View source for 13 May incident

{{short description|1969 Sino-Malay sectarian violence in Kuala Lumpur}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox civil conflict
| title        = 13 May Incident<br />''{{nobold|Peristiwa 13 Mei}}''<br />{{nobold|ڤريستيوا 13 مي}}<br />{{nobold|五一三事件}}<br />{{nobold|13 மே சம்பவம்}}
| partof       =
| image        = Jalan Bukit Bintang - KL under curfew after the 13 May riot (cropped).jpg
| caption      = A deserted [[Jalan Bukit Bintang]] while the capital was under curfew due to the incident
| date         = {{start date and age|1969|05|13|df=y}}
| place        = [[Kuala Lumpur]], Malaysia
| causes       = Results of the [[1969 Malaysian general election]], when the ruling [[Alliance Party (Malaysia)|Alliance Party]] lost seats to the [[Malaysian Chinese|Chinese]]-majority [[Democratic Action Party (Malaysia)|Democratic Action Party]] and [[Parti Gerakan]].
| goals        =
| methods      = Widespread [[rioting]], [[looting]], assault, [[arson]], protests, property damage, murder
| status       =
| result       = Declaration of a [[state of emergency]] by the [[Yang di-Pertuan Agong]]
* Suspension of [[Parliament of Malaysia|Parliament]]
* Temporary establishment of the [[National Operations Council]]
* Resignation of [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]] as [[Prime Minister of Malaysia|prime minister]]
* Implementation of [[Rukun Negara]]
* Implementation of [[Malaysian New Economic Policy|New Economic Policy]]
* Increased racial tensions between the ethnic groups of the country
* Eventual formation of [[Barisan Nasional]]
| side1        = [[File:Flag of the United Malays National Organisation.svg|18px]] [[United Malays National Organization|UMNO]], [[Malaysian Malays|Malay]] supporters and civilians
| side2        = Malaysian Chinese and [[Malaysian Indian|Indian]] civilians
| side3        =
* [[File:Royal Malaysian Police.png|18px]] [[Royal Malaysia Police]]
** [[Federal Reserve Unit]]
**  [[General Operations Force]]
* [[File:Badge of the Malaysian Army.svg|18px]] [[Malaysian Army]]
** [[Royal Malay Regiment]]
| leadfigures1 = [[File:Flag of the United Malays National Organisation.svg|18px]] [[Harun Idris]]
| leadfigures2 =
| leadfigures3 =  [[Mohamed Salleh Ismael]]<br />[[File:Flag of the Malaysian Armed Forces.svg|18px]] [[Tunku Osman]]
| casualties1  = 25 killed (official figure, disputed)
| casualties2  = 143 killed (official figure, disputed)
| casualties3  = Unknown
| howmany1     =
| howmany2     =
| injuries     =
| fatalities   =
| arrests      =
| notes        =
| image_size   =
}}

The '''13 May incident''' was a period of violent [[racial conflict]] that erupted in [[Kuala Lumpur]], Malaysia, on 13 May 1969, following [[1969 Malaysian general election|that year's general election]]. The clashes primarily involved the [[Malay Malaysians|Malay]] and [[Chinese Malaysian|Chinese]] communities and were caused by political and ethnic tensions after opposition parties such as the [[Democratic Action Party]] (DAP) and [[Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia|Gerakan]] made substantial electoral gains in the election, challenging the ruling [[Alliance Party (Malaysia)|Alliance Party]]'s dominance.<ref name="Cheah2002">{{cite book |last=Cheah |first=Boon Kheng |title=Malaysia: The Making of a Nation |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |location=Singapore |year=2002 |pages=97–100 |isbn=9789812301758}}</ref>

In response, the [[King of Malaysia|king]], on the government's advice, declared a [[state of emergency]], suspended [[Parliament of Malaysia|parliament]], and entrusted civilian administration to the [[National Operations Council]] (NOC) under Deputy Prime Minister [[Tun Abdul Razak]]. While official sources cited 196 fatalities, other sources suggest the toll was much higher—from nearly 600 to over a thousand.<ref name="Cheah2002" /><ref name="Kua2007">{{cite book |last=Kua |first=Kia Soong |title=May 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969 |publisher=Suaram |location=Petaling Jaya |year=2007 |page=17 |isbn=9789834136765}}</ref><ref name="time pogrom3"/> Thousands were injured or displaced, and curfews were enforced to restore order.<ref name="Means1991">{{cite book |last=Means |first=Gordon P. |title=Malaysian Politics: The Second Generation |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Singapore |year=1991 |pages=26–30 |isbn=9780195889888}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071011030700/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/16/asia/AS-GEN-Malaysia-Race-Riot-Book.php |archive-date= 11 October 2007 |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/16/asia/AS-GEN-Malaysia-Race-Riot-Book.php|title=New book on 1969 race riots in Malaysia may be banned, officials warn|publisher=[[International Herald Tribune]]|date=16 May 2007|access-date=22 November 2022}}</ref>

The event was significant in Malaysian politics, as it forced the first prime minister, [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]], to step down from office and hand power to [[Abdul Razak Hussein]]. It was also a pivotal moment that reshaped Malaysia's [[socioeconomic]] policies, as Abdul Razak's government shifted their domestic policies to favour Malays with the implementation of the [[Malaysian New Economic Policy|New Economic Policy]] (NEP), and the [[United Malays National Organisation]] (UMNO) restructured the political system to advance Malay dominance through [[affirmative action]] in accordance with the ideology of ''[[Ketuanan Melayu]]'' ({{lit.}} "Malay supremacy").<ref name="Jomo2004">{{cite web |last=Jomo |first=K. S. |title=The New Economic Policy and Interethnic Relations in Malaysia |website=UNRISD |publisher=United Nations Research Institute for Social Development |date=2004 |pages=3–5 |url=https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/45937/7.pdf|access-date=13 June 2025}}</ref>

