10 Facts About Lee Meng

Lee Meng, romanised as Lee Min, was a Malaysian Chinese communist guerrilla and a leading member of the Communist Party of Malaya.

Lee Meng took part in guerrilla resistance against the Japanese occupation of Malaya as a member of the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army and later joined the Malayan National Liberation Army during the Malayan Emergency to fight against British rule in Malaya.

Lee Meng was described as one of the most capable members of the local communist movement, and was the leader of the "Kepayang Gang" in Perak.

Lee Meng worked first as a school teacher in a Chinese school located in Anson Bay in Perak during the British Military Administration shortly after the Japanese surrender on 12 September 1945.

Lee Meng had joined the Communist Party of Malaya at the age of 16 when she was recruited by a school teacher in 1942.

Lee Meng's father was unemployed and lived with her uncle and aunt while her mother was later banished back to Mainland China by the British colonial authorities in 1950 after being arrested for involvement in communist activities.

Lee Meng operated Central Committee communication posts which co-ordinated top secret communist communication networks with links to other states such as Pahang, Selangor, Penang and as far to Singapore.

Lee Meng was described by the communist party's leader Chin Peng as a dedicated, active and brave woman, though reckless in her operational style.

Lee Meng was captured by the British Malayan police force in Ipoh in July 1952, tried for having a hand grenade in her possession and sentenced to death for her responsibility in issuing orders for several murders.

Lee Meng died in Guangzhou, China, on 2 June 2012 at the age of 86.