Most visitors to the Cameron Highlands head off for a walk along one of the many forest trails to enjoy the scenery and the refreshingly cool mountain air. Most return to relax in front of a log fire in one of several resorts located in the former colonial hill station made popular by heat-fatigued colonialists who headed up to the cooler Malaysian highlands for some cool relief from the heat and humidity of the lowlands.
Very few walkers don’t return. The most celebrated trekker who didn’t was American entrepreneur H.W. (Jim) Thompson who had single-handedly rekindled the Thai silk weaving industry before his disappearance.
40 Years of Mystery
Yesterday marked the 40th ‘anniversary’ of Thompson’s disappearance (he disappeared on Easter Sunday, March 26, 1967). He had set off alone from one of the highland bungalows and was never seen again. His disappearance led to one of the most intensive searches ever mounted in Malaysia and, over time, developed into one of the most intriguing, unsolved mysteries the world has ever known.
The anniversary of Jim Thompson’s disappearance saw renewed interest in the case. While there are many theories about his disappearance, the fact remains that they are mostly all speculative and no one really knows exactly what happened on that fateful March day. Noted Thai-based journalist and friend of Thompson, William Warren has written the definite analysis of the incident in his book, Jim Thompson – The Unsolved Mystery (Archipelago Press, 1970).
Before his disappearance, Thompson was already well known and this no doubt fuelled much of the speculation and kept the rumour mill ticking over.
Thompson had practised as an architect in New York City from 1931 to 1940. He then quit and enlisted in the army as a private in the Delaware National Guard Regiment. A year after the outbreak of World War 11, he joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) which specialised in intelligence gathering, subversive propaganda and undercover activities behind energy lines. While the group went on to form the CIA after the war, its activities were a little different to those of the CIA. The organisation adopted the reverse Ten Commandments and was described by one operative as one where they were taught to “lie and steal, kill, maim, spy, deceive, terrify and destroy.” Thompson volunteered to serve in the Pacific and he was originally assigned to the China-India-Burma area.
However, in 1945, he received orders to proceed to Thailand, then technically an enemy of the Allied forces as it was occupied by Japanese troops. In preparation for the assignment, Thompson received jungle training in Sri Lanka, so the jungles of the Cameron Highlands would not be completely unknown territory for him. As it turned out, he arrived in Bangkok just days after the Japanese officially surrendered but he was said to continue spying activities well after the war had finished.
Eaten by Wild Animal?
After his disappearance, it was suggested that he disappeared at the hands of terrorists seeking ransom money despite the fact that no ransom demand was ever received. Unsubstantiated suggestions were also made that Thompson was involved in drugs and that his disappearance was somehow related to this.
Another suggestion was that the Thai silk entrepreneur staged his disappearance despite not being depressed or financially strapped for cash at the time. Was he taken by a tiger, wild boar or leopard? If so, the 325 police, soldiers, friends, Orang Asli and volunteers failed to find any trace of Thompson.
No remains were ever found of the man. Perhaps he fell into a ravine and his remains were enveloped by the jungle? The slippery moss-covered rocks, prickly creepers and dark forest interiors pose problems for jungle trekkers even to this day. The search officially lasted 10 days, covering a territory of up to 70 miles from the scene (teams were dispatched to places where speculative sightings were reported).
Seven years after the disappearance, Jim Thompson was legally declared dead in 1974. As noted in William Warren’s book: “The myth of Jim Thompson is as vigorous as ever.”
In Thompson’s Memory
While time has diluted the mystery somewhat, there are those who still reflect on what happened that day. Others staying at the recently-opened Cameron Highlands Resort may raise an eyebrow with their evening late fireside nightcap and think twice about heading for one of the mountain trails without an experienced guide. These days, the only confirmed sighting of Jim Thompson is that of the label on many exclusive Thai silk products sold in the boutique bearing his name in the Cameron Highlands Resort.
Next time you’re there, buy a copy of William Warren’s Jim Thompson – The Unsolved Mystery from the boutique. Then snuggle up in one of the comfortable resort lounges in front of the log fire and postulate a few theories of your own.
Articles 
The Jim Thompson House in Bangkok attracts visitor for three main reasons. One is the fascination with Thompson's life as part of the Central Intelligence Agency. Part of the fascination with Thompson is that he is the spy that came in from the cold - in 1947 he supposedly left the CIA. When Jim Thompson disappeared in the jungles of Malaysia in 1967, the first thoughts of many people interested in his life were that the CIA had been somehow involved in his death...
Cameron Highlands, named after William Cameron, a British colonial government surveyor who
discovered the plateau during a mapping expedition in 1885, is a highland region located about 20 km east of Ipoh and about 150 km north of Kuala Lumpur in Pahang, Malaysia. At 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level it is the highest area on the mainland, and enjoys a cool climate, with temperatures no higher than 25 °C and rarely falling below 12 °C year round. The Cameron Highlands are home to many tea plantations, being Malaysia's largest tea-producing region. The area is also known as a major supplier of legumes and vegetables and is one of Malaysia's prime tourist destinations.