Public Order Manual (POMAN) 1971 —officially designated as AF Code T 1025 / Police 15 —is a sensitive joint publication issued by the Royal Malaysian Police Headquarters Ministry of Defense
: Establishes the hierarchy for joint operations between RMP and the Malaysian Armed Forces.
Outlining a hierarchy of intervention, from initial communication and negotiation with organizers to the eventual use of force if a breach of the peace occurred.
After the 1969 violence, the Malaysian government sought a standardized, "iron-clad" method to prevent a repeat of such chaos. POMAN 1971 was born out of this necessity. It wasn't just a guidebook; it was a psychological and tactical blueprint for: Crowd Control:
The manual outlines the specific legal and operational thresholds for police intervention during assemblies: Specialized Units : It defines the roles of the Public Order Riot Unit (PORU)
POMAN 1971 serves as the textbook for Civil Disturbance Management units (often referred to as CDM or SWAT units in various contexts). It details:
The manual outlines a range of tactics and strategies for managing public order, including:
To the higher-ups, it was a tactical breakthrough—a standardized guide for "crowd management" and "civil disturbances." To Elias, it felt like a textbook for a world that was becoming increasingly unrecognizable.
