Indonesian infiltrators captured near the Kesang River by Australian troops

After the 2nd world war, the colonial government sent 2,000 “Iban Trackers” who left the shores of Sarawak in 1948 to fight the communists in Malaya. Needless to say, Sir Gerald Templer praised the Sarawak natives saying: “The Ibans are the world’s best jungle trackers!”

In fact, Sarawak produced the only Malaysian Datuk Awang anak Raweng to win the coveted George Cross. Right through the Malayan Insurgency of 1948-1960 and Confrontation of 1962-1967, Sarawak’s Border Scouts fought side-by-side with not only the British army but also the commonwealth troops from Australia and New Zealand.

Initially a training centre was established in at Ba Kelalan at the foothills of Mt. Murud in the 5th Division and staffed mainly by SAS. Border Scouts were attached to infantry battalions and had to be developed into an intelligence gathering force. With their local knowledge and connections through the extended longhouse communities and villages, the Border Scouts could be a very effective unit.

These farmers, retired soldiers and ordinary civilians who were our front liners just before Independence. Confrontation started after the abortive Brunei Rebellion followed by the Limbang Insurrection. The British realized that it was going to be a long haul if the Limbang rebels, described as “the most ruthless core of the TNKU” were anything to go by.

If there was anyone who could match the Indonesians and natives of Borneo, it had to be the Gurkhas. On December 19, 1962, days after killing of four British commandoes during the Limbang rebellion, Major General Walter Walker of the 17th Gurkha Division in Nepal and commander of the British Forces in Borneo, was sent in to help. Walker’s counterpart was Indonesia’s Lieutenant General Zulkipli, who had 1,500 Indonesian irregular officers and the elite BRIBOB or mobile brigade which is equivalent to the Sarawak Police Field Force.

However, it had to be put off until Independence was declared. They were put under the command of Major John Cross, a Gurkha officer with the SAS (Special Air Service) training, who had attained immense jungle experience during the Emergency in Malaya. During Confrontation at least 30 commonwealth troops were killed in a RAF air crash in upper Baleh which killed 16 as well as skirmishes with terrorists in First (Kuching, Serian and Bau), Second (Simanggang) and Third (Binatang, Sibu, Kapit and Belaga) divisions.

But we should not forget two tragic incidents almost 21 Border Scouts fell at the hands of terrorists nine at Long Jawe, Ulu Belaga in 1963 and Ngemah in Kapit in 1970. The most dastard killing took place on September 27, 1963—11 days after the formation of Malaysia--when seven Kenyah Border Scouts were captured and tortured to death.