future, the Communists were prepared to show any change of attitude, they would not consider their pride in coming to meet him again. Within an hour, Chin Peng and his colleagues were returning to Klian Intan. The next day he joined his bodyguard and disappeared in the direction of South Thailand. Withdrawal of amnesty offer and aftermath Following the talks, the Tunku decided to withdraw the amnesty offer on 8 February 1956, five months after it had been offered. He stated that he would be unwilling to meet the Communists again unless they indicated beforehand their desire to see him with an intention of surrender. He said that the Communists had made it clear to him that their ideology and that of himself and his party could not exist side by side. Therefore, the war must be intensified until one or the other gave in. "I have every confidence that the people of Malaya will give their fullest support and co-operation to the action I have taken." Despite the failure of the Baling talk, the MCP made further efforts to resume peace talks with the Malayan Government but to no avail. A few weeks after the Baling talks, Tan Siew Sin received a letter from Chen Tien, requesting a resumption of peace talks and the repeal of the emergency regulations. The request was immediately rejected by the Chief Minister and instead, discussions began in the new Emergency Operations Council to intensify the "People's War" against the guerrillas. In July 1957, a few weeks before independence, the MCP made another request for peace talks. The MCP suggested the following conditions for a negotiated peace: its members would be given privileges enjoyed by ordinary citizens and there would be a guarantee that political as well as armed members of the MCP would not be punished. The Tunku, however, did not respond to the MCP's proposal. On 31 August 1957 Malaya achieved her Independence with Tunku Abdul Rahman as the Prime Minister. Following that, there was a marked increase in the MCPs peace proposals and in November 1957, after a direct proposal from Chin Peng, Tunku Abdul Rahman agreed to a preliminary meeting. The border town of Kroh in northern Perak was chosen as a site for possible talks. However, Chin Peng did not accept the condition that is to surrender, and the talks failed to materialize. The MCP's strength began to decline