Some Final Preparations Before the Reburial on 27 July 2011.

The State of Sarawak is doing its utmost to ensure that Iban traditions and ancient rites are adhered to in bringing the remains of the Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers home to Sarawak and rebury them in the Heroes' Graves in Kuching on 27 July 2011.


Here is the latest report from The Borneo Post daily.

These are the little jars where the remains will be kept in.

Marksmanship

Shooting had been one of my favourite events during my cadet training days from 1967 to 1969. I had taken all aspects of training very seriously. I wanted to make sure I achieved what we were supposed to be when we were commissioned as Second Lieutenants. I wanted to be an all-round soldier who had the strength and stamina, stand the harsh battlefield conditions and have the courage to lead my men into battles. I had visualised these even before I joined the Army.

I had taken a great interest in weapon handling and shooting. I'm not bragging but I'm proud to say that I was a marksman in rifle shooting and I was a champion in the pistol category during the 1967 Rifle Meet in the Royal Military College.

I carried this confidence with me when I was posted to 3rd Rangers after I passed out from RMC in 1969. My successes in battles with the communist terrorists spoke of my shooting skill. I shot at least 5 CTs. You will never realise how much confidence your shooting prowess and skill can give you. That was how I felt, everytime I went for jungle operations looking for the CTs.

I'm standing second from the right. Picture courtesy of Zamri Ismail.

It shows the Champion Team (Abdul Rahman Coy) in RMC's Rifle Meet 1967.

Poetry: In Honour of the Brave Iban Warriors.

POETRY: IN HONOUR OF THE IBAN WARRIORS

By

Lt Kol Robert Rizal Abdullah PGB

(In honour of the fallen Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers who had sacrificed their lives in the Insurgency War in Malaya from 1948 to 1960)

O Ye men of war!
Your name will live forever.
To you, courage is a virtue.
We are forever indebted to you.

You seek the path of danger.
Where death lurks spewing fear.
Behind every nooks, lurking.
Waiting to sever life’s string.


O Ye warrior most noble.
The bravest and most able.
Strength unparalleled and mind of steel.
Matched by swords tempered to kill.


Protected by the spirits and gods of war.
You marched forward without fear.
Firm in the belief you were right.
On you, weapons of evil have no might.


In battle, withdrawal was a weakness.
Come what may, march forward, nevertheless.
Your beliefs were your strength and victory.
We pray there are many more with your tenacity.


After 60 long years seemingly eternity.
You are coming home, finally.
By your deeds you had sown the seeds
For the world to know your courageous feats.


Rest thee well O noble warriors.
You had set a tradition most precious.
A legacy that your generations must live by.
A tenet of life that mustn’t die.

               End

This is it. The reburial of the remains of the Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers has been set for 27 July 2011 in Kuching. As the prime mover of this project, I have been asked to give a short speech and I hope to read this poem which I had written for the occasion.

The Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers - a Spiritual Encouragement

It is heartening to note that what I had written in my blog had affected the lives of many readers - in a positive way. I had wanted to make sure the exploits of the Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers are not forgotten and buried. They had played an important role in helping the Commonwealth forces in the war against the Communist Terrorists as trackers.

In the 12 years of fighting (1948 - 1960), 20 of them were killed in actions and another 25 wounded. One of them, Awang ak. Rawing earned the only George Cross awarded in the Malayan Emergency, a civilian version of the Victoria Cross.

It had been their brave exploits that had affected my life. I vowed to be a soldier. I got my wish granted and became a Ranger myself.  I tried to emuliate them and in the process had fought many battles with the Communist Terrorists in the 70s and 80s both in Malaya and Sarawak. On 11 October 1973, I attacked one of their camps in Kuching. I was awarded a Panglima Gagah Berani, an equivalent of a Military Cross of the British Army.

Since I embarked on Op Ngerapuh, now Op Mai Pulai in 2008, I had received many calls of encouragement and gratitude from fellow Sarawakians. Their feeling of gratitude had been my rewards. Now that this project is nearing completion, invited or not, I will witness the reburials of these brave men who had sacrificed their lives for this nation of ours.

A few days ago, one of the Ibans working with Petronas Carigali in Iraq had told me that he had been inspired by the exploits of the Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers that he had read in my blog. He took the challenge to work in Iraq, which was then at war. Their base had been bombarded with rockets and mortar fire every night. It was the spirit of his Iban forefathers that had kept him strong.

