Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
With the breakdown of the Bangkok talks the Indonesians attempted to push back the recognized border by occupying and holding commanding hill features just inside Sarawak.
This captured Indonesian Terrorist is being escorted to the terminal building at Sibu airport in the Third Division, seems to have multiple light wounds. The soldier guarding him is carrying the prisoner's Sten Sub Machine Gun and web pouches. General Walker had leaflets dropped over the border area and approach routes, offering safe conduct to Indonesian and local guerrilas who chose to surrender"before you are killed by the Security Forces, or before you die of disease or starvation in the jungle.
On the 7th March 1964 a fierce action took place on Track 6 on the edge of the Kling-Kang range in the Second Division, two Gurkhas of the 2/10th Gurkha Rifles were killed as they approached an Indonesian position. The Indonesians withdrew, leaving one dead ( believed many were carried off) and plenty of booty, documents indicated that the camp held 40 men from the regular 328 Para Raider Battalion. Radio intercepts picked up 328 Battalion reports that they had a lot of dead and wounded and were in considerable difficulties. The reply from their Headquarters was brief and brutal, “Get on with it-there is plenty more where they came from!”
Some days later the Indonesians returned to the ridge some 16 miles to the east. This time Major Mayman, commanding A Company,2/10th Gurkha Rifles, who was supported by two Wessex helicopters firing French wire guided Nord SS11 missiles, a troop of 105mm pack howitzers from 70 Battery, royal artillery and the 76mm guns of the two Saladin armoured cars from the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars. Even so the Gurkhas had a hard fight to dislodge the Indonesians, who left two dead when they withdrew.
There were no fewer han 34 similar attacks along the border during the summer of 1964. In Operation “Sabre Tooth” the Gurkhas of the 2/10th hunted down a platoon strength (approx 36 men) of the so called Black Cobra Battalion, commanded by Major Audy Patawari, which had crossed the border at the end of March. The Cobras blundered into a Gurkha ambush which resulted in the loss of their packs containing food and ammunition. By April, 27 Cobras were very dead, out of the original 36. They were decimated by the Gurkha patrols.
On the 20th May 1964, President Sukarno boasted that he would crush Malaysia by the time the sun rises on the 1st January 1965. Reports came in of a steady build-up of Indonesian Marine Commandos and of Paratroopers in camps in Kalimantan, on the Sumatra coast opposite the Malaysian mainland and the Riau Islands south of Singapore.
Faced by this threat, General Walker received 51 Brigade of the strategic reserve, with it’s HQ and one Gurkha and two British battalions. Walker was now able to rotate and redeploy battalions. He established three brigade sectors, which were 99th Brigade of Gurkhas became West brigade with five battalions holding Kuching and three western divisions of Sarawak. 51 Brigade took over as Central Brigade, with two battalions holding the rest of Sarawak and Brunei. 5th Malaysian Brigade was based in Tawau, had three battalions defending Sabah as Eastern Brigade. Source : Britain's Secret War by Will Fowler.
The trackers and scouts employed by the British in Borneo and mainland Malaysia were of several distinct tribal groups and varied widely in appearance. Some like this warrior of the Penan tribe from the Fifth Division in Eastern Sarawak wore mostly native clothing, often simply a loincloth. He has been given a pair of khaki drill shorts, a single barrel 12 bore Remington action shotgun to replace his 8 feet blowpipe( although with the latter he could probably hit a coin at 30 feet) and and lod rifle charger bandolier to carry its cartridges. Unlike e.g the Iban, Sea Dayak and Kayan, the Penan do not seem to practice extensive tattoing but do stretch their earlobes and wear multiple bangles on their arms and legs. The elaborately woven black and white fibre hat, trimmed with hornbill feathers, is typical of this tribe.
They trade decorated mats with other tribes for items they cannot fashion themselves, such as this Sea Dayak "mandau", headhunter's sword secured by a woven belt. During the Confrontation some local scouts are alleged to have taken Indonesian heads, as they had done during the Malayan Emergency, officially though this practice had long ceased. Click on image to enlarge.
Image:The Malayan, North Borneo and Sarawak Police Field Forces and Special Branch played a major role in gathering intelligence. Here an Officer inspects a unit of about 20 Iban Border Scouts. These men are armed with .303 rifle No.5 Mk1 or "jungle carbine", which was issued to the Scouts in some numbers. This cut down weapon was unpopular with British troops for its vicious kick, muzzle blast and unreliable sights. At the far left, an NCO wears the "Border Scouts" shoulder title.
On the 28th September 1963 about 150 INDONESIAN Border Terrorists crossed into the Third division of Sarawak and attacked a small outpost at Long Jawai garrisoned by six soldiers from the 1/2nd Gurkha Rifles, 3 Policemen and 21 Iban Border Scouts. Under fire from automatic weapons and a 60 mmm mortar the garrison was forced to withdraw. Seven Iban Border Scouts were captured and later murdered. The Indonesians had scored a small victory, but were now 50 miles inside Sarawak. The Commanding officer of the 1/2 Gurkhas, The Imphal veteran, Lt Col Clements, MC, used FAA Wessex helicopters from 845 Naval Air squadron (NAS) to position ambushes on likely exit routes.
On the 1st October, the Gurkhas got their first payback, an ambush commanded by Lt Pasbahadur caught two Indonesian longboats and sank one, killing 26 Indonesians, from another ambush the radio sets from long Jawai were recovered, along with the 60 mm mortar. Survivors from the longboat ambush were later wiped out in another ambush on the 10th October, a staging area was also located two days later. Three Indonesians were also killed as they attempted to shoot down a helicopter operating close to the border. The Gurkhas tactics were to set the style for containment operations. Ambushes were set to catch Indonesians either on their way in or out for an attack, as they ran for the border. This meant the Indonesians raids were short in duration most of the time.
The British Lion Squealed Once....guess it will squeal again!!!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Image:The HMS Cornwall.