The incident has remained a sensitive and, at times, [[taboo]] topic in Malaysian society, with open discussion often avoided by prevailing political sensitivities.<ref>{{cite book |last=Weiss |first=Meredith L. |title=Political Violence in Southeast Asia Since 1945: Case Studies from Six Countries |editor-last=Taylor |editor-first=Jon |chapter=Malaysia: The Politics of Ethnic Violence |publisher=Routledge |year=2023 |pages=128–129 |isbn=9780367675592}}</ref> Ethnic relations between the Malay and Chinese communities have stabilised since the incident but remain fragile, occasionally strained by political rhetoric and socioeconomic disparities.<ref name="Sepanyol2018">{{cite journal |last=Sepanyol |first=Safwan |title=Ethnic Relations in Peninsular Malaysia: The Cultural and Economic Dimensions |journal=Academia.edu |year=2018 |url=https://www.academia.edu/35199883 |access-date=13 June 2025}}</ref>

{{History of Malaysia}}

==Precursors==
===Ethnic divide===
{{Main|History of Malaysia}}

On 31 August 1957, [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]] gained its independence from [[British Malaya|colonial rule]]. The country, however, suffered from a sharp division of wealth between the Chinese, who dominated most urban areas and were perceived to be in control of a large portion of the nation's economy, and the Malays, who were generally poorer and lived in more rural areas. The special privileged position of Malay political power, however, is guaranteed under [[Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia|Article 153]] of the constitution, written during Malayan independence.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PdfIAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA39 |title=The Christianity of culture: conversion, ethnic citizenship, and the matter of religion in Malaysian Borneo |page=39 |author=Liana Chua |publisher = Palgrave Macmillan |year= 2012 |isbn=978-1-137-01272-2 }}</ref>

There were heated debates between Malay groups wanting radical measures to institutionalise Malay supremacy (''[[Ketuanan Melayu]]''), while Chinese groups called for their "racial" interest to be protected, and non-Malay opposition party members arguing for a '[[Malaysian Malaysia]]" rather than Malay privilege.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n0L9AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA14 |title=Islam, Politics and Youth in Malaysia: The Pop-Islamist Reinvention of PAS|author= Dominik M. Mueller |pages=13–14 |publisher= Routledge |year= 2014 |isbn=978-0-415-84475-8 }}</ref> In 1963, amid a background of racial tension, Malaysia was formed as a federation that incorporated Malaya ([[Peninsular Malaysia]]), [[Singapore]], [[Crown Colony of North Borneo|North Borneo]], and [[Crown Colony of Sarawak|Sarawak]].

There had been several incidents of racial conflict between Malays and Chinese before the 1969 riots. For example, in Penang, hostility between the races turned into violence during the centenary celebration of [[George Town, Penang|George Town]] in 1957, which resulted in several days of fighting and several deaths,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UwA1aaB2WGgC&pg=PA275 |title=The Deadly Ethnic Riot|author= Donald L. Horowitz |publisher=University of California Press |year= 2003 |page=275 |isbn=978-0-520-23642-4 }}</ref> and there were further disturbances in 1959 and 1964 as well as a [[1967 Penang Hartal riot|riot]] in 1967, which originated as a protest against [[Devaluation|currency devaluation]] but turned into racial killings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://penangmonthly.com/penangs-forgotten-protest-the-1967-hartal/ |date=25 August 2014 |title=Penang's forgotten protest: The 1967 Hartal |work=Penang Monthly |access-date=7 May 2015 |archive-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130121707/http://penangmonthly.com/penangs-forgotten-protest-the-1967-hartal/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UwA1aaB2WGgC&pg=PA255 |title=The Deadly Ethnic Riot|author= Donald L. Horowitz |publisher=University of California Press |year= 2003 |page=255 |isbn=978-0-520-23642-4 }}</ref> In Singapore, antagonism between the races led to the [[1964 race riots in Singapore|1964 race riots]], which contributed to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia on 9 August 1965.

===1969 national election===
In the [[1969 Malaysian general election|1969 general election]], the governing coalition of the [[Alliance Party (Malaysia)|Alliance Party]] faced a strong challenge from opposition parties, in particular the two newly formed and mainly Chinese parties, the [[Democratic Action Party]] (DAP) and [[Parti Gerakan]]. The election was preceded by outbreaks of racial incidents that contributed to a tense atmosphere. A Malay political worker was killed by a Chinese gang in Penang, while a Chinese [[Labour Party of Malaya|Labour Party]] activist was shot and killed in a clash with police in Kuala Lumpur.<ref name="isea">{{Cite book |author=Julian C. H. Lee|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ffqhasVKyncC |title=Islamization and Activism in Malaysia |page=41 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |year=2010 |isbn=978-981-4279-03-1}}</ref> Radical opponents called for a boycott of the election and threatened violence, but the funeral procession of the shot activist, which drew large crowds of more than ten thousand and was held before election day, passed largely peacefully despite a number of disruptive incidents.<ref name="jstor">{{cite journal |title=May 13: Before and After. by Tunku Abdul Rahman; Malaysia: Death of a Democracy. by John Slimming; The May 13 Tragedy: A Report. by The National Operations Council; The May Thirteenth Incident and Democracy in Malaysia. by Goh Cheng Tiek|author= Gayl D. Ness |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |volume= 31 |issue= 3 |date= May 1972 |pages= 734–736 |doi=10.1017/s0021911800137969|jstor = 2052316}}</ref><ref name="ranjit">{{cite book |author=Ranjit Gill |url=https://p-library2.s3.filebase.com/singapore-malaysia/Ranjit%20Gill/Of%20Political%20Bondage%20%281954%29/Of%20Political%20Bondage%20-%20Ranjit%20Gill.pdf |title=Of Political Bondage |publisher=Sterling Corporate Services |year=1990 |isbn=981-00-2136-4 |location=Singapore |pages=78–80 |access-date=5 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904173053/https://p-library2.s3.filebase.com/singapore-malaysia/Ranjit%20Gill/Of%20Political%20Bondage%20%281954%29/Of%20Political%20Bondage%20-%20Ranjit%20Gill.pdf |archive-date=4 September 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="funston">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QooeAAAAMAAJ |title=Malay Politics in Malaysia: A Study of the United Malays National Organisation and Party Islam |author=N. John Funston |publisher=Heinemann Educational Books (Asia) |year=1980 |page=208 |isbn=9780686318187}}</ref>