He read of my exploits too in my blog and had just ordered 3 of my biography, My Adventures, which I have just couriered to him in Iraq this morning.

My soldier, a bobby trap victim: lost and found.

In 1976, 3rd Battalion, The Malaysian Rangers was a part of a Divisional Group operating deep in South Thailand alongside the Thai Military Forces. Forty kilometres to be exact - in an area called Ban To.

The area showed signs of the presence of the Communist Terrorists (CTs): Terrains above 1000ft was said to be bobby trapped. Well-used tracks hugging the Malaysian-Thai Border existed. There were many spent rifle cartridges found in open spaces and well-used tracks. We were told the CTs used to shoot at the Royal Malaysian Air Force helicopters flying in the vicinity.

Towards the end of the joint operation, 3rd Rangers became the stay-behind party - all other forces were withdrawn from the area.

With the help of a Special Government Agent (SGA), I located the vegetable plot where the SGA used to work in from 0600 to 1900 hours daily. I scanned the surrounding area with my binocular and saw a few CTs climbing up a slope with sacks on their back. I knew there were CTs in a hut whose roof top was just visible from where I was about 600m on another ridge. I saw a sentry under a papaya tree looking the opposite direction.

I made a plan to attack them and called the rest of my "C" Company to rendezvous with me (I was actually on a reconnaissance patrol and had only 5 men with me). By the time we were ready, it was already quite late. After unsuccessfully trying to bear artillery fire on the target, I decided to "soften" the target area with my own company support weapons - a 60mm mor, a GPMG and a 40mm M79 Grenade Launcher. After about 5 minutes of heavy fire, I sent down a platoon to search the area. No CTs.

Early the next day, we swept and searched the area again. I heard a loud explosion and cringed at the thought that one of my men had stepped on a bobby trap. My fear was confirmed when I heard a shout. I went to the location and saw one of my men lying on the ground with his left foot shattered. Even after 3 jabs of morphine, he was still groaning in pain. An hour later, a helicopter came to pick him up and sent him to the nearest hospital in Penang. That was the last I saw of Ranger Amiruddin.                                                     

I met him yesterday (3 July 2011) at a get-together organised by a few of my ex soldiers - retired WO2 Asri Yusof and retired SSjn Mohd Mokhtar in Taman Ria, Sg Petani, Kedah. I couldn't even remember his name, let alone recognise him. It was not until our conversations had drifted to Operation Cahaya Bena in 1976 in South Thailand that somebody pointed him out to me. All these years, I had been trying to remember him but just couldn't. It had been a long 25 years.

According to him he was in GH Penang for 3 months. His left foot was amputated below the knee, immediately.

At the moment he is living solely on his pension. What are his hopes? Looking forward to the promise made by the former Defence Minister on an invalidity allowance for bobby trapped victims. Can the Government make good the promise? Let's hope this article gets to the right ears.

Rgr Amiruddin flanked by me on the left and my "batman" (retired WO 1 Azmi (RSM MTD)) during that operation.

Reunion at WO2 Asri's house in Taman Ria, Sg Petani, Kedah.

WO2 Asri is seated on the left.

The Letter that launched Operation Ngerapuh.

This was The Letter that launched Operation Ngerapuh, now renamed Operation Mai Pulai (a move to bring home the remains of the Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers killed in actions and buried in various parts of Malaya and Singapore). The heart-breaking picture of the road-side grave of a Sarawak Ranger killed in action against the communist terrorists at the height of the Malayan Emergency 1948 - 1960, moved me to take the necessary actions.

I saw and read the appeal in a blog. I immediately tried to do something worthwhile. It compounded me why the grave was left where it was. Nobody seemed to care and moved it to a more respectable and dignified location, befitting a soldier who had sacrificed his life to defend this country.

It dawned on me that if the Authorities were nonchalant about one grave, it could happen to the other 20 Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers graves in other parts of Malaya and Singapore. I decided to make a move to make Sarawak realised that her dead heroes are buried, scattered and neglected in Malaya.

In conjunction with my book launch by the Chief Minister of Sarawak on 6 November 2008 in Kuching, I prepared the necessary letter and documents that I intended to hand over to the Chief Minister when I briefed him on the situation.

