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GOD'S LITTLE ACRE
Appreciation to Dato' R. Thambipillay the person who is responsible to initiate remembrance ceremony at Batu Gajah in 1980 comprehensively and officially to remember the 116 victims of the Emergency who are buried in Batu Gajah since 1948.
Dato' R. Thambipillay was posted as OCPD Batu Gajah in 1979 and duty made him to stumble upon the Anglican cemetery when he saw desecrated tomb stones and a haven to drug addicts. He discovered that many victims of the Emergency were buried there. Most of the victims were of tender age. He too served with the Police Field Force for ten years and lost his own Sergeant in a booby trap incident while there were many other tragic stories. So, he felt the need to remember the sacrifice, no matter what race or religion they belonged to or whether they were foreigners or otherwise. It urged him to bring some dignity to their sacrifice. He resolved the drug addicts problem first and then planned this special remembrance ceremony. His painstaking efforts are well documented and recognized locally and in Commonwealth countries.
The first Remembrance Ceremony for 116 fallen Planters, Miners, Police and Commonwealth Army personnel (includes two Ibans) was a special event organized on 10th April 1980 by Dato' R. Thambipillay in conjunction with Police Week celebrations (in April each year) with the approval of the then CPO Perak Deputy Commissioner of Police Yuen Yuet Leng. He continued to organize this in 1981, 1982 and 1983 (total of 4 years) in his capacity as OCPD Batu Gajah.
Apart from the police and army personnel present were civilians like expatriate and local Planters, Miners and supporters. During these four years the Perak Planters Association (PPA), Malaysian Mining Co-operation (MMC), as well as retired Police, Military and civilians involved with the Emergency were invited. Slowly the interest was developed and with his transfer to Ipoh as deputy OCPD (CID Chief), he wanted to ensure the continuity of this remembrance and handed-over to the PPA (the late Dato’ Malcolm Mathieu) which showed interest to take over. He assured them that he will continue to give support and served in its organizing committee. He has served continuously for the last 24 years and has carried out that solemn responsibility with absolute fidelity to support this remem brance ceremony at Batu Gajah by serving in the God’s Little Acre Committee, first with the PPA and now with the MPOA Perak.
On 8 January 1997 Dato' R. Thambipillay wrote to Dato John Bishorek then Chairman of Perak Planters Association the significance of dedicating an appropriate Memorial Plaque for the fallen in Perak and buried at the Anglican cemetery in Batu Gajah. At a subsequent meeting with the PPA he revived this project and was requested to handle it. He personally planned and supervised this project, with one memorial Plaque engraved with 116 names and relevant particulars. This is permanently erected at the entrance to the Anglican Cemetery in Batu Gajah. The other marble inscribed marker is specially erected for the first three planters killed in a single day in Sungai Siput, and buried side by side. These murders precipitated the declaration of the Emergency on 16th June, 1948. Many may know who they are but this plaque shows that they too are buried in Batu Gajah. Both these memorial plaques were completed and officially opened on 13 June 1998 to mark the 50 th Anniversary of the declaration of the Malayan Emergency.
  
With his growing popularity due to his involvement with remembrance and related programmes he was invited to serve as Liaison Officer International National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association (NMBVA). This enabled him to further spread the word round of the need to remember others who too fell and not lucky to return to their home overseas. What a tragedy of War! Consequently, he organized two new remembrance ceremonies, one for the fallen gurkhas buried in Royal Ranger Regiment, Ipoh since 2004 and for those who fell in WW2 in the bitterest battle against the invading Japanese in January 1942 at Khalsa Dewan Malaysia Ipoh.
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