Batang Kali massacre
The Batang Kali massacre was the killing of 24 unarmed male civilians in Batang Kali by the British Army's Scots Guards on 12 December 1948. The massacre took place in Batang Kali, Malaya (now Malaysia) during the Malayan Emergency, an anti-colonial war between the British Commonwealth and communist guerrillas belonging to the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA). British author Christopher Hale described the massacre as "Britain's My Lai" in his book titled Massacre in Malaya: Exposing Britain's My Lai.
| Batang Kali Massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Malayan Emergency | |
Hulu Selangor shown within Selangor state | |
| Location | Batang Kali, Selangor, Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Date | 12 December 1948 |
| Target | Defenceless Malay and Chinese men |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Deaths | 24 |
| Perpetrator | Scots Guards |
| Verdict | UK Courts ruled that although the Scots Guards had massacred civilians, none of the soldiers would be prosecuted |
The massacre was one of a number committed during the war that saw British extrajudicial killings of unarmed villagers, in violation of the Geneva Conventions, communist and trade union leaders, and the participation of British military forces in headhunting their civilian and MNLA victims.