Remember this :Iran parades captured and blindfolded sailors on TV by Richard Norton-Taylor Wednesday June 23, 2004 from the The Guardian. The government's attempts to resolve a deepening diplomatic row with Iran over the capture of British sailors and marines were poised on a knife edge last night after a day in which two of the men appeared in blindfolds on Iranian television and apologised for entering the country's territorial waters. The British Lion did not roar, it actually squealed, "Our team of three boats and eight crew entered Iranian waters by mistake. We apologise because this was a big mistake," one of the men, who identified himself as Sergeant Thomas Hawkins of the Royal Marines, said, according to a translation of the Arabic voice-over provided by al-Alam satellite television news channel. Read the whole thing here.
The latest Friday, 23 March 2007, 13:31 GMT ,UK sailors captured at gunpoint. Fifteen British Navy personnel have been captured at gunpoint by Iranian forces, the Ministry of Defence says.The men were seized at 1030 local time when they boarded a boat in the Gulf, off the coast of Iraq, which they suspected was smuggling cars.The BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Robbins said the difference this time, and a cause of concern, is that the present Iranian government under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was much more hardline.In full, the latest on the captured British Lion !!
They actually capitulated to the Iranians, with the firepower available to them. They could have easily repulsed the Iranians. They choose to play mousey, "The publication Ships of the Royal Navy describes the historical role of frigates as "the eyes and the ears of the Royal Navy's main battle fleets."It says: "HMS Cornwall is equally capable of attacking targets in the air, on the surface, or beneath the sea, and is also a well-defended vessel." Description of the ship from whence the captured crew came from.
Remember? I had a daughter who aspired to go into a Public University for the course of her choice and failed to get it. Well, she is overseas now, not far away but in Singapore in a private college using very private monies, no scholarships or any handouts using the savings of my wife and me. I have not sold my house yet. Well, after using up our life’s savings it is very natural to get back some of it or at least a part of it. Hey, we have to live!
Remember my misfortune with a Government Department, the NRD, they still have not come back to me, I guess those ignoramuses are really illiterate that’s why they have yet to respond, and I am still “Confucius” and another Gomen Department. I had another brush with another Government Department, the ones who take care of our hard earned money for our old age (hari tua anda), the good old EPF KWSP.
Therefore I went and explored (conducted a recon) how to take out some of my EPF money. That was done in December 2006. They did warn me that the forms for the year 2007 would be different, if one were translate it; it meant more forms to fill, plus some of you need to flash your marriage certificate too!!! To show that your daughter is a legitimate byproduct of fusion with your wife!!! So in the year 2007 I got all the forms and got my daughter to send all the necessary documents from Singapore to prove that she was in a private institution. On my part I filled up all the forms, got verification for all the forms that they were certified true copies. A certain level of officers had to verify them. I met that criterion. I did my first dry run on the 16th January 2007. Well, my forms were not complete; I knew that, with the exception that my bank book was not updated. The lady at the counter told me that I was good enough to submit my application, for the withdrawal of my money from Account 2 of the EPF.
I submitted all my forms on the 23rd January 2007, everything was just nice and dandy, until the lady took out a memo asking me for “Surat Pengesahan Pendaftaran daripada IPTA” (letter confirming registration at a Public Institute of Higher Education), what the crap shit!@$#@! I explained nicely that my daughter was in Singapore and in a private Institution. I guess the lady’s explanation at the counter did not get through my thick skull, so she directed me to a male at another counter thinking I could be intimidated. I explained the same thing to that nut. He kept on insisting that I provide them with one.
My strongest point was the offer letter from the private institution in Singapore, a receipt of payment for the thousands of Sing dollars, an online Maybank transaction printout for the amount which I transferred from Malaysia. One cannot forge a printout like that. My daughter’s certs translated into English by a certified court interpreter with stamps from the court. I demanded to see a manager, they sent one.
A lady by the name of Suriati came to see me. She went through my documents and told me that they were in order. I asked her about the “Surat Pengesahan Pendaftaran daripada IPTA”, to which she replied it was meant for students in Public universities in Malaysia, those idiots! She gave an acknowledgement card with my application reference. I asked her to write her name down; she did along with an extension number, Ext 1218. I asked when I would get my money to which she replied that I would get it in 3 weeks time.
I left the building exhilarated thinking I would soon be getting my money back after paying 1 Ringgit for the parking. Oh, yes, the parking is an automated parking system.
21 days passed, no money, not even the color of the money. I called the number 04-2261000 Ext 2618; I called that number almost twenty times, I do not give up easily, I called the operator who gave me another extension, Ext 1222.This time a Mohd Zuri answered the phone. I asked him the status of my application, to which he replied that it was under process. He told me that I was mistaken and the application normally takes 3 to 4 weeks. Okay, fine, it is past 4 weeks=28 day plus 2 days. Thirty days to be exact and still “NO Money” today.
I started calling them at 04-2261000 alternating between Ext 2618 and Ext 1222. No one bothered to pick up the phones, it continued for a long time. I decided to drive down to the EPF Office, after waiting in a queue of 30 plus people, my number was called. This time I was told it would take a month plus, no specifics, just a month plus. I asked the guy at the counter why they gave me all the wrong information in the first place. He was lost for words and of course he was glad to see my back.
I went back and e-mailed them here enquiry@epf.gov.my on the 21st Feb 2007 @ 8 am. This is what I wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam, I submitted my application with all the relevant documents and forms to recover the fees paid to an Educational Institution in Singapore. I submitted my application on the 23rd January 2007. That was to send my daughter for further education. See subject matter for reference. I submitted my application in Penang. Today is exactly 30 days since my submission. I was informed by your staff, Puan Suriati that I would receive my money in 3 weeks. I later called a person on the expiration of the 3 weeks, in Penang, an Encik Mohd Zuri, who told me that it would take 4 weeks. If it is 4 weeks, it is way past all the time given by your staff. I would like a clarification on the status of my application and I want to know when I will receive my money. Here are my other particulars :
1. Nama: XXXXXXXX No. KWSP: XXXXXXXXXXX No. Kad Pengenalan: XXXXXXXXXX No. Telefon : XXXXXXXXX Nama Syarikat dan No. Majikan (sekiranya perlu) - XXXXXXXXX I would appreciate it, if you could kindly respond to this inquiry. Thank you. Regards Major (Rtd) D.Swami Meanwhile while I was at the EPF Office they were passing around flyers about their new “Scam-Semak Maklumat Melalui SMS Interaktif”. This is a money making avenue, I guess for the well connected, for the SMS service provider and the guys who printed the flyers at the expense of the contributors that is YOU and ME! Printed by of course, Jabatan Perhubungan Awam, KWSP.