The general election was held on 10 May 1969, without any incidents. The result showed that the Alliance had won less than half of the popular vote, a large setback for the ruling coalition.{{sfn|Ooi|2004|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QKgraWbb7yoC&pg=PA139 138–139]}} On the national level, the Alliance had gained a majority of seats in parliament, albeit a significantly reduced one. The number of seats won by the Chinese component of the Alliance, the [[Malaysian Chinese Association]], had been reduced by half. On the state level, the Alliance had only gained the majority in [[Selangor]] by co-operating with the sole independent candidate as the opposition had tied with the Alliance for control of the [[Selangor State Legislative Assembly|Selangor state legislature]] (although immediately after the election, it was unclear that the Alliance would still have control). The Alliance lost control of [[Kelantan]] (to the [[Malaysian Islamic Party|Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]) and [[Perak]], and the opposition Gerakan won control of the state government in Penang.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NOtXcEmHdjoC&pg=PA105 |title=Malaysia: The Making of a Nation |author=Boon Kheng Cheah |page=105 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |year=2002 |isbn=978-9812301543}}</ref>

===Post-election celebrations===
On the nights of 11 and 12 May, the DAP and Gerakan celebrated their success in the election, with permission being sought by [[Tan Chee Khoon]] from the police. In particular, a large Gerakan procession welcomed the Gerakan leader, [[V. David]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iG5wAAAAMAAJ&q=%2211th+and+12th+May,+the+Opposition+celebrated%22 |title=May 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969 |author= Kia Soong Kua |date= 2007 |page=42 |publisher=Suaram|isbn=978-9834136765}}</ref> Opposition parades passed through Malay communities such as [[Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur|Kampung Baru]] and were alleged to be highly provocative, with non-Malays taunting Malays while bearing slogans such as "{{lang|ms|Semua Melayu kasi habis}}" (finish off all the Malays) and "{{lang|ms|Kuala Lumpur sekarang Cina punya}}" (Kuala Lumpur now belongs to the Chinese).<ref name="jstor" /><ref name="hwang_78">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RkWCNJCl0WAC&pg=PA78 |last=Hwang |first=In-Won |date=2003 |title=Personalized Politics: The Malaysian State under Mahathir |page=78 |publisher= Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=981-230-185-2}}</ref> Some opposition supporters were said to have driven past the residence of the Selangor chief minister and demanded that he abandon the house in favour of a Chinese person.<ref name="ethnic riot" />

Celebrations by opposition parties were seen as an attack on Malay political power. Although the election results still favoured the Malays despite losses, the Malay newspaper ''[[Utusan Melayu]]'' suggested in an editorial that the results had jeopardised the future of Malay rule and that prompt action was required to shore it up.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=UwA1aaB2WGgC&pg=PA285 |title= The Deadly Ethnic Riot |author= Donald L. Horowitz |publisher=University of California Press |year= 2003 |page=285 |isbn=978-0-520-23642-4 }}</ref> On 12 May, members of [[UMNO Youth]] indicated to Selangor's [[Chief Ministers in Malaysia|Menteri Besar]], [[Harun Idris]], that they wanted to hold a victory parade. [[United Malays National Organisation|UMNO]] then announced a procession that would start from Idris's residence. [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]] would later call the retaliatory parade "inevitable, as otherwise the party members would be demoralised after the show of strength by the Opposition and the insults that had been thrown at them".<ref name="hwang_78" /> Malays were brought from the rural areas into Kuala Lumpur, which was then a predominantly Chinese city. Thousands of Malays, some of them armed, arrived to join the parade.<ref name="ethnic riot">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=UwA1aaB2WGgC&pg=PA284 |title= The Deadly Ethnic Riot |author= Donald L. Horowitz |publisher=University of California Press |year= 2003 |page=284 |isbn=978-0-520-23642-4 }}</ref>

==Rioting==
===Early events===
The UMNO procession was planned for 7:30 pm on 13 May. That morning, Malays began to gather at the residence of Harun Idris on Jalan Raja Muda, on the edge of [[Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur|Kampung Baru]], although some were already there as early as Sunday evening. They came from various parts of the state, such as [[Morib]] (Harun's constituency) and [[Banting]], and some were said to have came from parts of [[Perak]].{{sfn|Slimming|1969|page=27 }} According to the [[National Operations Council]]'s (NOC) official report, at around 6:30 pm, fistfights broke out in [[Setapak]] between a group of Malays from [[Gombak]] travelling to the rally and Chinese bystanders who taunted them, and this escalated into bottle- and stone-throwing.{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA328 328]}} News of the fighting then reached the gathering crowd in Jalan Raja Muda, and shortly before 6:30 pm, many Malays broke off from the rallying point at Idris's house and headed through adjoining Chinese sections.<ref name="jstor" /> The Malays, armed with ''[[Parang (knife)|parangs]]'' and [[kris]], burned cars and shops, killed, and looted in the Chinese areas.<ref name="jstor" /> According to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', at least eight Chinese people were killed in the initial attack.<ref name="time pogrom3">{{cite magazine|title=Preparing for a Pogrom |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900859-1,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019061451/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C900859-1%2C00.html |archive-date=19 October 2007 |magazine=Time |page=3 |date=18 July 1969 |access-date=14 May 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Once violence broke out, it spread rapidly and uncontrollably throughout the city within 45 minutes,<ref name="time1">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900859,00.html |title=Race War in Malaysia |magazine=Time |date=23 May 1969 |access-date=14 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070518061525/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C900859%2C00.html |archive-date=18 May 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> to [[Dang Wangi|Jalan Campbell]], [[Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman]] (Batu Road), [[Kampung Datuk Keramat]], [[Kampung Pandan]], [[Cheras, Kuala Lumpur|Cheras]], and [[Bangsar South|Kampung Kerinchi]].<ref>{{harvnb|The National Operations Council|1969|page=49}}</ref>

===Retaliations and armed response===
[[File:Pictures in Tunku Abdul Rahman's book "May 13 Before and After" (cropped - car 1).png|thumb|Cars at Jalan Raja Muda, where the riots first began, were overturned and set ablaze.]]

