Earlier plans for former communist leader Chin Peng to launch his memoirs in Malaysia have been scrapped following objections from the Home Ministry.

The event organisers, local historical body Perak Academy, said the launch had to be cancelled because the government has had "second thoughts" about the publicity that such an event would generate.

"The original idea was to have Chin Peng visit for an official launch before the book went on sale. But this was always subject to government approval and (it appears) that they are against the launch," said a representative of the academy when contacted.

The representative, who declined to be named, said that although the book has been approved for sale after an initial hitch, the academy was unlikely to follow through with its proposal.

Had the plan been approved, it would be Chin Peng's first visit to Malaysia since the legendary communist leader left the country in 1960 for China and later southern Thailand.

Chin Peng, 79 - who became party leader at the age of 23 in 1947 - hailed from Sitiawan, a small town in Perak.

Home Ministry head of publications control unit Abdul Rahim Mohd Radzi would only say "No comment" when asked why Chin Peng was not allowed to return.

The long-awaited biography of the former Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) leader was first released in Malaysia on Aug 29. However, the ministry temporarily halted its distribution on the grounds that its contents might be "politically sensitive".

The book, 'Alias Chin Peng: My Side of History', was returned to bookshelves on Monday after officials decided there was no reason for it to be banned.

No known visits

Meanwhile, local distributor Horizon Books said the Chin Peng memoirs have been racking up rapid sales in bookstores since the publication was released by the ministry.

Its executive Philip Harold, about 1,000 copies have been distributed to various bookstores nationwide.

"The response has been tremendous and the books are selling very fast. We are bringing in another 2,000 copies," he said today.

Chin Peng, a nom de guerre of Ong Boon Hua, 79, was the 11th secretary-general of the once powerful CPM, which fought against British colonialism, the Japanese occupation and the newly independent governments of both Malaysia and Singapore for over half a century.

The party's armed struggle, which began in June 1948, ended with a peace agreement signed between CPM and the governments of Malaysia and Thailand in 1989.

During the communist insurgency, the government offered an award of up to $250,000 (Straits dollars) for Chin Peng - the country's most wanted man for 40 years - dead or alive. The former guerilla fighter now lives in Bangkok.

Under the peace agreement, Chin Peng is allowed to visit Malaysia only with prior approval from the Home Ministry. To date, he has not be able to obtain permission to return to his home country.