Name Voon Hong | ||
Von Ken Hong is a retired Malaysian police officer who was involved in Operation Talung, part of the Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–89) in Malaysia.
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Early life and career
Voon Ken Hong was born on 24 April 1957 and joined the police force after completing his secondary education on 12 May 1979. He began training as probationary inspector at Pusat Latihan Polis Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur and was confirmed as Inspector on 1 August 1986.
Operation Talung and its aftermath
Voon Ken Hong was serving as an Inspector at the Bukit Aman Special Branch when he was assigned the roles of leader and strategist of "Operation Talung". It commenced on March 12, 1988 at Jalan Tunku Rahman, Kuala Lumpur. The mission was to capture the infamous Communist leader of the 6th assault unit, Chong Chor, and his bodyguard, Yong Nam. On the day of the operation, the team engaged in a stealthy two hour pursuit of Chong Chor’s car before it was raided. The swift actions of the police quashed any chances of armed resistance. Voon Ken Hong, the strategist and leader of the operation, revealed that all his staff were ready to sacrifice their lives for the cause.
Among the Communist assault units scattered all over West Malaysia, the most notorious were the 5th assault unit based in Perak and the 6th assault unit in Selangor. With the capture of its leader, the 6th assault unit disbanded, dealing a blow to the morale of the other units. In the following year, the rest of the communist members laid down their weapons which led to the end of the Communist insurgency in Malaysia.
Retirement and recognition
With the success of the operation, Voon Ken Hong was conferred the bravery award "Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB)" on June 5, 1989 by His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong,. At the age of 40, Voon Ken Hong retired from service with the rank of Chief Inspector in 1997. Voon Ken Hong was invited by the Malaysian Institute of Integrity at Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur to share his past experience – "Majlis Pengkisahan Sejarah Polis Diraja Malaysia Bintang Kehormatan Panglima Gagah Berani" organized by "Institut Integriti Malaysia, Polis Diraja Malaysia dan Arkib Negara Malaysia" on 7 January 2008.