PADANG BESAR – The mission of the General Operations Force's (GOF) 3rd Battalion remains unfinished, even though their task of guarding the Malaysia-Thailand border officially ends today.
Its commanding officer, Supt Rosman Kasman, said the team is reluctant to return following an incident in which two of their members were attacked by smugglers last week, leaving one dead and another seriously injured, while suspects remain at large.
"The mission is complete but we leave with a heavy heart as the rest of the smugglers involved in the shooting incident of our friends are at large.
"Although all 310 members of the GOF's 3rd Battalion managed to complete their duties well, we are saddened by the loss of Sergeant Baharuddin Ramli, who is an experienced member," he said here yesterday.
Today marks the last day of the month-long assignment of the 3rd Battalion based in Bidor, Perak, which will be replaced by the GOF's 2nd Battalion based in Kulim, Kedah.
On November 24, Baharuddin, 54, was killed while Sergeant Norihan a/l Tari, 39, was seriously injured in a shootout with a group of smugglers about 600m from the TS9 control post in Padang Besar.
The next day, another member on duty at Post M16 in Bukit Kayu Hitam was injured after being shot with an air rifle, believed to be by a smuggler.
Rosman said his team fulfilled their duties with honesty and integrity, even though there is always the element of danger in working at the border.
"But members of the Senoi Praaq have carried out their duties faithfully and according to every instruction given and, throughout my assignment, I did not receive any reports involving corruption because they have high discipline and integrity," he said.
He said the honesty of each member of the Senoi Praaq is a "legacy" inherited from older generations.
"The recent shooting proves that members of Battalion 3 have high integrity and are not intimidated by the country's enemies," he said.
He said since Op Bersepadu was launched, major ketum leaf smugglers have curbed their activities, with only a few attempts by individual smugglers.
Meanwhile, he said his battalion planned to build a memorial at the location to commemorate Baharuddin's service in a bid to inspire other members in safeguarding the country's borders.
"We will also build a football pavilion at the GOF Bidor Camp in Perak to fulfil the dream of the late Senoi Praaq member who loved football, and the pavilion will be known as BahaBola in his honour," he said. – Bernama, December 1, 2020