I went back and called the EPF Office at the crappy so called, Call Management Centre (CMC) in Bangi, Selangor, the number is 03-87326000. Do not waste your time or money; it is another load of crap. When you call it this is what you get to hear, “Terima kasih kerana menghubungi pusat panggilan KWSP, panggilan anda akan disambungkan sebentar lagi” followed by an English version “Thank you for calling the EPF call centre, please hold we will attend to you shortly”. This is repeated 3 times in each language, interspersed with “hari tua song” and then it falls into an excuse mode, that there a lot of customers they are attending to and updating the systems and all the crappy excuses which one has not the patience to listen to. It happened every time I called. That was about 25 times.
I kept calling them until the 28th Feb 2007 but to no avail. On the 1st of March 2007, I went to the EPF in Ipoh. I was not given a number to queue, instead directed to see a Mr. Rosli or Mr. Zaidi. Well, I spoke to the Mr. Rosli who told me that it would take another two weeks!!! He gave me the excuse that the EPF was upgrading their systems. Plus that all my documents were being scanned to create a folder, meaning a soft copy on my application, I have got to give credit to this guy for his imagination. All of EPF’s slogans on being efficient and fast are just their imaginations too. When I told him about e-mailing them, he advised me not to as they would be too busy to respond to e-mails!!!!
I started calling the CMC again on the 5th March 2007 but bless my soul, no one answered or it is forever engaged. I have been calling them everyday since. I decided to try and call the Ipoh Branch that was on the 7th March 2007. It had been a good 44 days that had lapsed since I submitted my application. It was amazing that someone actually answered. I spoke to the operator about my predicament, the operator was most pleasant, and who directed me to a Cik Zaiton. I explained my problem to the lady, who gave me an encouraging reply that she would e-mail KL to find out the status of my application. She told me to call her back on the 14th March 2007. I asked why it would take that long after all it was an e-mail. To which she replied that she would be on leave on the Monday and Tuesday and to give time to the people in KL to reply. I went to work on the 12th March 2007, it was amazing, and they were working on a Sunday! That is, on the 11th March 2007, an e-mail was sent out to me at 4:12 PM. With the normal excuses, they were not as innovative as the guy in Ipoh with excuses. Here is their reply from after Enquiry@Jab Pentadbiran [Enquiry@epf.gov.my] after 19 frigging days, can you imagine it if I sent my query by the normal post:
Your e-mail refers.
We are extremely sorry that your application has not been approved as of to date. We have forwarded your case to our processing unit to hasten approval.
We also wish to inform you that our processing of applications has been delayed. Since the replacement of our IT system beginning this year there had been technical glitches which delayed the overall process and this resulted in back log of cases. We are now approving complete applications as fast as we can. The delayed response to your e-mail was due to the high volume of queries received.
The inconvenience caused is regretted.
Enquiry KM/
Who the hell cares for their two bit excuses!!! Remember EPF’s management were glamorizing themselves by saying it would only take shorter days to get the money and also that the dividends will be in by February, well February has come and gone. Nothing has happened!!! STOP making promises you cannot keep. While I am being stressed out by them, they successfully using YOUR and MY money bought over a part of the money losing bank RHB. On top of that they are going to buy over some crappy MAS building, which I think no one wants. Here I am sweating for my own legitimate money. If they have so many glitches why the f! #$ are there no glitches in acquisition of a stake in RHB bank and in the buying of the crappy MAS building, MAS has squandered millions of taxpayers money; it still wants to be bailed out by our pension funds.
I replied with a short and terse query on Mon 3/12/2007 8:38 AM: The attachments you sent to me did not get through. Therefore send it to my alternative mail. Pls give me a date when I can get my money. Regards
I doubt I would get a reply.
The 14th March 2007, arrived, with my heart pounding, I called Cik Zaiton at the Ipoh EPF office as instructed by her to call her back on the progress of my application on the 7th March 2007. I placed the call to 05-2420000 at sharp 0900 hrs, it did ring, and no one was picking it up. I tried calling until 1630 hrs the whole day, the same thing happened. It is now 51 days since I submitted my application.
I went to the Ipoh Office the following day, as my e-account stated that it was being processed in Perak. There were two kind ladies. They promised to look into my problem. One was Cik Zaiton and the Cik Dina. I left the office at approximately 0945 hrs. At around 1030 hrs I got a call from a Cik Faizah from EPF Hq stating that my application was incomplete. That I did not submit the offer letter from the Institute of Higher Learning!! I know I did as that is the most important document, without that document you cannot even submit the application. Those monkeys in EPF misplaced the documents. I had to photocopy the offer letter again had it verified at the Ipoh EPF Office. Cik Zaiton, who was kind to have it faxed with an e-mail to the people concerned. Just so that you readers know, the offer letter is the most important document, WITHOUT it the clowns at the EPF will NOT accept your application.
Today, the 19th March 2007 is the 56th day since my application. I have yet to receive anything.
