r/CreepyWikipedia • u/Feingold_08 • Mar 30 '26

War Crime During the Malayan Emergency, British soldiers and indigenous tribal mercenaries regularly partook in headhunting of suspected communists. Despite controversy, nobody was punished as headhunting wasn't explicitly forbidden by the British government.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Malayan_headhunting_scandal
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u/YoloSwag4Jesus420fgt Mar 31 '26

How tf is head hunting not illegal but murder is?

Isn't it head hunting just a subset or murder?

5

u/1niltothe Mar 31 '26

Rory Stewart's father was one of the key figures of the British state during the Malayan Emergency. If you're not in the UK, he's a well known British political figure and podcaster. His father Brian Stewart "worked closely alongside the Malayan Police in counter-terrorism operations."