Mulu SAR volunteers honoured by IGP, hailed by Australian envoys

MARUDI: Volunteers who were involved in the search and rescue (SAR) operation of Andrew Gaskell – the Australian who went missing from Mulu National Park on Oct 20 but was rescued on Nov 1 – were honoured during a function at the police station here Saturday night.

Baram police chief DSP Gabriel Risut hailed the bravery and cooperation of these volunteers, who comprised villagers of Long Iman and Kampung Mulu, the Penans of Batu Bungan, as well as a group from Kampung Bengoh in Padawan, Kuching – praising them for assisting police, forest rangers and other rescuers to find the missing Australian.

“This truly shows all, especially to the foreigners, that the communities in Malaysia are a caring lot. Such cooperation between local communities and the authorities such as the police must continue.

“For the volunteers, I would like to inform that Australia’s Honorary Consul in Kuching Datuk Dr Philip Ting and Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Rod Smith have also expressed their appreciation and gratitude to you on your good deed,” he said in his speech.

Gabriel also extended his appreciation to police personnel here not only for their role in the Mulu SAR operation, but also for keeping this district safe and peaceful.

“Marudi is a vast area and as such, we do face many challenges. Still, we manage to reduce the crime rate here down to 66 cases between January and November this year, versus 93 recorded in the same period last year.”

Additionally, Gabriel also reminded all members of the public to be wary of phone calls announcing that they were winners of some games or contests.

“Be extra cautious if the caller requests you to transfer money into some bank accounts should you want to redeem the prizes. Most likely, these are scams and you should lodge a police report if you received this kind of calls. Be well-informed so that you would not fall victim to these scams,” he stressed.

At the Saturday night function, Gabriel presented certificates of appreciation from the InspectorGeneral of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and Borsarmulu Resort Sdn Bhd managing director Dato Robert Geneid to police personnel and the volunteers involved in the Mulu SAR operation.