HIS team ambushed and arrested a gang of bathing communists in the jungle, and he was in the thick of the Maria Hertogh riots, and had just survived a bullet near his spine. The 1950s and 1960s in Singapore and Malaya were crazy, chaotic days, says Mr B Chua, an inspector in the Singapore Police Force then. He shares his experiences. CAUGHT WITH THEIR PANTS DOWN ONE of the most treasured photographs in Mr B Chua’s photo album is that of a communist terrorist -- in the buff. That was when he and his team ambushed a gang of bathing communists -- catching them unawares. Mr Chua, then in his early 20s, had been serving as a lieutenant in the Malayan army for three years. His job was to flush out communist terrorists who were rampant in the semi-jungles of Malaya. Those who were caught were arrested and interrogated. "We were all surprised to see them there. My platoon surrounded them. We inched our way slowly through the semi-jungle, careful not to step on the branches and twigs. It was very tense, but we knew we had them because their arms were not with them," Mr Chua recalls with a grin. Click to hear a typical jungle operation A naked communist terrorist surrounded by Mr B Chua's men Their surprise was so great, all of them were caught with their pants down. The communists were surrounded by Mr Chua and his men. They did not try to resist or run, as they knew it was useless. But tracking down communists in the jungles was not all fun and games. It was a time fraught with danger and challenges. Mr Chua never knew what to expect when he served in the jungle. "Especially at night. My heart beats faster. It was so dark and frightening." "We all received training before going out for the actual operations. We were taught to communicate only by hand signals, and use coded words when communicating. We cannot speak normally as the communists might eavesdrop and they would know we were coming. When under attack, each man had to know exactly what to do, those on the left will face the left and those on the right will face the right, and form a circle. All this was trained." said Mr Chua. Next chapter Copyright © 1998 Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.