On the 20th March 2007, I telephoned Cik Lina at the EPF Office in Ipoh, she assured me that she and Cik Zaiton were doing everything possible to solve my problem. In fact she said that she would call me by the end of the day. My hand phone had a problem, therefore I called using my line phone, I managed to contact Cik Zaiton, she told me to wait awhile , she checked and told me that my application had been approved, after 57 frigging days!! Further she told me that my money would be banked into my account by the 27th March 2007, hopefully, even she was not confident. Therefore it would have taken an amazing 2 MONTHS and TWO days to get your money!! This after so much visits and phone calls!!! I would like to give my sincere thanks to Cik Lina and Cik Zaiton of the Ipoh EPF Branch. They at all times were sincere in wanting to help me. They were customer friendly. I cannot say the same for those in Penang and Kuala Lumpur who steeped in a bed of bureaucracy, incompetence and inefficiency. I guess monkeys run some of the EPF offices.
Just that you know the sequence: 1. 23rd Jan 2007 submission of application. 2. 03rd Feb 2007 rejection of application for unknown reasons. 3. 5th Feb 2007 application under process. In the website it shows the date of application and approval as the 5th Feb 2007, how much more misleading can it be?
They cannot even process a simple application for an education refund and they want to run a bank. God help us all contributors as they have bought a stake, a BIG stake in RHB bank. Another bureaucratic nightmare brought to you by me, on the so called efficient government machinery.
One more thing I noticed about the EPF web page, try logging into EPF via the login at the sidebar, I will take my hats off to you if you are successful on your first try.
If you are skeptical try these numbers in Penang 04-2261000 Ext 1218 or Ext 1222 or better still, try the EPF Call Management Centre in Bangi, Selangor 03-87326000. Good luck to you all! Please feel free to publish or forward this e-mail to as many as possible, so that innocent contributors be aware of the goings on in the EPF.
13th November, 1963. At 10.22 hours (Sarawak time) two Mustang F51 fighters and one Mitchell I325 bomber made low runs, four minutes over TEBEDU in the First Division of Sarawak. Aircraft turned south towards the international frontier on the approach of two Defence Whirlwinds.
Image: Iban Border Scout attached to the 2nd Bn 10 Gurkha Rifles 1965. Image from Britain's Secret War by Will Fowler. Click on image to enlarge.
17th November, 1963. 08.50 to 09.15 hours (Sarawak time) one Mitchell B25 bomber and two Mustang F51 fighters. These aircraft dived to 100 feet over LONG RAPUNG, which is more than 20 miles from the international frontier on the Malaysian side, and then disappeared towards LONG BAWAN.
17th November, 1963. At 11.20 hours (Sabah time) one Mitchell I325 bomber and one Mustang F51 fighter circled the settlement of WALLACE BAY, which is on the Malaysian side of Sebatik Island at 2,000 feet and 100-700 feet, respectively, and then withdrew southwards.
17th November, 1963. One Mitchell B25 bomber plus two Mustang F51 fighters circled BARIO.
6th December, 1963. At about 09.00 hours (Sarawak time) one TU16 twin-jet medium bomber, crossed border, Stass area, at 8,000 feet circled KUCHING at 4,000 feet at a speed of approximately 400 knots. Later plotted radar bearing 220 degrees KUCHING, range 60 to 65 miles, heading 150 degrees. Reported recrossing border GUMBANG area.
7th December, 1963. At approximately 09.10 hours (Sabah time) one TU16 twin-jet medium bomber, dark-grey, no markings, circled town of TAWAU at 5,000-6,000 feet. Aircraft came from the west and disappeared to the west. Bomb bay doors were open.
8th December. 1963. Two helicopters, blue-grey, single rotor circled WONG PAU YAI (aproximately 10 miles south of SIMMANGGAN) at 800 feet then recrossed frontier.
19th January, 1964. At about 12.00 hours a Mitchell bomber flying about 500 feet circled LUBOK ANTU, SARAWAK with bomb doors open. Aircraft crossed the border at WONG TANGAI.
96 Indonesian Paratroopers conduct a raid on Labis
Men from the 1/10 Gurkha Rifles - note white recognition sign on hats. They bring in one of the 96 Indonesian paratroopers dropped near Labis, Malaysia on the night of 1/2 September 1964. He appears to be wearing plain olive drab. The other prisoners wore camouflage uniforms. The Gurkha battalion accounted for 51 of the raiders. Extract from "Britain's Secret War', by Will Fowler.
Left : Gurkha soldiers in Malaysia (Click on image to enlarge. Image from Britain's Secret War by Will Fowler)
3rd January, 1964. 23 enemy were reported to have landed on Friday night,the 3rd of January from a"kotak" (boat) on the coast, in the lower REJANG of Third Division, SARAWAK. The party led by an Indonesian army Sergeant consisted of 10 Indonesians and 13 Sarawak local Malaysian who had crossed the border into Indonesia for military training.Acting on information a party of Security Forces tracked the gang and contacted eight enemy and attacked them shortly after 17.00 hours on 7 January. 1964. Three enemy were killed, four captured and one missing. Two of the captured enemy were badly wounded. The remaining 15 enemy were at large. Weapons captured were one LMG, one sten gun, two armalite rifles. Three Security Forces other ranks were wounded.
7th January, 1964. At 11.00 hours. enemy about 35 strong, tried to break through a cordon by Security Forces : 11 enemy were killed, one enemy was wounded and captured but unfit for interrogation. The enemy leader was a KKO Sergeant. It is estimated that eight enemy were still in the area and 15 enemy were about 1 mile to the West. One LMG, two SMCs’ two SLR, eight Mark IV rifles and equipment were recovered. WAYANG, leader of Nl /N2 Detasemen (Detachment) destined for TAWAU and SEMPORNA was thought to be dead. A document recovered revealed enemy passwords for 4 January-one KKO identity disc was found mnrkcd ‘KKO AL NRP 623800’.
8th January, 1964. On the night of 718 January, two groups of enemy, one 12 strong and one six strong made five attacks on Security Forces positions in the ULU TATULIT area in attempt to break out of a cordon by Security Forces. One Security Forces other rank was killed and one wounded. Enemy casualties were not known, The enemy used hand grenades.
