Despite Sarawak’s gain its independence in July 22, 1963 and formed Federation of Malaysia together with Federation of Malaya and North Borneo, Sarawakians’ contribution for the fight of Independence in Malaya begin as early as 1948. Malaya was under communist threats at that time, with the terrorist seems to have the upper hand in jungle warfare, it’s about time that the British recruited another master of the jungle to fight these bandits as well.
Having lived in jungle environment for hundreds of years, the indigenous people of Iban in Sarawak was seen as an appropriate option to do the job. And so, thousands of Iban men were recruited and sent to combat in hot spots accross Malaya. One of them was Awang anak Raweng, the only Malaysian recipient of George Cross during the 12 years conflict which end in 1960.
While tracking the communist terrorist in Kluang on May 27, 1951, he and his patrol were ambushed by some 50 well-armed communist terrorist. During the fierce firefight which have already killed several of the patrol members, Awang managed to rescue a Private named Griff Hughes. Awang, however, was hit on the left thigh and right forearm during the process.
Despite his injuries, Awang remain firm and continue fighting until reinforcement came. While defending his injured colleague, Awang has managed to shot dead several communist insurgents.
Awang was lucky as 21 other Iban Trackers did not came back from their service in Malaya alive. Being buried for many years in various cemetery across the Peninsular Malaysia, their remains were exhumed in 2011 and returned to Sarawak as part of Ops Mai Pulai (Operation Home Coming). They were reburied at a cemetery behind St Joseph’s Cathedral in Kuching, near the World War II Heroes Memorial.
Post time 5-9-2019 10:24 PMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
Mod @noraidil_06 boleh tak pindah ke bod HML syg la kalau benang ni tenggelam kat dlm CI.. Tak byk dari org Malaysia tau sumbangan besar Sarawak Ranjer masa Malaya hadapi darurat dan konfrontasi Malaysia Indonesia.
@cmf_shalom aku minta tukar ke bod HML.. Mesti ramai yg baca dan komen.. Aku suka thread ang ni tau.. Tqqqq..
tp zaman tu amerika/british/ostolia sebenarnya suka kan?
It's now nearly 70 years since the end of World War II and much is forgotten about attitudes of the day.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott might choose to recall the honoured place Australians gave Japanese submariners killed in the attack on Sydney Harbour, but that was not the dominant feeling. During and after the war the Japanese were portrayed as evil, cruel tyrants, justifying any action against them.
In this climate, and just to our north, allied soldiers fought alongside native tribesmen who took trophy heads. Such actions may not have been common and are certainly not lauded in the military records, nor featured in the heroic television documentaries of special operations in South East Asia; but they did take place.
Take, for example, the account of actions in operation Semut 1 in Borneo. According to American author Judith Heimann, two Australian guerrillas and Iban tribal allies went to a Japanese outpost on a tributary of the Limbang River. Two of the Iban hailed the Japanese on the verandah, complained of malaria and asked for quinine. On reaching the verandah they pulled out their bush knives and lopped off two Japanese heads. The Australians shot two other Japanese. At the next longhouse, Iban alerted by slit drums had already tied up four Japanese soldiers. After the Australians arrived the prisoners were taken across the river and shot. The Iban then took the four heads.
Further down river, another three Japanese were killed and beheaded. When Australian Sergeant Fred Sanderson sent a note to his commanding British officer, Tom Harrisson, reporting the beheading, Harrisson replied: "The civil authorities and the mission people will not like this".
Heimann also notes three wartime incidents in Semut 3 operational territory, in which Iban killed Chinese non-combatants and soldiers and took heads. Downed American airmen were well aware that heads were being taken. At the Belawit airstrip where they were evacuated, native people perched fresh heads on poles along the strip.
It should be noted that in post-war years these actions did not disturb the Australians or the American airmen. The enduring memory of returned service personnel was of the POW camps, the Thai-Burma railway built by captive labour and of the Sandakan death marches where Japanese initially held about 2,500 prisoners of war and, with the threatened arrival of the Allies, chose to march them inland through the jungle to Ranau. Stragglers were gunned down, with only six – all Australians escapees – surviving to tell the tale.
The Semut operations, which in military terms were a great success, were kept secret in the years after the war. Altogether the Borneo interior force was estimated to have killed 1500 Japanese troops and auxiliaries and taken 240 prisoners. This was accomplished by a total, at its highest, of 82 special operations personnel and about 2000 natives, at a cost of about 30 native deaths and no special operations men.
The head-hunting which was revived during the war had a long history in Borneo. The British white rajahs banned the practice, but in mounting expeditions to bring law and order to the tribal interior, they at times allowed members of their own forces to take trophy heads.
