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Extracts on 9406/26
purposes or to carry on the productive effort of the country; all such persons should remain at their posts.
All non-domiciled persons who were elderly or unfit or whose loyalty was in doubt should be evacuated when a major war, which was likely to spread to South East Asia, started in another theatre. Elderly women or women having dependent children should be ordered to leave the country when the threat of war spreads to South East Asia. Women in this category should not, in time of peace, be permitted to occupy any key positions in the Civil Defence Services. Other non-domiciled women should remain and carry out their duties. Evacuation should not begin until South East Asia became affected.
All Government officials would be holding either key posts in the Administration or be in the Local Defence Forces. Those holding key civil posts should be ordered to remain at their posts. Those serving with the defence forces should remain with those forces while they were in being; in the event of disbandment they should be encouraged to escape. Legal powers would be required to compel the evacuation of non-domiciled persons. In Sarawak the possibility of illicit re-entry is thought to be remote.
C. SCORCHED EARTH POLICY. The disadvantages of a wholesale scorched earth policy, in the opinion of the Committee, outweigh the advantages and policy should the re- fore be on the following lines :-
(a) Denying to the enemy existing stocks of strategic war material, e.g. rubber and oil, and the equipment for winning it.
(b) Stocks of foodstuffs should not be des- troyed but should be distributed to the people.
(c) A scorched earth policy should not be applied to ordinary installations required for the life of the people of the country, e.g. water and electric supplies.
The responsibility for the operation of each scheme should be precisely defined. It will be useful to have pre- arranged code words by the transmission of what the schemes may be put into operation as required.
It will be necessary to make it clear in advance that full legal liability is admitted by the Government and that this liability will not be limited by the availability of local funds.
D. ANTI-BRITISH ACTIVITIES. In peacetime the Special Branch of the Police will be responsible for countering all subversive elements. This arrangement should be continued in time of war, the Special Branch being strengthened as required.
E. COMMAND. In the event of South East Asia being
(a) A minor theatre of war
www There should be
a Supreme Commander with full operational con- trol over the three fighting forces; there should also be a war Council or a Defence Co- ordination Committee, under the chairmanship of the Commissioner General, which should include the Supreme Commander, the Heads of the three fighting forces and all Civil Governors. The powers of the Commissioner General to issue directions to all Civil Governors on all questions of defence should be strengthened and clearly defined.
(b) A major theatre of war :- The post of Commissioner General should be merged with that of Supreme Commander, who should be a high ranking Service chief, with powers of direction over Civil Governors as well as over the heads of the fighting forces.
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