PADANG BESAR – The late Corporal Baharuddin Ramli of the General Operations Force (GOF), aged 54, was described by his squadmates as a diligent officer dedicated to his duties.
His friend, Corporal Judin Awi, 43, said Baharuddin had often advised his comrades-in-arms not to be afraid of anyone in maintaining the country’s sovereignty.
Baharuddin died in a shootout with two groups of smugglers along the Malaysia-Thailand border here at 3.10am today.
“‘We cannot give up, we need to be brave because we are the security. We must take care of our country’ – those were his words to us that I remembered,” said Judin.
He said that Baharuddin, who hailed from Bahau, Negri Sembilan, had planned to retire early next year.
“He really loves his family. That’s why he wanted to retire early. I will cherish every memory of him,” said Judin.
Another friend, Corporal Alang Angah, 55, said he felt unhappy the night before the incident.
“Last night I felt unwell and could not sleep. But my other friends advised me to calm down,” said Alang.
A few hours later, he said, he was shocked by the emergency call coming from Post Nine.
“I did not expect anything bad to happen to my friend in the field,” he said.
Baharuddin was on duty with another GOF member, Corporal Norihan Tari, 39, who is seriously injured from the shooting this morning. – The Vibes, November 24, 2020
