 |
Sole living survivor of the Bukit Kepong tragedy, Jamilah Abu Bakar, shows two photographs of her late father marine policeman Abu Bakar Daud during a visit to her home in Johor Baru |
JOHOR BARU, Feb 28 — For the past 61 years, septuagenarian Jamilah Abu Bakar had given up hope that Malaysians would remember her late parents’ sacrifices in battling communist insurgents in Bukit Kepong, Pagoh.
While the 1950 incident remains a key part of the nation’s history, remembrance of the policemen who lost their lives as well as the survivors of the communist siege is less prominent.
“Not many actually knew or remember about my late father, marine police constable Abu Bakar Daud and my family, for the sacrifices during the Bukit Kepong police station raid by communist insurgents back in 1950.
“Even later in life, my late father shied away from policemen who at times wanted to visit the family as he mostly kept to himself and was said to have been saddened for being forgotten as a survivor of the Bukit Kepong tragedy,” said Jamilah at her home in Bandar Baru Uda here.
The 73-year-old grandmother of 13 grandchildren said her father never recovered emotionally from the traumatic incident; his wife, Fatima Yaaba, and two-year-old son, Hussin, were both executed by the communists on that fateful February 23, 1950 day.
The Bukit Kepong incident was a pre-dawn raid by the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) on the police station manned then by Federation of Malaya Police, during the height of the Emergency.
The armed conflict took place within the perimeter of the wooden police station adjacent to the Muar River, about 60km from Muar town, in Johor.
The aftermath saw more than 20 people killed on each side.
While the 1950 incident remains a key part of the nation’s history, remembrance of the policemen who lost their lives as well as the survivors of the communist siege is less prominent.
“Not many actually knew or remember about my late father, marine police constable Abu Bakar Daud and my family, for the sacrifices during the Bukit Kepong police station raid by communist insurgents back in 1950.
“Even later in life, my late father shied away from policemen who at times wanted to visit the family as he mostly kept to himself and was said to have been saddened for being forgotten as a survivor of the Bukit Kepong tragedy,” said Jamilah at her home in Bandar Baru Uda here.
The 73-year-old grandmother of 13 grandchildren said her father never recovered emotionally from the traumatic incident; his wife, Fatima Yaaba, and two-year-old son, Hussin, were both executed by the communists on that fateful February 23, 1950 day.
The Bukit Kepong incident was a pre-dawn raid by the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) on the police station manned then by Federation of Malaya Police, during the height of the Emergency.
The armed conflict took place within the perimeter of the wooden police station adjacent to the Muar River, about 60km from Muar town, in Johor.
The aftermath saw more than 20 people killed on each side.
I would like to contribute one name to the memories of the policemen killed by CT at Bukit Kepong station in 1950.
That policeman was Koh Ah Cheng.
As I mentioned in my post Chinese policemen (published 04 March 2013) it was ironical that while a Chinese policeman among his compatriots were killed by communist terrorists (CT), the communist assailants were led by a Malay, Muhammad Indera - not unlike today's Muslim-Filipino Malay assailants of our 8 policemen in Lahad Datu.
That policeman was Koh Ah Cheng.
As I mentioned in my post Chinese policemen (published 04 March 2013) it was ironical that while a Chinese policeman among his compatriots were killed by communist terrorists (CT), the communist assailants were led by a Malay, Muhammad Indera - not unlike today's Muslim-Filipino Malay assailants of our 8 policemen in Lahad Datu.
 |
police in Lahad Datu |
It's important to point this out so as to correct the erroneous but archetypal Malay belief is that CT were Chinese and victims were Malays. In my post listed above, you will discover the many Chinese heroes of Malaya-Malaysia.
That post of mine rebutted the somewhat racist accusations of A Kadir Yassin, formerly a big timer in the NST group and one of Mahathir's staunchest supporter and at times mouthpiece. Despite his literary and journalistic knowledge and memories he painted Chinese Malaysians as reluctant to serve in the police or military.
The truth has been the military and police until very recently but since 1981, did not wanted Chinese in its midst, as has been highlighted by veteran organisations recently.
As I've often written, Malaysia's war against the CT could and would NOT have been won without the sterling and daring role of the police special branch (SB).
As I've often written, Malaysia's war against the CT could and would NOT have been won without the sterling and daring role of the police special branch (SB).
 |
From Star: IGP: Yuen Yuet Leng to be buried with full police honours |
It should also be noted that two Special Branch police officers who are still alive today were awarded the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP), namely SP Paul Kiong and DSP Sia Boon Chee.
 |
Superintendent of Police Paul Kiong, SP |
 |
Deputy Superintendent of Police Sia Boon Chee, SP |
Without exaggeration, I would consider these two officers’ contributions (presumably still under secret classification) as pivotal to the defeat of the communist terrorist movement in Peninsula Malaysia.
