KOTA KINABALU – When it comes to tracking in the uncharted depths of the jungles in Sabah and Sarawak, the men who made up Malaysia’s elite but now disbanded paramilitary jungle unit, the Sabah Border Scouts, were second to none.
These warriors, who mainly hailed from the Murut tribes as well as other indigenous groups in the state, served as the forward eyes and ears of the British and Malaysian military during the Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation (Konfrontasi) that occurred between 1963 to 1966.
Falling under the purview of the Malaysian police, they were the first line of defence who sounded the clarion call whenever they detected an Indonesian military presence in East Malaysia during the confrontation.
With their warning, other combat units were able to deter and prevent Indonesian invaders from entering the country and causing mischief.
However, similar to the fictional commando John Rambo, despite the sacrifices they endured for their beloved nation, the Sabah Border Scouts have been largely forgotten, both by society and the government they once served after the unit was disbanded in 1986.
Left behind, forgotten
Recently, in an interview with The Vibes, retired sergeant Mailam Tumubul voiced the sad fate shared by him and his brothers-in-arms where, ironically, after putting their lives on the line for Malaysian security, they lack the sense of security of a home.
I dare not criticise the government. But I got to know (through a friend) that those in Bukit Aman have not heard of the Sabah Border Scouts.
“I have shared the unit’s profile book, which I wrote myself, but I am not sure whether it has reached Bukit Aman,” said the 78-year-old Murut tribesman.
Apparently, he had passed the book to a police officer in Keningau who was supposed to hand it to the Sabah police headquarters in Kota Kinabalu. From there, the copy should have made its way to the national police headquarters in Bukit Aman.
Their suffering after service has led the former tracker to believe that the border scout unit’s contributions and efforts to preserve the lives of the people and nation’s security of the nation have gone unappreciated.
Facing possible eviction
To compound their woes, there is a very strong possibility that they will be evicted from the land they are staying on – the 1.8ha Camp PPH in Keningau.
Their former base and barracks have been home to many retired border scouts since the 1990s, but it seems there were efforts to remove them during that period, when police were given permission to build police residential flats there.
Showing their undying fighting spirit, the paramilitary group refused to budge from their homes and had stayed on. Luckily there were no forceful attempts to evict these unsung heroes after they demanded to stay on some time in 2014.
“There have been no new attempts since. I was told the police force is not pursuing it for the time being,” he said.
Mailam had also revealed that a police officer once asked him whether members of his unit had been given land in Sapulut, about 110km away from Keningau.
He clarified to the officer that no land has been given to members of the paramilitary group, and that the land in Sapulut is actually their former training ground.
For many years, the remaining members of the unit had applied to obtain the Camp PPH land so they can retire peacefully there, but nothing has been forthcoming.
“We have made applications for this land about eight times. Seven when Datuk Seri Najib Razak was prime minister and once during the Pakatan Harapan government’s reign.
“I recall the last one was handed over to the Home Affairs Ministry, which at the time was led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his deputy, Datuk Azis Jamman,” said Mailam, adding that no news has come since.
The state has handed the land over to the federal government, which assigned it to the police force. But, according to Mailam, the state government is requesting it back as it remains undeveloped.
He said no minister or elected representative has ever visited them and asked how they are doing after living on the land for many years.
Old-timers remain at last camp
He has already lost touch with all of his friends who left Camp PPH on Jalan Airport in Keningau, an interior Sabah district, where they had been last stationed before the border scouts were disbanded.
Mailam is among the few left in that camp, and it has been his home for the last 28 years.
“As few as eight of us are still here, namely Bantangon Sukuhon, Sintangah Garing, Yunus Kinambo, Esmail Utoh, Tabubul Madai, Tunai Karayan, Lukap Linggam, and Ganduk Jarau. Most of them are already in their mid- or late 70s,” he said.
Mailam said most of his other colleagues have already returned to their villages in places like Pensiangan, Nabawan, and Tenom, but is not certain whether they are still alive.
“For some of us here, going back to our villages would be troublesome as most of our children work here in Keningau.
“If they move out, it would be difficult for them (the children) to travel the distance to work and may opt to resign, working as farmers thereafter,” he said. – The Vibes, August 24, 2021
This is part one of two of The Plight of the Sabah Border Scouts. Part two can be found here