According to John Slimming, who wrote an account of the riot in 1969, the Chinese were taken by surprise and did not retaliate for more than an hour.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|page=29 }} The NOC's official report, however, suggested that Chinese secret society elements had prepared for trouble and were in action when the violence started in Kampung Baru.<ref>{{harvnb|The National Operations Council|1969|pages=53–54}}</ref> On Batu Road, Chinese and Indian shopkeepers began to form themselves into an improvised defence force, while a Malay mob attempting to storm the [[Chow Kit Road]] area was met with armed secret society gang members and ran.{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA333 333]}} The Chinese attacked Malays who were found in Chinese areas, and Malay patrons in cinemas were singled out and killed.{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA333 333]}} The Chinese also attempted to burn down the UMNO headquarters on Batu Road and besieged the [[Salak South]] police station.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|page=29 }}<ref>{{harvnb|The National Operations Council|1969|page=60}}</ref> The [[Sungai Besi]] police station was attacked, by mobs of unknown ethnicity, according to a report in ''[[The Straits Times]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 May 1969 |title=State of crisis in Selangor |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19690514-1.2.2?qt=sungei,%20besi,%20police,%20station&q=sungei%20besi%20police%20station |access-date=28 May 2025 |work=The Straits Times |pages=1, 22 |quote=The police station at Sungei Besi was attacked.}}</ref>

[[File:Page 6 of The Straits Times, published on 15 May 1969 (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|257x257px|Crowds on [[Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman]] on the night of 13 May. Flames of a burning car and shophouse can be faintly seen in the top right background.]]

Early in the evening, the rioters were met by police, who used [[tear gas]] in an attempt to control them. A 24-hour curfew for Kuala Lumpur was imposed at 7:00 pm.{{sfn|Tunku Abdul Rahman|1969|page=87}} Later, between 8:30 and 9:00 pm, a shoot-to-kill order was given by Inspector General of Police [[Mohamed Salleh bin Ismael]]. This was followed by another shoot-to-kill order from the Chief of Armed Forces, General [[Tunku Osman|Tunku Osman Jiwa]].{{sfn|Slimming|1969|pages=30–31 }} The army was deployed, and they entered the areas affected by rioting at around 10:00 pm.<ref>{{harvnb|The National Operations Council|1969|page=61}}</ref> Many people who were unaware of the curfew order were shot. Some were also shot while standing in their own doorways and gardens. Foreign correspondents reported seeing members of the [[Royal Malay Regiment]] firing into Chinese shophouses for no apparent reason.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|pages=30–31 }}

By 5:00 am the next morning, the authorities at [[Kuala Lumpur Hospital]] reported that there were about 80 dead at the facility. Members of the hospital staff also reported that the initial casualties between 7:00 and 8:30 pm had all been Chinese suffering from parang slashes and stab wounds, but that between 8:30 and 10:30 pm, the victims were equally divided between Chinese and Malays. However, after about 10:30 pm, the casualties were almost all Chinese, with nearly all of them suffering from gunshot wounds.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|pages=30–31 }}

===Later events===
[[File:Pictures in Tunku Abdul Rahman's book "May 13 Before and After" (Jln Campbell).png|thumb|Burnt-out [[shophouse]]s on [[Dang Wangi|Jalan Campbell]]]]

The army gathered at crucial road junctions and patrolled the main streets, but even though a curfew had been announced, young men in areas such as Kampung Baru and [[Pudu, Kuala Lumpur|Pudu]] ignored the order. Although most of the killings occurred on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the burning and looting of Chinese shops and houses by Malays continued, with most incidents of serious arson occurring on Thursday night and Friday; over 450 houses were burnt.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|pages=41–43 }} People displaced by the riots, most of them Chinese, were sent to official refugee centres in different parts of town—the Malays to [[Stadium Negara]] and the Chinese to [[Stadium Merdeka]], Chinwoo Stadium, and Shaw Road School. By Sunday, the number of Chinese refugees had increased to 3,500 in Merdeka Stadium, 1,500 in Chinwoo Stadium, and 800 in Shaw Road School, while the Malays in Stadium Negara had decreased from 650 on Thursday to 250 on Sunday.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|page=49 }} Over a thousand refugees were still left in Merdeka Stadium a month after the riot.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|page=51 }}

The curfew was relaxed briefly but quickly reimposed on Thursday morning. It was lifted again for three hours on Saturday morning. The curfew was gradually relaxed as the situation slowly returned to normal, but by the end of the month, it was still in force from 3:00 pm until 6:30 am.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|pages=44–46 }}

The violence was concentrated in urban areas, and except for minor disturbances in [[Malacca]], [[Perak]], [[Penang]], and neighbouring [[1969 race riots of Singapore|Singapore]], where the populations of Chinese people were larger, the rest of the country remained calm.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|pages=47–49}}

On 28 June 1969, rioting broke out again in [[Sentul, Kuala Lumpur|Sentul]] when Malays attacked Indians, and 15 were killed.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|page=64}}

===Casualties===
According to disputed police figures, a total of 196 people were killed in the riots.<ref name="hwang_72">Hwang, p. 72.</ref> The official figures gave 143 of the dead as Chinese, 25 Malay, 13 Indian, and 15 others (undetermined),{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA364 364] }} although unofficial figures suggested a higher number of Chinese deaths.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=64Fvi7j42wMC&pg=PA226 |title=Social Cohesion and Conflict Prevention in Asia: Managing Diversity Through Development|editor1-first= Nat J.|editor1-last=Colletta|editor2-first=Teck Ghee|editor2-last=Lim|editor3-first=Anita|editor3-last=Kelles-Viitanen |publisher=Washington, DC : World Bank |year=2001 |page=226 |isbn=978-0-8213-4874-1 }}</ref> The police were authorised to bury any dead bodies found or dispose of them in any way they could without inquests or inquiries, and many of these were disposed of undocumented, which made estimation of the number of deaths difficult. Some were reported to have been thrown into the [[Klang River]], and some were believed to have been disposed of in pools in tin mines.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|page=48 }} A mass burial of the victims was also captured on film at the [[Sungai Buloh]] [[leper colony]] near Kuala Lumpur.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|page=48–49 }} Western diplomatic sources at that time put the toll at close to 600,<ref name="time1" /> and Slimming estimated the number to be around 800 in the first week by including hundreds who were officially missing; other observers and correspondents suggested four-figure numbers.{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA368 368] }}{{sfn|Slimming|1969|pages=47–48 }}

According to official figures, 439 individuals were also recorded as injured.<ref name="funston" /> 753 cases of arson were logged, and 211 vehicles were destroyed or severely damaged.