Of the several Chinese policemen killed by enemies of the state that I mentioned in my post, five (5) of them were awarded the nation's highest gallantry award, the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP), with two posthumously.
 |
SP - awarded for act of extreme bravery and valor Nation's highest award for gallantry |
 |
Fong Thean Kit SP |
Then there were Chinese in the Armed Forces who showed their loyalty to their nation by making the ultimate sacrifices, TUDM officers like the late Lt Choo Yoke Boo and the late Lt Chang Tatt Min who were both awarded the Panglima (or Pingat) Gagah Berani (PGB) posthumously. It's said that the PGB is next in gallantry honours to the SP.
 |
PGB - awarded for act of extreme bravery and valor |
One Ranger officer, 2nd Lt David Fu Chee Ming who I believe is still alive today, was also awarded the PGB. I won't go into his citation again.
But he wasn't the only Chinese military offer awarded bravery medals, from valor during operations in Peninsular, Sarawak and Sabah, and overseas (Congo under the UN flag).
 |
Kapt David Fu Chee Ming PGB |
 |
Kolonel Maurice Lam Shye Choon PGB |
 |
Mejar Lee Ah Pow PGB |
Let's not forget Indian Malaysians. Captain Mohana Chandran al Velayuthan, like 2nd Lt David Fu also of 4th Battalion Royal Rangers, was posthumously awarded the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) on 3 June 1971.
 |
Kapt Mohana Chandran SP |
Alas, Pak Kadir has not been unlike Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi, who on 09 Nov 2010, as to be expected for the archetypal UMNO ‘patriots’, stated in response to a question in Parliament that the low number of Chinese and Indian recruits in the military could be due to the Chinese and Indians [being] 'not patriotic enough'.
In January this year Mina Ismail, chairperson of Gerakan Pembela Ummah (Ummah defenders movement) said only the Malays had sacrificed their lives for Malaya.
He should f**king bloody apologise to Chinese Malaysians. Where the f**k was that ignorant racist when Chinese were spilling their blood for Malaya-Malaysia?
Mina Ismail,he is a blurdy dick sucker.This guy is a clone of porn and pig lover,horndog Donald Trump.
ReplyDeleteThe overwhelming majority of CT Communist Terrorists were Chinese.
ReplyDeleteThe overwhelming majority of Malaysian servicemen, including those who made the ultimate sacrifice, were Malays.
That is historical fact.
The overwhelming majority of SB police, including those who made the ultimate sacrifice and those who daringly penetrated into CT camps as covert operatives, were Chinese.
DeleteThat is historical fact, that of SB being the decisive element that won the war.
With the change of the racial profiles in SB initiated by pinklips' father IS that why the professionalism of SB has since NOT only ranked but linked to just serve umno!
DeleteKT should write a piece about WHY after cctoo, the Others have almost disappeared from the top ranks of SB lah!
After the early 1970's, the communist threat had largely disappeared, but the Special Branch continued to grow.
DeleteSB had always been political in character, as the struggle against the Communist was more political than military.
Nowadays , the SB doesn't care about the difference between legitimate peaceful political dissent and real terrorist threats. Much of the SB's efforts are focused on countering the legal Opposition.
The panic over ISIS infiltration into the country shows how SB has been sleeping on the subject of Real Terror.
KT, I don't think simplifying it as being THE decisive element that won the war.
DeleteIts just not that simple.
Espionage, infiltration, intel gathering, do carry weight in conflict but it has never outright won any wars. You chose to ignore other efforts like New Villages, various propaganda, regional cooperation from Thailand, Pinoy, Indon to prevent free flow of money, weapons & reinforcements, the police & armed forces ability to fight in jungles, military resources provided by the Brits, and Razak's deal with CPC to cut ties with CPM. SBs' efforts were only one of it, though in no small measures of cuz. Some of these were replicated in Vietnam, others were not that of which lead to USA's failure in winning the war.
When they were deprived of Man, Material, Money, Method, Morale, the inevitable is failure.
correction to your 2nd sentence - the SB has always been interested in, concerned about and dealt with political matters but as an organisation it was in those days never political as it might be now. It was only interested in one matter - security of the nation, internal or external.
DeleteI heard of a rumour that When mahathir became pm in 1981, some years later he asked for a file on someone but the SB told him that SB-security classified files were not available even to pm and minsters
SB is like the CIA. Never fully beholden to their political masters becoz they have files on just about anyone important or going to be important.
DeleteThe rumour you heard was probably Mahathir asking for the file on himself!
wakakaka, probably those accumulated during Tunku's time when he was a young turk nak ganggu tunku
DeleteHehe. But a fly on the wall told of an important person in SB is now his man. That said file is probably long gone.
DeleteWakakakaka.....
ReplyDeleteSB was only interested in one matter - security of the nation, internal or external.