I was pleasantly surprised when he agreed to my proposal to bring back the remains of the Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers to Kuching and rebury them in a Heroes Memorial. He gave me one term - that all next-of-kins must give their consents.

I set up a committee to do the necessary ground works and I travelled to Kuching quite often from my home base in Taiping, Perak.




The CM, Pehin Seri Abdul Taib Mahmud launched my books on 6 November 2008 in his office.

Discussing the issue with the CM and his Deputy Tan Sri Alfred Jabu ak. Numpang. Kanang ak. Langkau SP, PGB is on the right.






Immediately on my return from Kuching, I wrote a letter to Jabatan Hal Ehwal Veteran ATM (JHEV) about LKpl Ungkok's road-side grave. Four months later, JHEV exhumed and moved the grave to a Christian Cemetery nearby in full Iban tradition.  Thanks JHEV for the quick action.
                                                       

The "miring ceremony" - an Iban tradition.

The VIPs including Alor Setar's Mayor, JHEV's Director, Maj Gen Dato' Zulkifli, Kol Steven Mundaw in his capacity as a senior Iban military officer, Maj Monday Juhid Director of JHEV Sarawak Branch and yours truly.

Before

                                                 After



Moving Operation Ngerapuh Machinery

I had to garner supports for the projects. Luckily for me, I got acquainted with the Editor and officers of Sarawak's major daily paper, The Borneo Post. Through them, I had the project well publicised.



Forming a committee

Paid a courtesy call on YB Dato Seri William Mawan

(in the absence of Deputy CM, YAB Tan Sri Alfred Jabu)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Briefing Tan Sri Alfred Jabu on the project.

The first State-level meeting on Op Ngerapuh

chaired by the Deputy CM, YAB Tan Sri Alfred Jabu.

Me and my committee seen here with the Deputy Chief Minister, YAB Tan Sri Alfred Jabu.

                                         

Nation's Full Support

Then, on 23 February 2010, Operation Ngerapuh received the biggest boost. The Prime Minister, YAB Dato Seri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak during his visit to Sarawak announced his full support to bring the remains of the Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers home to Kuching. The task was now in the Federal Government's hands. The Army has been tasked to spearhead the move. A week later, I received a call from the acting Chairman of the Malaysian Rangers Corp, Brig Gen Dato Zulkifli Mansor in Ipoh, to brief him on what had happened.

Briefing Acting Rangers Corps Chairman, Brig Gen Datuk Zulkifli

on Op Ngerapuh / Mai Pulai. The Army has been tasked to take over

responsibility.

A Documentary film on the Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers in the making.

I think, it was worth the while. After highlighting predicaments and the exploits of the little-known Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers for the last 3 years, my efforts have finally began to bear fruits - the general public are more aware of the role and sacrifices these elite fighters had made during the Malayan Emergency 1948 - 1960.                  

A film production company by the name of "Million Frames Sdn Bhd" began to probe for leads and the right materials for their project on " The Iban Trackers". About a month ago they called and singled me out, after having located and read my blog. I would like to think, they were not wrong.

They had wanted to hook themselves to my plan to locate and interview as many of the 70-odd living members of this brave fighters as possible. But alas! I had to postpone it to after the fasting month, possibly in September 2011.

Anyway, while waiting for that trip to materialise, they coaxed the shy me into becoming an actor to relate all that I know about the Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers. The session started with the shootings in Taiping Lake Garden in the morning and towards late afternoon we went to Kamunting Christian Cemetery where there are 4 Sarawak Rangers graves. Here are some of the scenes:



Further shootings, my final parts, were done in Kapit on 23 and 24 September 2011. A pity, the team didn't follow me to Rh Ajai in Baleh, where I stayed for 2 nights and to watch the launching of the Baleh Rafting Safari race on 23 September 2011 as they arrived in Sibu a little late for the event.

Update 19 November 2011

Here is segments of the almost completed documentary film.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/47737731/iban%20trackers/OFFLINE%20IBAN%20PART%201_1.wmv

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/47737731/iban%20trackers/OFFLINE%20IBAN%20PART%202_1.wmv

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/47737731/iban%20trackers/OFFLINE%20IBAN%20PART%203-4_1.wmv