==Immediate effects==
Immediately after the riot, the government assumed emergency powers and suspended [[Parliament of Malaysia|parliament]], which would reconvene again in 1971. It also briefly suspended the press and established the [[National Operations Council]] (NOC).<ref>{{cite book|title=Malaysian Politics in the New Media Age: Implications on the Political Communication Process|author= Pauline Pooi Yin Leong |date= 2019 |publisher=Springer Nature Singapore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JpCqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA86|isbn=9789811387838|page=86}}</ref>

===Declaration of emergency===
[[File:Front page of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance, 1969 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|The first emergency ordinance issued after the emergency proclamation]]

The government ordered an immediate curfew throughout the state of Selangor. Security forces, comprising some 2,000 [[Royal Malay Regiment]] soldiers and 3,600 police officers, were deployed and took control of the situation. On 14 and 16 May, a [[state of emergency]] and accompanying [[curfew]] were declared throughout the country. On 15 May, the NOC, also known as the ''Majlis Gerakan Negara'' (MAGERAN), headed by [[Abdul Razak Hussein]], was established following a proclamation of emergency by the [[Yang di-Pertuan Agong|sultan of Malaysia]], [[Ismail Nasiruddin of Terengganu]]. Parts of the constitution were also suspended.<ref name=emergency /> With parliament suspended, the NOC became the supreme decision-making body for the next 18 months. State and District Operations Councils took over state and local governments. The NOC implemented security measures to restore law and order in the country, including the establishment of an unarmed vigilante corps, a territorial army, and police force battalions.<ref name=emergency />

Newspaper publications were suspended on 15 May<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 May 1969 |title=Malaysian Govt suspends all newspapers |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19690516-1.2.5 |access-date=3 June 2025 |work=The Straits Times |page=1}}</ref> but resumed on 18 May,<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 May 1969 |title=Newspapers again tomorrow |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19690517-1.2.9 |access-date=3 June 2025 |work=The Straits Times |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=18 May 1969 |title=Our papers on sale again in Malaysia |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19690518-1.2.5 |access-date=3 June 2025 |work=The Straits Times |page=1}}</ref> and a new censorship law was [[wikt:gazette#Verb|gazetted]] on 21 May.{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA345 352–354]}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 May 1969 |title=Censorship rules are gazetted |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19690522-1.2.12 |access-date=3 June 2025 |work=The Straits Times |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 May 1969 |title=Censorship 'only when absolutely necessary' |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19690525-1.2.8 |access-date=19 June 2025 |work=The Straits Times |page=1}}</ref> Foreign publications were banned, citizens found in possession of foreign news clippings were detained, and foreign reporters were criticised over allegations of racial bias by the army.{{sfn|Slimming|1969|page=54–56 }} The restoration of order in the country was gradually achieved. Curfews continued in most parts of the country but were gradually scaled back. Peace was restored in the affected areas within two months. In February 1971, parliamentary rule was re-established.<ref name=emergency>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8RQZk8BpvkC&pg=PA183 |title=Emergency Powers in Asia: Exploring the Limits of Legality |editor1= Victor V. Ramraj |editor2=Arun K. Thiruvengadam |page=183 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|date= 2009|isbn= 978-0521768900 }}</ref> However, the emergency proclamation was only annulled by the parliament in December 2011, 42 years later,<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 November 2011 |title=PM Tables Motion to Revoke Three Emergency Proclamations |url=http://lib.perdana.org.my/PLF/News_Online/2011/00013/Bernama%5B24Nov2011%5DPM%20Tables%20Motion%20To%20Revoke%20Three%20Emergency%20Proclamations.pdf |access-date=26 May 2025 |work=Bernama}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=21 December 2011 |title=Dewan Negara approves revocation of 3 emergency proclamations |url=https://www.theborneopost.com/2011/12/21/dewan-negara-approves-revocation-of-3-emergency-proclamations-latest/ |access-date=26 May 2025 |work=Borneo Post Online}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=24 November 2011 |title=Penyata Rasmi Dewan Rakyat |trans-title=Official Statement of the House of Representatives |url=https://www.parlimen.gov.my/files/hindex/pdf/DR-24112011.pdf |access-date=16 March 2025 |website=Parliament of Malaysia |pages=17–49 |language=ms}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 December 2011 |title=Penyata Rasmi Dewan Negara |trans-title=Official Statement of the House of the Senate |url=https://www.parlimen.gov.my/files/hindex/pdf/DN-20122011.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225204559/https://www.parlimen.gov.my/files/hindex/pdf/DN-20122011.pdf |archive-date=25 February 2021 |access-date=16 March 2025 |website=Parliament of Malaysia |pages=22–31 |language=ms}}</ref> with all remaining emergency ordinances lapsing in June 2012.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Whiting |first=Amanda |date=16 February 2014 |title=Essay: Emerging from Emergency Rule? Malaysian Law 'Reform' 2011–2013 |url=https://download.ssrn.com/21/06/29/ssrn_id2396928_code258113.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEKn%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJGMEQCIBjxepvIaWSTBqJCRP5Gb4YmBsl6PkRH6lDOkkSrcT6AAiBp5GUfJy7BGiDf1m7ZxV0vdockZnpjmnO7TeuPBTp7GCq8BQhyEAQaDDMwODQ3NTMwMTI1NyIMoDaqoyYv5KpSIyepKpkFkQv67LJx4ni8niO%2BbpZYS%2FqD1Nc2cVQUWtAz8EZxVdHsUnTQlHt6B%2FvP2l1bZTK6HHQCpG9t43BBhQ0r6wWZpUi3F61CUmp%2B6F4jnCK06OIZlvbCyMRU0sShAAGejJ3KX0%2F8Yidn0vjRuiCk4NzuN2sqzOhXSLwT527sGBk7c2bfGueJopzBR%2FbHBUFXXkWxkZod9kHoNqTGW7eDocJWFRLrQftxQpGnfgWHFoceqeTnRXxjYoCIMKJLGeeTuRCApU02Ci6CKSTCeSKtByHE5NrohVucr0iqehe%2BgIpOq%2B5VXq1ZXCXe5VTb9BDuGZFQMdCLyqed74XE5kfNexUr2tzzDLwn%2B8RWo%2B5C7tDIlHKMaWA0zd6OR0IqooXORBs7mNzKxEXoSBnnLb9YtH1ecKZbsdhij90bgo1EiieoLnIkTTStyjdXd%2FLLNf7WQB35teemvEtV5sDfyPtsY%2Bd3Akegq8kBunW%2BZ%2F%2F5OFthNHJqS2zcwOCJ%2BN0CBbPoH0H5O04jY%2BMxvDYbLkBTkA6MrS771X6fXNZqi6Jo445%2FoGN774xdPHskqZ%2B7QrqAZbmYh%2B2%2FkadWvIBqoxyXKVOodHiUDwSsNQgKY46llDQ4HEW5fZAhJmvxPEM%2BliIrDpVwhz7fi9ao0W7atPj%2BRldf1Ud4Ik%2Boq3GR5smPuYEuozkJDcqxN1WHyWsM9g3vfOhbTlPfprCpywtwMnNgWoVQ%2F9M2GqdEpOwitWFE1Ieqwx8y%2Fd8NS6Pptbd7xzI5c8oZBuicx%2BrzTFrig%2FM8TN5O5L3tlbzq4OFUR04OP%2BxBGq2dvQ5FjvoCcBJ31nK5ahzGIMEPKytWqGPEaa3o%2BKhC%2FzEuCKwkN5WtOG3%2Bf6kKCV8nKbrVEIHz5Qkw1pfbwQY6sgGtLbbMNpJlmry4Vc27M8Bnf%2BAYDdBXd0AHe7RBKabi7w8XsYR5sn9T4HB%2B649RkzM1r%2BeihwlAPFWtDC7MdsaPo3sEEayf9dsZ8dbhQD4fLT8tIY9lxkUsR83o4TyYma52MaN7u8xVCjNEKQcx3esQWfHT0swKms1bYKe230zzZccwoe0DyRFOf1ajQnUKa0dHNizqxjdr8Fb%2BuptKDQiYqAlTwucE1CQLSR4%2B%2B5CzYORW&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20250528T093010Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAUPUUPRWEVUMKCRLB%2F20250528%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=72c33de31394aff483f47e8c3f9b197dad2c53cd12b4ff3c116932d551d2cc9d&abstractId=2396928 |journal=Australian Journal of Asian Law |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=332–333 |via=SSRN}}</ref>

