Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
— Winston Churchill, former prime minister of UK
It was the eve of Confrontation and the British Army was preparing for a massive incursion by enemy forces from across the border.
President Sukarno was determined to prevent the formation of Malaysia and the colonial power had to thwart the effort at any cost.
Early May 1963 — two months before Sarawak’s first cabinet was sworn in on Sarawak Day Independence Day — British army commander of the Borneo Security Forces Major General Walter Walker decided to form a native army of warriors called “Border Scouts”.
Their mission was to guard the porous 1,000-mile long common border between Sarawak and Kalimantan against incursions.
Sukarno had formulated a plan to unite the states of Borneo and had declared “war” under the guise of an Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation.
It started on December 7, 1962 when Partai Rakyat Brunei’s charismatic leader Sheikh AM Azahari led a revolt against the Sultan of Brunei. But it was quashed by British forces.
By September 1965, the 20,000-strong Sarawak CCO was renamed North Kalimantan Communist Party (NKCP) and was preparing to capture the Sarawak government.
With these events Walker’s Border Scouts were set in motion and instructed to guard the remote outposts.
The Border Scouts were tough legendary warriors — Sarawak Rangers honed by the Brookes and Iban trackers who helped the British quell the post-war Malayan Communist Emergency of 1948-1960.
During Confrontation, the Border Scouts defended Sarawak against a three-pronged attack — the NKCP, PKI’s armed terrorists and the Indonesian Border Terrorists (IBT) — with a loss of dozens of lives and injuries to many brave natives.
But the “undeclared war” with our neighbours ended when Confrontation ended with a peace agreement, leaving the NKCP to fight alone.
On October 21, 1973, the Sarawak government signed a peace agreement with NKCP’s secretary general Bong Kee Chok in Simanggang, but by then the war of attrition had left 45 Border Scouts dead.
In the first tragic incident at Long Jawe on September 28, 1973, nine Kenyah Border Scouts were maimed and tortured before they were killed. Their families were given meagre compensations of several hundred ringgit each.
The second major blow was when 14 Border Scouts were lured into a deadly riverine ambush at Ulu Ngemah where only two survived.
Retired Sarawak Special Branch head Datuk Lawrence Lim said: “It was a day of mourning for the families, colleagues and friends of the Border Scouts whose bodies were sent back to their respective longhouses.
“Had they come back with dead CTs (terrorists) they would have been hailed as heroes. Now they all have been forgotten.”
A year after the Ngemah incident, commander of Border Scouts Supt Ramsay Jitam handpicked my classmate Inspector Wilfred Gomez Malong to spearhead an elite unit called Special Branch Probing Unit (SBPU).
Gomez was based at their divisional headquarters at Rasom (Rajang Security Command) in Sibu under Supt Leo Ha Thian Luke and DSP Samson Juan.
On June 20, 1973, Wilfred and two of his men Sgt Moari and Cpl Andang made a pre-dawn attack on a large communist camp comprising 20 CTs, killed four and wounded several others.
Together with Moari and Andang, Gomez’s men Cpls Nyayang, Jampi, Endu and Serdin, won bravery awards and mentions for meritorious action.
Cpl Nyayang Angie won the Pingakat Keberanian, the third highest award for gallantry, in another incident on August 31, 1978.
He chased a terrorist with his parang, was shot in the back, but he managed to slash the CT to death.
Lim said the SBPU group was sent on covert search and destroy missions. Posing as farmers and ordinary folk, they would seek out the enemy in the remotest nooks and corners of the jungle.
The Border Scouts worked closely with their comrades in the Sarawak Police Field Force, Special Branch and Malaysian army who have pensions.
But the Border Scouts who were paid allowances, were left in the lurch. Today many are still frustrated that the government has favored some but forgotten many others.
Nearly all the numerous Border Scouts I have met and interviewed, including Nyayang, reminded me that they had been promised a token cash award of RM1,000 but until today have not received anything.
During Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s time, he had agreed to the token reward of RM1,000 each but after Pakatan Harapan came into power, the issue was swept under the carpet.
Said Lim: “Often, when the SBPU unit found an enemy camp they would take on the terrorists — instead of reporting back — and fight till the end.
“We must never forget the Border Scouts’ ultimate sacrifice.”
Ten years ago, Samson compiled the names of 727 Border Scouts who served under him, many of whom who had not received their compensations.
I have travelled to most of the border areas where these brave men served — at Sematan, Bau, Padawan, Tebedu, Lubok Antu, Belaga and as far as Ulu Baram and Ba Kelalan and it’s the same old story.
It’s time we own up and fulfil a promise.
As they saying goes, better late than never.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