10th January, 1964. One enemy surrendered at 15.00 hours at SUNGAI SIMANDALAN. Two wounded enemy were captured by Security Forces. One wounded enemy later died. Two No. 4 rifles, one sten gun, ammunition and food were recovered. The surrendered enemy was SABULLAH BIN HASSAN of ‘W’ Detasemen. Some ‘W‘ Detasemen enemy in area were making rafts to withdraw to NUNUKAN, though their original target was SANDARAN in SABAH.
15th January, 1964. At 10.00 hours on 15 January about 20 enemy attacked a patrol of Security Forces. There were no casualties. Three packs were recovered, one belonging to a certain KADIR of Nl Detasemen (Detachment). An insignia‘PRAMUKA W’ was also found.
1964: Lt Col Kellway-Bamber, CO of 1st Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, inspects Border Scouts attached to his Alpha Comapany. These Ibans are fully uniformed and equipped, and armed with SLRs; the man at the far left has a tribal tattoo emerging from under his shirtsleeve and the word "Iban" on his forearm. The initial Border Scout programme was frustrated by political and financial difficulties and the recruitment of the wrong men (by no means are all tribesmen born warriors). They were steadily improved by the energetic commitment of Major John Cross, an experienced 7th Gurkhas Officer, who was hand - picked by General Walker, this veteran soldier produced impressive results by early 1965.
After the battle, Persian King Xerxes secretly buried most of the Greek dead and all but 1,000 of his own slain, in order to conceal from his army just how few men had held up his progress for so long.
The kind of review is this: I’m talking, of course, about 300, a gory retelling of the Spartans’ defense at Thermopylae, which has got the whole town buzzing, and not just about its first-weekend grosses. Is it an ode to Riefensthalian fascist militarism? A thinly veiled attack on the Bush administration‘s insane war-mongering? Or is it something else?
Help me out here, because I’m having trouble wrapping my mind around a few things: When, early in the film, a sneering Persian emissary insults King Leonidas’s hot wife, threatens the kingdom, and rages about “blasphemy,” the king kicks him down a bottomless well. And yet nobody in Sparta asks, “Why do they hate us?” and seeks to find common ground with the Persians on their doorstep. Why not?
The Spartans mock the god-king Xerxes (whose traveling throne resembles a particularly louche Brazilian gay-pride carnival float), mow down his armored “immortal” holy warriors clad in nothing but red cloaks, loincloths, and sandals, and generally give their last full measure to defend Greek civilization against superstition and tyranny. Where are the liberal Spartan voices raised in protest against this blatant homophobia, xenophobia, and racism? In full here from the National Review.
Here is a bit of History.
The Greeks' courageous stand at the mountain pass had hardly even slowed Xerxes' advance. Four days of waiting and three days of fighting -- Leonidas' heroism had bought only one more week for his compatriots. Athens, all but abandoned, was soon sacked.
And yet Thermopylae was not a total failure. The invading army had been bloodied -- badly, if Herodotus is to be believed -- and it must have had some effect on Persian morale. The battle's influence on the Greeks was indisputable. When the war was over -- for Greece did finally defeat the Persians -- they established holidays commemorating Thermopylae and erected memorials over the battlefield. "Four thousand men from Pelops' land/against three million once did stand" read one. Another celebrated Leonidas and his 300 men: "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by/that here, obeying their commands, we lie."
Thermopylae thus acquired a significance that transcended its tangible military impact. In the end, the battle's value lay not in land gained or lost or in men killed or captured, but in inspiration. The Spartans and Thespians had taught Greece and the world an enduring lesson about courage in the face of impossible odds. In full....
An Indonesian Border Terrorist Captured by the Cross Border Scouts
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Image shows an Indonesian Border terrorist is brought into a helcopter Landing Zone, probably at Nangga Gaat in Sarawak's Third Division, by three less formally dressed Border Scouts, armed with single-barrel 12 bore shotguns and of course their "duku ilang". These are formidable Iban Warriors against the better armed Indonesian Terrorists, they bested them always. Many Indonesian heads too were taken by them when not captured.
The Cross-Border Scouts, a force of 40 specially selected Iban tribesmen, was raised by the SAS in the summer of 1964. They were trained by Major John Edwards of A Sqn, who led them until the end of the hostilities.
From August 1964 they were active in Western Sarawak and it was their reports of numerous Indonesian soldiers in villages around Bemban across the border in Kalimantan that identified these kampongs as staging posts for cross-border raids into the First Division.
Another spin for Hishamuddin by Chinese apologists.
This is in the hope of getting scraps thrown down to them. MCA has actually lost a significant amount of votes after the last UMNO General Assembly. They think that by spinning Hishamuddin's extremist agenda as a non issue, paint brushing him as a reasonable person they would get back their lost votes. In fact most voters Chinese and Non-Chinese alike do not trust the spins. They have only contempt for these Chinese apologists. We know that elections are around the corner with this spins picking up pace. Thank god for the internet.
The Star's columnist JOCELINE TAN has been spinning ever since the last UMNO meeting shamelessly. Here are some extracts: "More importantly, he gave his assurances on a number of key areas in Chinese education:
· THE government would not close down Chinese schools;
· NO objections to building new Chinese schools but the priority would be to relocate poorly enrolled schools to areas of high demand;
· RESOLVING the shortage of Chinese school teachers and
· IMPROVING the standard of Chinese primary schools.
“It went down well with the community as a whole although some of us prefer to wait and see,” said Tang Ah Chai, CEO of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.
“What he said in the interview cleared a lot of doubts that parents and educationists had about government policy on Chinese schools,” said Sin Chew group chief editor Siew Nyoke Chow. Well, you cannot believe these , as seeing is believing. Okay, just build 20 Chinese Schools now, before the elections, then and only then should the Chinese or others believe him. The elites are not short of spinmeisters. In fact if he has them built do not vote for him or any of the BN wallahs, as no one has shown any remorse, they have only been trying to desperately justify their extremist actions and words, thus far.
It was apparently the most comprehensive statement that Hishammuddin, now into his third year as Education Minister, has made on these fundamental issues. Read the whole sickening spin here. It is Hishamuddin who should be apologising NOT the Chinese community. Instead the Chinese political elite come out apologisng for him. He has shown no remorse. Remember the "Leopard never loses it's spots"!