==Official assessment==
The NOC released a report on 9 October 1969, which cited "racial politics" as the primary cause of the riots, but it was reluctant to assign blame to the Malays.{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA363 363]}}

{{quote|The Malays who already felt excluded in the country's economic life, now began to feel a threat in their place in the public services. No mention was ever made by non-Malay politicians of the almost closed-door attitude to the Malays by non-Malays in large sections of the private sector in this country.{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA362 362–363]}}}}

{{quote|Certain non-Malay racialist election speakers constantly worked up non-Malay passions against Malay policemen and officers, alleging partial treatment of the enforcement of the law. They contributed directly to the breakdown in respect for the law and authority amongst sections of the non-Malay communities.{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA363 363]}}}}

It also attributed the cause of the riots in part to both the [[Malayan Communist Party]] and secret societies:

{{quote|The eruption of violence on 13 May was the result of an interplay of forces... These include a generation gap and differences in interpretation of the constitutional structure by the different races in the country...; the incitement, intemperate statements and provocative behaviours of certain racialist party members and supporters during the recent General Election; the part played by the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and secret societies in inciting racial feelings and suspicion; and the anxious, and later desperate, mood of the Malays with a background of Sino-Malay distrust, and recently, just after the General Elections, as a result of racial insults and threat to their future survival in their own country'|Extract from The 13 May Tragedy, a report by the National Operations Council, October 1969.<ref name="zakaria">Professor Dato' Dr. Zakaria Haji Ahmad. ''[[The Encyclopedia of Malaysia]]'', "Government and Politics". {{ISBN|981-3018-55-0}}</ref>}}

It however said that the "trouble turned out to be a communal clash between the Malays and the Chinese" rather than an instance of [[Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–1989)|communist insurgency]].{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA363 363]}} The report also denied rumours of lack of evenhandedness by the security forces in their handling of the crisis.{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA365 365]}}

Tunku Abdul Rahman, in a book released two weeks before the report, blamed the opposition parties for the violence, as well as the influence of the communists, and thought that the incidents were sparked by Chinese communist youths. He absolved the majority of the Malays, Chinese, and Indians of any responsibility and considered the Malays who converged in Kuala Lumpur on 13 May to be merely responding to "intolerable provocations".{{sfn|von Vorys|1975|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CKN9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA362 361–362 ]}}

==Aftermath==
The [[Rukun Negara]], the de facto Malaysian [[pledge of allegiance]], was a reaction to the riot. It was introduced on 31 August 1970 as a way to foster unity among Malaysians.

The Malay nationalist [[Mahathir Mohamad]], who was then a lesser-known politician and lost his seat as an UMNO candidate in the 10 May election, blamed the riot on the government and especially on Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman for being "simple-minded" and not planning for a prosperous Malaysia where the Malays have a share of the economic stake. Abdul Rahman in turn blamed "extremists" such as Mahathir for the racial clashes, which led to Mahathir's expulsion from UMNO.{{sfn|Ooi|2004|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QKgraWbb7yoC&pg=PA819 819]}} This propelled him to write his seminal work ''[[The Malay Dilemma]]'', in which he posited a solution to Malaysia's racial tensions based on aiding the Malays economically through an [[affirmative action]] programme.