It should be noted here that not all tribal people engaged in the practice. The jungle nomads, the Penan, had no such custom and chose to avoid conflict where possible.
For other tribal people, heads were an essential part of their religious ceremonies, as an old Kayan leader, Aban Jau, tried to explain to a British administrator in the late 19th century. How, the old warrior asked, could he pass over the Great Tree Trunk that bridges death, if no head had been taken on his behalf and there was no one to accompany his soul across the mountain to the shades of Apo Laggan?
Tok lagi dahsyat..kita sik la sampey kedak ya...paling sik jadi hiasan kat tiang rumah panjang..
Akik kamek madah...banyak juak antu palak yang terdapat di rumah panjang kepala zaman jepun..
MUn mcm jerita dipadah org tua..komunis sik berani gilak ngaco kawasan rumah panjang...mun datang pun minta bekalan makanan..siap bagi ceramah jangan madah dengan askar kehadiran sikda...
“Pulai meh nuan Bujang Berani,” engka jaku ti pemadu siru ngiring pemulai tauka pemidang seiku sedadu Renjer ke udah dikelai enggau midul Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB) Pegawai Waran II Indang Anak Engkas.
Indang, 73, asal ari Rumah Lankau, Sungai Bena, Sut Balleh Kapit midang ba Sepital Besai Kuching (HUS) kena 16 Ogos 2012 pukul 4 lemai sepengudah napi pengawa bebuntas tegal Penyakit Koronari Raya sehari dulu agi ari nya.
Enggau pemidang Indang, menua Malaysia ditinggal seiku agi Bujang Berani ke udah dikelai enggau midul PGB iya nya midul ke lumur dua pemadu tinggi ketegal ti udah mandangka pemerani betempuh ngelaban munsuh.
Niang masuk Sarawak Ranjer kenaka 21 April 1962 nyentuk ke 31 Mei 1965, udah nya iya lalu dipasuk ke dalam Malaysia Renjer nyentuk ke iya pinchin (Pegawai Waran II) ba taun 1992.
Ngenang senentang penaluk enggau pengangkun niang Indang lebuh ke mangku tanggungpengawa nyadi sedadu Ranjer, anak menyadi iya Adi anak Jala madah niang sigi seiku orang ke pintar tajapan iya enda ngembuan pelajar ke tinggi.
Ku Adi, dalam sedadu Ranjer niang sigi dikelai seiku sedadu penyidi ke pemadu nyulut lalu iya kala diangkat nyadi ‘Best Recrut’ ba taun 1962. Dalam timpuh enam bulan aja iya udah ditikika pangkat Koperal.
“Niang ngembuan disiplin diri ke chukup tinggi sereta rajin ti ngasuh iya jampat ditikika pangkat nyadi Sarjan Mejar.
“Iya mega ngembuan peneleba ngintu pemaik menua ba jeman Pemberontakan Brunei 1962 sereta Konfrantasi Malaysia-Indonesia,” ku Adi lebuh dikerandau maya nyengai niang ba rumah iya di Taman Malihah ditu, malam ensanus.
Niang Indang diberi pingat PGB kenaka 7 Jun 1962 ke disua Yang Dipertuan Agong maya nya Sultan Abdul Halim.
Entara sejarah ti ngujungka niang dikelai enggau midul PGB iya nya lebuh maya niang ti nguluka 5 iku Ranjer bukai ba sebengkah operasi ngasu komunis di Sibu kenaka 20 Mei 1972 alai niang empu mujur munuh lima iku komunis lalu dua iku munsuh bukai dibunuh raban iya.
Niang ninggalka bini Anna anak John sereta enam iku anak.
Niang dikuburka ba pendam Methodist Bt Enam Jalai Kuching-Serian sehari tu (kemari) pukul 10 pagi.
Entara midul bukai ke diterima niang Indang iya nya Pingat Pangkuan Negara (PPN), Pingat Perkhidmatan Am (PPA), Pingat Perkhidmatan Setia (PPS), Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) sereta pingat bukai ke diberi perintah British.
Pemidang Indang anak Engkas deka nyadi sejarah menua Malaysia alai Tugu Pengingat deka digaga dikena ngingat Bujang Berani, bansa kitai enda mudah lela, enda mudah rangkai didaing api.
Ini adalah sejenis bacaan puisi yang dikenali sebagai pantun puji dalam bahasa iban atau kidung pujian. Puisi ini ditujukan untuk mereka yang dikenali sebagai bujang berani terutamanya pasukan Sarawak Ranjers kemudiannya askar.
Zaman dahulu, puisi ini selalui diperdengarkan sebelum atau selepas balik dari operasi pertempuran.
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Post time 5-9-2019 10:05 PM
