THE Sarawak government has been urged to reward the security personnel who defended the state from communists in the 1960s to the late 1980s.
Sarawak Governor Tun Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the police, army and border scouts had risked life and limb fighting the Communist Insurgency.
At dinner with retired policemen last night in Kuching, he said appropriate rewards would include gallantry medals and financial benefits.
"During the Communist Insurgency, security personnel risk their lives every day defending Sarawak," Wan Junaidi said.
"From 1962 to 1990, Sarawak was on high alert for communist threats.
"Everyone in the security forces played a crucial role in making sure that Sarawak was not overwhelmed by the communists.
"The security threats were not just in rural Sarawak but also in urban areas.
"For their heroic feats, the Sarawak government should reward them appropriately.
Junaidi said many security personnel who served during the period had retired from duty.
Many are living in rural areas, he said, noting that some are facing physical and financial hardships.
"The government must help all of them," said Junaidi, who was a policeman.
During the insurgency, Sarawak faced serious security threats at its mountainous border with the Kalimantan province of Indonesia.
The Sarawak-Kalimantan boundary stretches more than 1,000km from the Ba'Kelalan-Bario Highlands in northernmost Sarawak to the tip of Sematan in the southernmost point of the state. – May 16, 2024.