After the riots, Abdul Rahman was forced into the background, with the day-to-day running of the country handed to the deputy prime minister, Abdul Razak Hussein, who was also the director of the NOC. On 22 September 1970, when the parliament reconvened, Abdul Rahman resigned his position as prime minister, and Razak Hussein took over.{{sfn|Ooi|2004|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QKgraWbb7yoC&pg=PA114 114]}}

In his 2007 book, ''[[May 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969]]'', [[Kua Kia Soong]] argued that, based on declassified British embassy dispatches, the riot was a [[coup d'état]] staged against Tunku Abdul Rahman by UMNO political leaders in association with the army and the police.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scmp.com/article/592766/politicians-linked-malaysias-may-13-riots |work=South China Morning Post |title=Politicians linked to Malaysia's May 13 riots |first=Baradan |last=Kuppusamy|date= 14 May 2007 }}</ref> He characterised the 13 May incident as more than spontaneous communal unrest, arguing that it reflected deeper structural inequalities and manipulation that was exploited by political elites to justify a consolidation of Malay political ascendancy.<ref name="Kua2007" />

Malaysian academic [[:ms:Shamsul Amri Baharuddin|Shamsul Amri Baharuddin]] has critiqued essentialist narratives of Malay identity and highlighted how the incident helped propagate constructed notions of "[[Malayness]]" that reinforced state policies and public discourse.<ref name="Shamsul2001">{{cite journal |last=Shamsul |first=A. B. |title=A History of an Identity, an Identity of a History: The Idea and Practice of 'Malayness' in Malaysia Reconsidered |journal=Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |volume=32 |issue=3 |year=2001 |pages=355–366 |doi=10.1017/S0022463401000194}}</ref>

In an attempt to form a broader coalition, the [[Barisan Nasional]] was formed in place of the Alliance Party, with former opposition parties such as Gerakan, [[People's Progressive Party (Malaysia)|PPP]], and [[Malaysian Islamic Party|PAS]] invited to join the coalition.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Joseph Liow|author2=Michael Leifer|title=Dictionary of the Modern Politics of Southeast Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G5KLBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA102|date=20 November 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-62233-8|pages=102–}}</ref>

After the 1969 riot, UMNO also began to restructure the political system to reinforce its power. It advanced its own version of ''Ketuanan Melayu'', whereby "the politics of this country has been, and must remain for the foreseeable future, native [i.e., Malay] based: that was the secret of our stability and our prosperity and that is a fact of political life which no one can simply wish away."<ref name="saa2002">{{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/southeastasianaf00_0 |url-access= registration |title=Southeast Asian Affairs 2002|editor1-first= Daljit|editor1-last=Singh|editor2-first=Anthony L|editor2-last=Smith |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |author= Lee Hock Guan |page=[https://archive.org/details/southeastasianaf00_0/page/178 178] |isbn=9789812301628|year=2002}}</ref> This principle of ''Ketuanan Melayu'' has been repeatedly used in successive elections by UMNO to galvanise Malay support for the party,<ref>{{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/southeastasianaf00_0 |url-access= registration |title=Southeast Asian Affairs 2002|editor1-first= Daljit|editor1-last=Singh|editor2-first=Anthony L|editor2-last=Smith |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |author= Lee Hock Guan |page=[https://archive.org/details/southeastasianaf00_0/page/183 183] |isbn=9789812301628|year=2002}}</ref> and it remained the guiding principle of successive governments.<ref name=sentinel>{{cite news |url=https://www.asiasentinel.com/p/ketuanan-melayu-power-deep-state-malaysia |title=Ketuanan Melayu: Power and the Deep State in Malaysia |work=Asia Sentinel|date=7 August 2019 }}</ref>

==Burials==
There are two burial grounds for the victims of the riot, one in the [[Sungai Buloh]] [[Leper colony|leprosarium]] compound and the other in the Taman Ibukota Muslim Cemetery in [[Gombak District|Gombak]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Heong Hong |first=Por |date=December 2017 |title=Family Narratives and Abandoned Monuments of the May 13 Riot in the Sungai Buloh Leprosarium |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322493772 |journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=35–54 |doi=10.1353/ras.2017.0019 |via=ResearchGate}}</ref>

According to the NOC report, 103 victims were buried in Sungai Buloh,{{Sfn|The National Operations Council|1969|pp=68–69}} of which 99 were Chinese; 2 were Indian; and 2 were Malay.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=13 May 2019 |title=May 13: 50 Years Later |url=https://www.rage.com.my/may13/ |access-date=4 June 2025 |website=R.AGE}}</ref> They were interred between 18 May and 2 June 1969.{{Sfn|The National Operations Council|1969|pp=68–69}}<ref name=":0" /> Among the 103 victims, 18 were marked as "unidentified", with only their ethnicity, sex, and date of death specified on the tombstones.<ref name=":0" /> However, some contemporary news reports have put the total count of tombstones in Sungai Buloh at either 102,<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=K |first=Carolyn |date=23 November 2024 |title=Heritage group to manage May 13 burial site in Sungai Buloh |url=https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/11/23/heritage-group-to-manage-may-13-burial-site-in-sungai-buloh |access-date=4 June 2025 |work=Free Malaysia Today}}</ref> 112,<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Yoke Teng |first=Yip |date=18 March 2017 |title=MPS: We did not approve land clearing |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/03/18/mps-we-did-not-approve-land-clearing-work-done-near-sungai-buloh-cemetery-was-illegal/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321231024/https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/03/18/mps-we-did-not-approve-land-clearing-work-done-near-sungai-buloh-cemetery-was-illegal/ |archive-date=21 March 2017 |access-date=4 June 2025 |work=The Star}}</ref> or 114.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sufari |first=Nazir |date=13 May 2017 |title=May 13 burial ground |url=https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/g/3014 |access-date=4 June 2025 |work=The Malaysian Insight}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Z.M. Tahir |first=Alfian |date=11 May 2019 |title=May 13 survivors still haunted 50 years on |url=https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/153799 |access-date=4 June 2025 |work=The Malaysian Insight}}</ref>