Bush Derangement Syndrome over the movie 300, a review by Star
....it's titled Facism by a S.B TOH. Here is the "derangement", "In a world presided over and wracked by neo-cons and a delusional American president who now has modern-day Persia (Iran) in the hairline, 300, while mindless, can hardly be seen as mere entertainment, free of odious ideology or bigotry." He is writting a review on the movie 300. Here are his rants in full. Guess nowadays people who write reviews have to write showing their derangement to score points with their readers. This is history adapted by a comic book. So what do you expect. It is just a frigging movie! People who do movie reviews should not make political statements, if their knowledge of history is just a scratch on the surface. Political analyists they are not, just write them damn reviews, after all the column he is writting for is on movies.
Here is a write up on it by a historian:"But most importantly, 300 preserves the spirit of the Thermopylae story. The Spartans, quoting lines known from Herodotus and themes from the lyric poets, profess unswerving loyalty to a free Greece. They will never kow-tow to the Persians, preferring to die on their feet than live on their knees.
If critics think that 300 reduces and simplifies the meaning of Thermopylae into freedom versus tyranny, they should reread carefully ancient accounts and then blame Herodotus, Plutarch, and Diodorus — who long ago boasted that Greek freedom was on trial against Persian autocracy, free men in superior fashion dying for their liberty, their enslaved enemies being whipped to enslave others." In full here.
Killings by Indonesian Border Terrorists and Charlie Company, 3rd Royal Malay Regiment's Casualties month of December 1963
Saturday, March 10, 2007
12 December, 1963. At 21.30 hours, about 10 men in jungle hat and olive green uniforms with round white insignia on left sleeve, raided a shop and stole foodstuffs. A patrol of Security Forces found enemy observation post and a camp estimated for about 100 men in the area on the north side of SUNGAI SERUDONG. The enemy observation post overlooked Security Force Platoon position on the south side of the river. Footprints were found only in camp. The raiders also stole the shop owner’s radio and kidnapped two Muruts who later escaped. Enemy whereabouts were not known. It was possible that they were on the move.
Image: Our Enemy!! Click on image to enlarge. Image from Will Fowler's Britain's Secret War.
15 December, 1963. The village of KALABAKAN is situated on a river approximately 30 miles northwest of TAWAU and 12 miles north of the Indonesian Border. On the 29 December, 1963, Security Forces (SF) positions in this area were:
(a) One Police Field Force post wired in and sand-bagged, holding fifteen policemen. (b) One temporary Military post consistng of two huts with trenches along side one hut. This post held No. 1 platoon, two sections of No. 10 platoon and C Company Commander of 3rd Royal Malay Regiment. This position was not wired in. These posts were 400 yards apart sited on a hillside overlooking the track and river. The enemy force believed to be about 130 moved from a camp in KALIMANTAN in mid-December, 1963; visited SERUDONG on 21 December, 1963 and after raiding a shop moved to SELIMPOPON. On 26 December, 1963, they shot a boar at TERAKAN and then moved to TECK GUAN’S timber camp near KALABAKAN where they rested during the night 28/ 29 December. The enemy force comprised the following detachments :
(a) Nl Det. Led by BENNY (a sergeant of the Korps Komando Operasi--Indonesian Marine Commandos) and Hendrik (a member of the Sukarelawan-‘Volunteers of the North Kalimantan Revolutionary Army'). (The Sukarelawan were trained by the KKO at Nunakan in November/December, 1963). Nl’s objectives were Tawau, Lahad Datu and Semporna. It had eight KKO members in its ranks. Its strength is 45-50. (b) N2 Det. Led by Wayang (later killed) had a strength of approximately 37 men which included 15 members of the KKO. Its objectives were Tawau and Semporna. (C) WI Det. Led by Lasani (killed later) had a strength of about 34 men. Its objective was Sandakan. (d) W2. Led by Buronto(a KKO Sgt.) had a strength of about 30 men. This group was also heading for Sandakan.
The enemy attack developed from two axis. The first group moved along the high ground to the NORTH and worked down the ridge on which the Malay position was sighted. They fired bursts of small arms fire into the two huts of 3rd Royal MALAY, followed by throwing grenades, which accounted for the majority of the Security Force Casualties. Firing at this position commenced at 20.55 hours and ended at 23.00 hours (approx.) A section left at the top of the ridge, moved down the west shoulder rifling houses as they went, chiefly for loot and food.
The second group moved off the ridge, went NORTH of the police station and attacked the police station at 21.05 hours until 23.00 hours. The police corporal had managed to get 19 Home Guard and police into the compound before the attack developed. The enemy threw grenades at and over the wire and attempted to scale the wire fence. Malay or Murut voices could be heard guiding them.
At about 22.30 hours some of the enemy stopped a civilian land-rover which was being driven into KALABAKAN. The local labourers in the vehicle failed to debus quickly enough and the enemy opened fire, killing one and wounding another. The enemy kidnapped three of the occupants of this vehicle and made use of them as guides.
Subsequently found enemy documents confirm that one enemy was killed and four wounded. Security Forces suffered eight killed (including the Malay Company Commander, a Major) and 19 soldiers wounded. One civilian was killed and one wounded. The enemy instructed the local guides to take them to BERENTTAN (about IO miles NE of KALABAKAN) through the jungle, Three of the wounded enemy were instructed to return to NUNAKAN but their uniforms were first removed. At this time the enemy had large quantities of rice-presumably part of the food taken from the shops in KALABAKAN and morale was high but discipline was beginning to slack off.
Immediately after the KALABAKAN attack, Security Forces were reinforced to carry out ‘follow-up’ operations. The first contact was at 00.45 hours on 30 December, when Security Forces moving up the KALABAKAN river intercepted an enemy "perahu" (boat). The enemy escaped on being challenged but a quantity of enemy documents and equipment were recovered.
