13MAY 1969

The 13 May 1969 incident refers to the violence in Kuala Lumpur (then part of
the state of Selangor), Malaysia, in which many Malaysians lost their lives.
Officially the number of deaths was played down, but Western diplomatic
sources at the time put the toll at close to 600, with most of the victims
Chinese. The racial riots led to a declaration of a state of national emergency
or Darurat by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong resulting in the suspension of the
Parliament by the Malaysian government, while the National Operations
Council (NOC), also known as the Majlis Gerakan Negara, was established as
a caretaker government to temporarily govern the country between 1969 and
1971.

The event is significant in Malaysian politics as it led to the resignation of the

first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, and eventually resulted in a change
in government policy that would favour Malays by the implementation of the
New Economic Policy (NEP).