KUCHING: The Federal and Sarawak Government has been urged to remember and recognise the contributions of the Sarawak Border Scouts.
In making this call, Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) secretary-general Libat Langub said in conjunction with the Malaysia Day, the reward should be given to these unsung heroes during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation which started in 1963 and ended in 1966.
“Indonesia, under President Sukarno, had then opposed the formation of Malaysia, consisting of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore on September 16, 1963.
“And all the Border Scouts were mainly ordinary, unassuming and simple village folks and farmers who volunteered and enlisted to fight alongside the Commonwealth forces to protect the Sarawak-Kalimantan borders from Indonesian army.
“They assisted in the military operation launched by the Commonwealth forces codenamed “Claret”, undertaken by the British, New Zealand and Australian armies, their Special Air Services (SAS) regiments and the Gurkhas along the porous mountain and jungle borders where they were cross border track-and-ambush raids.
“It was a time of ‘living dangerously’ for the Border Scouts and the affected villagers living along the said border,” he said in a press statement today.
He stressed that all the unsung heroes contributed to the preservation of the pride and sovereignty of Sarawak as a territory and Malaysia as a nation.
“The peace treaty signed in Bangkok between Malaysia and Indonesia signaled the end of the Confrontation which led to formation of ASEAN, culminating in close partnership between Malaysia, Indonesia and the member countries of South East Asia.
“Therefore, as our beloved nation celebrates Malaysia Day on Sept 16, 59 years after the formation of Malaysia, we urge the federal and state governments to remember and recognise the selfless contributions of the Sarawak Border Scouts,” he said.