Enemy plans to infiltrate and attack targets further into the interior of SABAH were disrupted by Security Forces operations. The enemy also suffered from a shortage of food and their knowledge of the area in which they were operating was limited. Enemy casualties by 10 February, 1964, amounted to: 29 killed, 22 surrendered, 33 captured, which included the following KKO casualties: 8 surrendered, 1 killed, 2 captured.
Direct Indonesian involvement has been confirmed from captured personnel, documents and equipment. The INDONESIAN authorities instructed the force to live off the land once they were in MALAYSlAN territory and also get their food supplies from shops in the many small villages by purchase or even looting. But this was made impracticable by Security Forces operations, so much so that the enemy were forced to try and withdraw to KALIMANTAN. Interrogation of captured/ surrendered enemy personnel and recovery of enemy documents and equipment immediately after the KALABAKAN raid have brought to light the following:
((1) Eleven KKO (KORPS KOMANDO OPERAST-INDONESIAN MARINE COMMANDOS) eliminated--one killed, two captured and eight surrendered. Interrogation of the captured and surrendered KKO indicates that about 31 members of the KKO took part in this enemy operation-the incursion into TAWAU Residency and the attack on KALABAKAN. (2) Enemy weapons recovered were FN rifles, FN LMGs, 50 MM mortars, bombs and grenades. Most of these had the INDONESIAN Army Ordnance stamp on them. (3) Enemy clothing and equipment recovered also shows that the enemy force was equipped with INDONESIAN Army kit. This kit was a mixture of that issued to TNI and KKO.
31 December, 1963. 10 TNKU (TENTERA NASIONAL KALIMANTAN UTARA or the NATlONAL ARMY OF NORTH KALIMANTAN) were seen in the West Brigade area at 15.00 hours on 31 December. A Security Forces follow-up was launched. On I January, 1964, at 15.00 hours a further follow-up by a small patrol of Security Forces and trackers contacted the enemy at GR 904034 estimated to be 75 strong. The Security Forces took up defensive position and were attacked three times before making a tactical withdrawal. A Security Forces corporal was killed and his body was recovered. Five enemy were killed, but bodies were not recovered. The following were found near the area of contact which appeared to be used as ammunition dump :
(I) 1 armalite rifle and ammunition. (2) 1 X 3.5 inch rocket launcher and rockets. (3) 1 x 2 inch Czech rocket launcher and grenade. (4) 12 sticks of plastic explosives. (5) 1 .45 Colt Revolver. (6) 1 large pack and fighting order note book, containing diagrams of BAU and KROKONG.
1 January, 1964. Security Forces destroyed an enemy Machine-gun post astride the border at 15.30 hours. On 1 January, 1964, in the region of BA KELALAN two enemy were killed and two others wounded. There were no Security Force casualties.
Cross Border raids by Indonesian Border Terrorists into Malaysia for the months of November and early December1963
14 November, 1963. A TNKU (Tentera Nasional Kalimantan Utara---an Indonesian backed force the so-called (‘Freedom fighters’) unit of 22 men armed with rifles, stens, grenades and with at least one bren gun were in the border area near TELOK MELANO. The same group on the 26 October, five of the gang visited a trading post in TELOK MELANO, armed with a bren gun, two sten guns and two rifles. A local Chinese house was ransacked.
Left: Image from "Britain's Secret War by Will Fowler- Illustrated by Kevin Lyles. Click on image to enlarge.
26 November, 1963 At 2100 hours in Ba Relalan an enemy group estimated three or four strong exchanged fire with Security Forces Observation Post. One soldier received bullet graze and operation party withdrew 800 yards to main positions reaching it at 21.50 hours. Security Forces then mortared the operation area. A daylight follow-up patrol found some enemy bullet holes in trees, and tracks leading to border.
2 December, 1963. The location of enemy in SUNGAI (RIVER) TEMALASOK area was not known but on 12 December, 1963 a patrol of Security Forces found the following kit near Kuala TEMALASOK:
(1) Eight rounds Indonesian 50 MM Mortar bombs in metal containers. (2) Three empty cartons which contained 31 rounds of .303 ammunition, 16 of them in magazine fillers. (3) Three pairs studded leather TN1 ankle boots. (4) Two tin mugs and two round mess tins with names YAPLY and R TARORE scratched on; (5) Two U.S.A. 1945 olive green packs containing documents. The documents were of no military significance and (6) One cigarette carton, as issued only to TNI.
Memoirs from The Borneo Confrontation Years 1962-1966
Friday, March 09, 2007
Contributed by Keith Scott
"To the People (and the wildlife) of the Land Below the Wind", 'a thank you from an old soldier'
One of Us
(A Personal Journey)
"To see the world in a grain of sand,and heaven in a wild flower, to hold infinity in the palm of your hand,and eternity in an hour". -- William Blake from "The Auguries of Innocence".
"Homo sum, humani nil e me alienum puto".-- Anon
("I am a man, nothing human is foreign to me")
To my mates, and all the other fellow 'Jungle Bunnies' and 'Swamp Rats' that I met, to those that have gone before, and those who one way or another will surely come after. Take care dear hearts, I wish you well.
I shall be 60 soon I said to myself as I carried on shaving, watching the hot water strike the cold enamel and creating clouds of steam. Considering what I like others were once a part of, life and all it can throw at you hasn't been all that bad.. I look at my reflection in a steamed up mirror at a much younger man dressed in jungle green and ask in the third person, well what about you?
The younger man of forty years before replies, "Well you haven't been back to Borneo have you? Considering the effect it has had on your life, I would have thought at least one trip is in order if only as an acknowledgement of the inner strength you now find you have at your disposal".
Thirty years before, when in uniform, I had some personal effects stolen from my heavy baggage when it was in rear party stores. I was extremely angry about that, because some of those items were valuable, were destined as presents for my family, and others had a value of another kind. A few years back, I received a parcel with a London postmark. In it were some photograph albums I had all but forgotten about. There was a short letter with them too. It said, "sorry I took those things, it's taken me a long, long, time to realise that of all the things some people tend to collect and keep, photographs are in a sense the most valuable of all". Think about that dear hearts, clearly someone had spent a great deal of time and effort over many years trying to locate me just to say "sorry". Morever, they had kept my albums all those years.
