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"Criminals Malaysia Malaya History 20th century."
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The Mystery of “A Yellow Sleuth
In 1931 a book appeared in London with the titleA Yellow Sleuth: Being the Autobiography of \"Nor Nalla\" (Detective-Sergeant Federated Malay States Police). It was met with puzzled enthusiasm,The
Straits Timescommenting that the book \"presents an interesting problem of distinguishing fact from fiction\". The author claimed to be of mixed Malay and Sakai descent, fluent in many of the languages spoken in Southeast Asia, and able to pass as Malay, Sakai, Chinese, Javanese or Burmese. He began by stating that \"this story will honestly recount the part I have played in the detection of crime\", but added that he had changed personal and place names, and used a pseudonym because it would \"be foolish of me to advertise my identity\". He concluded, engagingly enough, \"So there you have it! A true history! And, for a start you learn that it is largely untrue.\"
The name Nor Nalla is an anagram, and the author has been identified as Ronald (Ron) Allan, who worked on a rubber plantation in Malaya shortly before World War I. But many questions about his authorship remain.
Nor Nalla is an \"impossible fantasy of hybridity\" in the words of Philip Holden's introduction. Like Kipling's famous colonial spy, Kim, the yellow sleuth is a master of the undercover operation, from the forests of Malaya, to the ports of Java, in London's Chinatown and with Chinese labourers in WWI Flanders. Contemporary readers will enjoy the book's stories of detection and adventure, but they can also savour the way the author and his narrator navigate and reveal the contradictions of late colonial society.
eBook
Harbouring the illicit: borderlands and human trafficking in South East Asia
The unique environment of borderlands in mainland and insular South East Asia has facilitated the growth of human trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation. Organised crime groups have seized upon opportunities offered in these geographic locales to develop this illicit industry. This article examines the dynamics of human trafficking in three diverse border areas in the region: the Cambodian-Thai border; Indonesia-Singapore-Malaysia border; and the Thai-Burmese border. An examination of the unique social and power dynamics of the borderlands and a comparative history of these areas will illustrate how organised crime groups have flourished and engaged in human trafficking to support local border sex industries. This trade preys upon the vulnerable and impoverished living on the fringes of border communities. Weak State institutions, entrenched patronage networks, and distance from central control have made these borderlands ideal for criminals to establish themselves and their illicit activities. These same conditions have made it easy for regional tourists to engage in illicit sex in neighbouring countries with little chance of recrimination.
Journal Article