Former cop claims not getting recognition for sacrifices

KUCHING: A former policeman who fought courageously in combating communist insurgents in Sarawak, during which he shot dead two communists, lamented that he was not given rightful recognition.

In an interview yesterday, Mohd Abang, 67, said he was then a 24year-old constable attached with the Police Field Force (PFF) 14th Battalion, D Company, in Sarawak Brigade in 1976.

On Dec 19, his unit comprising 10 men headed by then Inspector Abang Abdillah Othman was assigned to a new area, Sungai Kesa, Sarikei after serving seven days in Baron, Sarikei.

On that very day, the unit had engaged with the communist terrorists (CTs) three times: the first involved a reconnaissance team from the unit and following the incident, they split up into two groups and continued to go after the CTs which led to the second encounter at a pepper plantation by one of the groups.

However, no casualties were recorded in the first and second encounters as the CTs managed to flee the scene despite being engaged in a shootout.

In the third encounter, Mohd Abang said he was only accompanied by a former communist agent after both of them were separated from the group that encountered the communists in the second encounter. The third contact happened 30 minutes after the second encounter which ended with two casualties on the enemy side.

He recalled as he came into contact (with the three communists), he fired his weapon without hesitation and shot dead the first person. Shocked by the incident, the second person who was standing just in front of him ran towards the river.

“I took aim and fired my weapon at the enemy who fell into the river and died.

“A shootout started with the third person as he took cover behind a bamboo tree and fired his weapon towards me. While I was reloading my magazine, the communist used that opportunity to escape,” he said.

However despite the sacrifices and risk to his life, Mohd Abang said he was only given a letter of praise from the then InspectorGeneral of Police Mohd Haniff Omar and RM463. No letter of commendation was awarded to him and he retired as a corporal in 2008.

Abang Abdillah, who led the unit during the incident, was also present at the interview. He said he was proud of Mohd Abang’s heroic act in fighting the communists.

“He had single-handedly shot dead two communists as the agent who accompanied him could not fire his own weapon as it had malfunctioned.

“As we arrived at the scene of the third encounter at 5.40pm, we saw the bodies of the communists who were shot dead by Mohd Abang. As the leader of the unit, I called for a stand down in the operation as night was approaching,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Association of Ex-Police Field Force Personnel (Squad 72) president Nadarajan Rengasamy said 42 years have gone by and their contributions have not been fully appreciated as those who have served during the communist insurgency in Sarawak were left out, as though they were like “ringwormed cats” on the streets.