The effect of this was something so complete that I had this vision of a younger man in jungle green, not so much as someone directly observed, but as the face and figure of someone who had crept up silently behind me and was looking over my shoulder into a mirror where his reflection joined mine on that quicksilver surface. I had a feeling then, which I have always had in a sense but which has grown more profound over the years that everything is much more at a given moment that it appears to be and than we can conceive. Continued here...
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Unity and National Service has rejected a proposal from committee member Fong Po Kuan to suspend the National Service (NS)training programme. Malaysiakini-subscription required. Why am I not surprised? This will be not be done away with soon, as doing away with it means no more gravy train for the elite.
Since the NS scheme was started in 2003, a worrisome number of casualties and deaths amongst trainees has occurred, totaling 19 in all. For the sake of comparison, all young males of Taiwan (with population of 23 million) undergo a full military national service training programme for two full years of service. The training methods and regime are much tougher than our three-month NS programme. Yet, with such a vast number of youngsters undergoing military-style training, serious casualties are few indeed and very much lower there than our figures. Ditch NS programme now before more die
Like I said before, it can only be stopped via elections.
One knows when elections are around the corner.........
When Party president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting lauds Education Minister Datuk Kerismuddin.... ooops.... Hishamuddin Tun Hussein’s comments in an interview with Sin Chew Daily was very positive. He is actually spinning for this guy to paint him as a nice guy conveniently forgetting the last UMNO General Assembly. The people should not be allowed to forget.
When corrections are done : Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said: “Over the past seven years, MCA has helped some 1,500 10A1 students to obtain scholarships. Almost half of them have graduated ...” “... but some opted to remain overseas.”
When The PSD spins this,"The awarding of scholarships this year would continue to focus on critical areas such as dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, veterinary science, engineering, science and technology and other social science courses required by the public service and country, Hasniah said". Most of us experienced something else.
Indonesian attacks across the border for the month of October 1963
2 October, 1963. Two grenades were thrown at the watchman’s hut on the Jakar Bridge south of Sarikei. There was no casualty.
16 October, 1963. Security Forces contacted Indonesian enemy at NANGGA BIRU in Sarawak. One other rank (ours) and one enemy were killed. One sub-machine gun (SMG) was recovered from the enemy.
17 October, 1963. Security Forces ambushed and shot dead two Indonesian enemy at MENTADEK. One enemy was armed and the other was in uniform. The incident occurred at 10.30 hours. One of them was a Javanese with Identity Disc 1619 and has been identified as SOETANTO a junior ofticer or Sergeant Major in the KKO (Korps Kommando Operasi-the Indonesian Marine Corps). One -32 calibre pistol and a sketch of an unidentified military camp were recovered.
19 October, 1963. At 15.00 hours an ambush by Security Forces killed one and wounded two Indonesian enemy with no casualty on their side in the West Brigade area, Sarawak. The two wounded and another enemy escaped. One MMG, 800 rounds of ammunition, one sten-gun, eight hand grenades and nine MM ammunition were found at the ambush position.
24 October, 1963. At 09.30 hours Security Forces opened fire on two Indonesian enemy at GR 048017 in the West Brigade Area of Sarawak. A follow-up party of Security Forces captured one enemy carrying twenty-four 36 grenades. A further follow-up party killed two enemy on the 26 October and one on 27 October, 1963.
Items of arms and equipment captured included the following : (a) Two -303 rifles, (b) One sten-gun, (c) One LMG barrel, (d) Ten 2-inch mortar bombs, (e) Eight 36 grenades, (f) Three hundred -303 rounds of ammunition, (g) Three hundred and twenty-four 9 MM rounds, (h) Maps and traces which included a detailed sketch map of SIMANGGANG. Reports received from army experts proved that these captured arms were of recent Indonesian manufaclure. 29 October, 1963. At 03.00 hours a shop house near Kampong LACHAU was burnt down by the Indonesian enemy. Tracks were found leading south to the border. No loss of lives were reported.
If there is to be no National Service, elections are the hope of those against the National Service which is being stubbornly carried on for the monetary gain of a few. Here is a letter from the Star.Whatever Lee Lam Thye says anytime soldiers or that matter ex-soldiers get involved, it becomes a 'Boot Camp". Soldiers when they run courses automatically have their inner sense of making everyone tough and to give the course a "reputation". You need Scout Masters and Girl Guide Mistresses to run a "Non Boot Camp".
Sunday March 4, 2007
Hold them accountable The locations of the national service camps are in jungles scattered over several states. Students are intentionally kept isolated and parents are discouraged from making contact with them. Ironically, the parents are required to absolve all claims of indemnity toward the camp commandants.
The NS and its activities are out-sourced to event contractors. They are not military organisations and are not answerable to any regulations and, regretfully, not accountable for any negligence. The camp commandants’ and wadens' lackadaisical attitude towards the students’ well-being, and subdued response to any complaints suggest more accidents are waiting to happen.
There are no full time doctors in these camps and the MOs are not qualified to dispense antibiotics. Sick and weak students do not get any sympathy from the wardens.The camp administration refuses to recognise regimented procedures that require students to undergo proper clinical examinations and fitness certification before participating in strenuous activities.
Children who fall sick need to prove that they are really sick to get proper medical attention.NS defaulters are threatened with huge fines (huge since the students are not financially independent) and jail terms (equal to that meted out to criminals) but the commandants’ get away unscathed when students under their charge die.
The well being of the students is not taken seriously. When students are dehydrated and start to be lethargic during training they are reprimanded rather than given medical help. Camps may be regulated, but accountability of camp commandants toward their charges is seriously deficient.
Not a single commandant has been indicted for negligence amounting to manslaughter. Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, if your organisation is serious about revamping the NS camps, the commandants and wardens must be made to realise that they are accountable for the safety of the students.