18 victims were interred at Taman Ibukota Muslim Cemetery on 18 May 1969, based on the NOC report.{{Sfn|The National Operations Council|1969|pp=68–69}} According to the cemetery record, however, only 11 victims of the riot were buried.<ref name=":0" />

In 2017, illegal land clearing was carried out near the Sungai Buloh burial site, with the intention to develop it into a parking lot, which was stopped by the authorities after it attracted public attention from civil society groups.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tariq |first=Qishin |date=1 May 2017 |title=Sg Buloh May 13 cemetery won't be cleared: MPS |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/05/01/effort-to-gazette-cemetery-as-heritage-site-continues-conservationists-working-hard-to-ensure-mass-b/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504102157/https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/05/01/effort-to-gazette-cemetery-as-heritage-site-continues-conservationists-working-hard-to-ensure-mass-b/ |archive-date=4 May 2017 |access-date=4 June 2025 |work=The Star}}</ref> Since then, there have been multiple calls for the government to preserve the cemetery and declare it a heritage site.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yoke Teng |first=Yip |date=14 April 2017 |title=Groups seek heritage status for Sungai Buloh's May 13 cemetery |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/04/14/sungai-buloh-cemetery-cleaned-up-as-groups-seek-heritage-site-status/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416234833/https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/04/14/sungai-buloh-cemetery-cleaned-up-as-groups-seek-heritage-site-status/ |archive-date=16 April 2017 |access-date=4 June 2025 |work=The Star}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Busst |first=Natasha |date=13 May 2025 |title=Preserve and memorialise May 13 burial grounds, govt told |url=https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/05/13/preserve-and-memorialise-may-13-burial-grounds-govt-told |access-date=4 June 2025 |work=Free Malaysia Today}}</ref> In September 2024, the [[Government of Selangor|Selangor government]] gazetted the Sungai Buloh burial ground as a reserved land for a non-Muslim cemetery and placed it under the care of the Friends of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Heritage Association, a non-governmental organisation.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=5 September 2024 |title=Gazettement of May 13 Riot Victims Burial Grounds as Non-Muslim Cemetary Reserve (Selangor GN No. 4517 of 2024) |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/862092954/Gazettement-of-May-13-Riot-Victims-Burial-Grounds-as-Non-Muslim-Cemetary-Reserve-Selangor-GN-No-4517-of-2024 |access-date=4 June 2025 |publisher=Warta Kerajaan Negeri Selangor |pages=3639–3640 |via=Scribd}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
Sultan Abdul Samad Building - KL under curfew after the 13 May riot (cropped).jpg|Empty streets near [[Sultan Abdul Samad Building]] as Kuala Lumpur was placed under curfew following the riot.
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (Batu Road) - KL under curfew after the 13 May riot (cropped).jpg|[[Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman]], one of the main sites of rioting, was devoid of people after the curfew was announced.
Jalan Pasar, Pudu - KL under curfew after the 13 May riot (cropped).jpg|Empty street at Jalan Pasar, [[Pudu, Kuala Lumpur|Pudu]], on 15 May 1969, when the curfew was still in place.
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[1964 race riots in Singapore]]
* [[1969 race riots of Singapore]], spillover from the 13 May incident 
* [[May 1998 riots of Indonesia]], a similar incident
* [[Operation Lalang]]
* ''[[Snow in Midsummer (film)|Snow in Midsummer]]'', a 2023 historical drama film evoking the events of 13 May

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===General sources===
* {{cite book |author=The National Operations Council |year=1969 |url=http://langkasa-norul.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-may-13-tragedy.html |title=The May 13 Tragedy: A Report }} Official report by the NOC.
* {{cite book |last=Ooi |first=Keat Gin |year=2004 |url=https://psv4.userapi.com/s/v1/d/UYHGMVNTidi88LuUXRpTllF1i1BD7iFgv5-wq6REGoVPEBO9-GLqCECYovqinHVGHq-EPa43EVNZlAXYiFbl9ICY8gB7w8PbdPeF5OhoFq57D8Wu/Southeast_Asia_A_Historical_Encyclopedia_From_Angkor_Wat_to_East_Timor.pdf |title=Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-57607-770-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Slimming |first=John |url=https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/p-library/books/1436e8f1451fa0728aaa669d459425a0.pdf |title=The Death of a Democracy |publisher=John Murray Publishers Ltd |year=1969 |isbn=978-0-7195-2045-7 |location=London}} Book written by a British journalist from ''[[The Observer]]'' who was in Kuala Lumpur at the time.
* {{cite book |author=Tunku Abdul Rahman |year=1969 |location=Kuala Lumpur |url=http://lib.perdana.org.my/PLF/Digital_Content/NLM/Batch2/NL_B02_PDF-DVD01/27%20July%202005/M305.899230505ARP%5bMay13-Before&After%5d%5bTunkuAbdulRahmanPutraAl-Haj%5d%5b1996%5d.pdf |title=13 May: Before and After |publisher=Utusan Melayu Press Ltd}} An account given by the then-Prime Minister of Malaysia.
* {{cite book |last=von Vorys |first= Karl |year= 1975 |url=http://press.princeton.edu/titles/2115.html |title=Democracy Without Consensus: Communalism and Political Stability in Malaysia| publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-07571-6 }} Paperback reprint (2015) {{ISBN|978-0691617640}}.

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |author=Abdillah Noh |title=Malaysia's State Formation: Small Steps and Large Outcomes of a Contested Leviathan |date=2024 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781003805816 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FXbpEAAAQBAJ}}

{{Anti-Chinese sentiment}}
{{Malaysia topics}}
{{Malaysian protests and rallies}}

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[[Category:Attacks on police stations in Asia]]
[[Category:Attacks on police stations in the 1960s]]
[[Category:Police brutality in Asia]]
[[Category:Military history of Malaysia]]
[[Category:1969 mass murders]]
[[Category:20th-century mass murders in Asia]]
[[Category:Mass murders in Malaysia]]