So WHO changes SB into a setup that ONLY protect the interest of umno?
With its current incompetency, WHO should bear the responsibility of ALLOWING the 2013 Lahad Datu incursion?
The blind & shallow alteration of the chief & only purpose of SB into an umno 'bodyguard' IS treason!
Again, yr rumour about mamak IS wrong! Bcoz when mamak became the pm in 1981, the conversion of SB had been completed! It was/is an umno guarding dog. The question of SB-security classified files were not available to pm NEVER raised.
Lahad Datu was a monumental Special Branch intelligence failure. This was no spur-of-the-moment operation.
DeleteSB obviously had no inkling of both the plans and intentions of the terrorists.
Similarly the panic in the country when it was clear ISIS had infiltrated terrorists into Malaysia, and the police lacked intelligence on who and where they were, and what were their plans.
Reportedly, a cellphone recovered from a KIA ISIS operative in Syria by Western intelligence agencies contained lists and photographs of possible targets in Malaysia.... SB has been asleep on the tiller.
There are 10,000 Special Branch officers in the Polis Raja diMalaysia. They are reportedly focused on intelligence to counter the legal Opposition in Malaysia
Real Terrorists can sleep easy with the current SB.
It's easier for the current SB, with its current crop of people, to target local internal political nemesis.
DeleteThat's bcoz the quality of the required personnel has dropped tremendously due to abang-adekism.
Lagi kerja lebih senang! Tak payah intelligence lah.
Case of reference : SB needs to work with our military attaché in oversea diplomatic mission to gather intell.
The current military attaché at m'sia oversea mission is more interested in fulfilling the urge of his balls than intell sourcing. (Call to mind that idiot military attaché in Wellington, NZ?)
So what intell gathering?
Thus the 2013 Lahad Datu incursion, causing unnecessary deaths of the Sabah military contigent (by gruesome mutilation)!!
SB has its rep in every embassy.it doesn't depend on military intel, it's the other around
DeleteSome ignorant people still think intel and espionage works like SB are senang kerja.
DeleteJust becoz Lahad Datu happened doesn't mean they didn't perform, there's probably hundreds more cases solved and only the tip of that effort is shown on the news like the recent killing of an Abu Sayyaf leader in Tawau.
SB, like all other spook agencies, are not miracle workers but they do their best for the country. Case in point, the CIA, even with the best resources in the world, couldn't prevent 9/11 from happening, nor MI5 & MI6 could prevent the London attack, or even our much vaunted neighbour's SID letting Mas Selamat slipping thru their grasp.
Shit happens when humans are involved. Its how you prevent it from happening again.
The SB, like all other REAL LIFE spooks, don't promote their achievements to the public. Its their failure that people sees, but how often is that? Wanna know how good are they doing their jobs? Everytime you have a peaceful night to sleep in your comfy bed.
KT, quick call to yr uncle to confirm that the military attaché at M'sia oversea diplomatic mission is now double up as SB's to lah!
DeleteWakakakaka......
one of my uncles had listened to a SB man's lecture on Russia. He was stationed there for years. SB operatives at overseas missions do NOT openly operate as SB
DeleteSo can a military attaché double up as SB agent?
DeleteU pusing2, buat apa?
who was a military attache? Bloke was only a warrant officer. No doubt he was attached to the military attache's staff (probably as a signals man) but he was definite NOT the military attache who usually is a full colonel. Don't tok-kok when you do not know military affairs
DeleteSo u know?
DeleteThe NZ Heralds, same as many local news portals, named him as the military attaché in the m'sia high commission in Wellington.
Obviously, yr uncle is a stubborn railtracked blōd who is still deep into the nostalgia of the good old military SOP when he was in the army le!
Ouiii... Time change, military SOP tukar juga into a bolihland irrelevances that make many other countries 'cry' in wanderlust.
Just ask yr uncle about the 'quality' of the bolihland military chain of operations now as compare when he was serving the unit.
That WOULD sure having him shaking his head in execrate!
Jadi, don't tok-kok when you ALSO do not know military affairs in the current stage in bolihland lah.
LAGI, u maseh pusing2 tak jawah soalan yang di tanya!
DeleteTak faham ke?
CK, don't be ignorant. Here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_Special_Branch) will tell you that SB's are from police and therefore no way their personnel would come from the military. The MAF has their own intel division.
DeleteSB attachments in overseas are normally clandestine in nature and therefore their personnel would usually be in a unimportant civilian role.
Being in uniform and waving their ranks around would do them no favour in their task!
U wrote that entry in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_Special_Branch, RIGHT?
DeleteJadi, don't tok-kok when you ALSO do not know military affairs in the current stage in bolihland lah!
Not all CT were Chinese but predominantly Chinese. Not all heroes were Malays but predominantly Malays.
ReplyDeleteWakakakaka..... some people REALLY don't know what maru is!!
Delete