1. Mariam Binte Ibrahim – widow of Constable Muhamad Jaafar
2. Zainun Binte Muhamad – daughter of Constable Muhamad Jaafar
3. Abu Samah Bin Muhammad – son of Constable Muhamad Jaafar
4. Zaleha Binte Muhamad – daughter of Constable Muhamad Jaafar
5. Jamilah Binte Abu Bakar – daughter of Marine Constable Abu Bakar Daud
6. Hussain Bin abu Bakar – son of Marine Constable Abu Bakar Daud
7. Fatimah Binte Abdul Manan @ Timah Lawa – widow of Constable Hassan Osman
8. Pon Binte Khalid – widow of Marine Constable Awang Ali
9. Fatimah Binte Tuani – widow of Constable Hamzah Ahmad
10. Edmund Ross Williams Hunt – Orang Asli mountain guide at Bukit Kepong

Bukit Kepong was a 1981 action film chronicling the events of the conflict; produced and directed by Jins Shamsuddin, who also portrays Sergeant Jamil Mohd Shah.

Bukit Kepong novel which was written by Ismail Johari and published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) in 1990. It was adopted as the Form 4 secondary school and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) educational teaching material.

On 21 August 2011, Mohamad Sabu, then Deputy President of Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), now President of Parti Amanah Negara (AMANAH), made a controversial statement saying that Mat Indera, the leader of the communists during the Bukit Kepong Incident, was a national hero for fighting against British rule.

• Adapted from novel Bukit Kepong by Ismail Johari

• Pictures of Bukit Kepong by M Jeffri Razali

2°20′47.9″N 102°49′49.5″E / 2.346639°N 102.830417°E / 2.346639; 102.830417