Saturday, April 24, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
THE ROYAL MALAYSIAN ARMY ENGINEERS
Ba’kelalan, a remote area nestled 970 meters high in the Bario Highlands of Sarawak that I had written about in May last year is back in the news (NST Online dated Apr 14, 2010). The Royal Malaysian Army Engineers is reported to be constructing a total of 10 bridges and a 75 km road linking Lawas to Ba’kelalan at almost half the projected cost. It was around September last year that the government approved RM50 million for the first construction phase of a road from Lawas to Ba’kelalan, and I presume this is part of the same project that the Army Engineers is currently involved.
Since leaving Ba’kelalan in 1967, I have not been back to the place, despite having served Sabah on several occasions. It is much closer to get to Ba’kelalan by air from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah then it is from Kuching, Sarawak. I am not quite sure whether there are direct flights from Sabah to Ba’kelalan now, or one has to travel down to Kuching first, for a flight to Ba’kelalan. In the early days, there was already an airstrip at Long Semado where the RMAF Caribou transport aircraft would land to supply troops operating in the Long Semado area, and subsequently fly to Ba’kelalan to do a supply airdrop, since there wasn’t an airstrip at Ba’kelalan then.
When Ba’kelalan appeared in the news, I am reminded of Brig Jen Dato Mazlan Baharuddin (Retired) who in 1967 was the platoon commander based in Ba’kelalan, whom I had to replace during a changeover between our battalions i.e. 4 RMR and 6 RMR. Ba’kelalan too reminds me of a remote village called Long Rusu that is home of the Muruds and the gorgeous Murud lass named Rinai that I had written about in my May 2009 posting. I am quite sure Mazlan would be reading this posting and would reminisce with joy of having been the young and energetic platoon commander manning the Ba’kelalan outpost.
The Army Engineers is one corps that I have my greatest respect and fondness. From the experience being with them, they seemed reluctant to stop working until they were told to stop. This was what I observed during my tenure as the Malaysian Contingent Commander for UN Peacekeeping Operations in Cambodia at which time a field troop was assigned to the contingent. They are men of multiple skills and despite the enormous workload assigned to them, there has never been a whimper of complaint or dissatisfaction.
The Lawas-Ba’kelalan road and bridge projects assigned to the Army Engineers will surely be a challenging one. And it is not only the hazardous terrain and the cold nights that the soldiers have to endure, but also the long period of separation from their families. This is where most who are not familiar with the military service and their nature of work, can never appreciate the life that a soldier has to go through.
With the insurgency over, it is right that the Army Engineers be deployed to perform works that will benefit the people such as the one in Ba’kelalan. I am quite sure the people of Ba’kelalan and Lawas will remember the Army Engineers for their work for a very long time. And for the soldiers themselves, it is the field experience that they gain, that may be useful to them after they leave the military service.
And to my dear friend Brig Jen Dato Mazlan, like us who are now grandfathers, I suppose Rinai too must be a grandmother.
ARTICLE FROM:
BRIG.JEN(B) DATO' MUHAMMAD ARSHAD RAJI
http://mindnoevil.blogspot.com
Thank You, Dato'.
Since leaving Ba’kelalan in 1967, I have not been back to the place, despite having served Sabah on several occasions. It is much closer to get to Ba’kelalan by air from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah then it is from Kuching, Sarawak. I am not quite sure whether there are direct flights from Sabah to Ba’kelalan now, or one has to travel down to Kuching first, for a flight to Ba’kelalan. In the early days, there was already an airstrip at Long Semado where the RMAF Caribou transport aircraft would land to supply troops operating in the Long Semado area, and subsequently fly to Ba’kelalan to do a supply airdrop, since there wasn’t an airstrip at Ba’kelalan then.
When Ba’kelalan appeared in the news, I am reminded of Brig Jen Dato Mazlan Baharuddin (Retired) who in 1967 was the platoon commander based in Ba’kelalan, whom I had to replace during a changeover between our battalions i.e. 4 RMR and 6 RMR. Ba’kelalan too reminds me of a remote village called Long Rusu that is home of the Muruds and the gorgeous Murud lass named Rinai that I had written about in my May 2009 posting. I am quite sure Mazlan would be reading this posting and would reminisce with joy of having been the young and energetic platoon commander manning the Ba’kelalan outpost.
The Army Engineers is one corps that I have my greatest respect and fondness. From the experience being with them, they seemed reluctant to stop working until they were told to stop. This was what I observed during my tenure as the Malaysian Contingent Commander for UN Peacekeeping Operations in Cambodia at which time a field troop was assigned to the contingent. They are men of multiple skills and despite the enormous workload assigned to them, there has never been a whimper of complaint or dissatisfaction.
The Lawas-Ba’kelalan road and bridge projects assigned to the Army Engineers will surely be a challenging one. And it is not only the hazardous terrain and the cold nights that the soldiers have to endure, but also the long period of separation from their families. This is where most who are not familiar with the military service and their nature of work, can never appreciate the life that a soldier has to go through.
With the insurgency over, it is right that the Army Engineers be deployed to perform works that will benefit the people such as the one in Ba’kelalan. I am quite sure the people of Ba’kelalan and Lawas will remember the Army Engineers for their work for a very long time. And for the soldiers themselves, it is the field experience that they gain, that may be useful to them after they leave the military service.
And to my dear friend Brig Jen Dato Mazlan, like us who are now grandfathers, I suppose Rinai too must be a grandmother.
ARTICLE FROM:
BRIG.JEN(B) DATO' MUHAMMAD ARSHAD RAJI
http://mindnoevil.blogspot.com
Thank You, Dato'.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
GAMBAR SEKITAR MESYUARAT AGUNG PERTAMA TAHUN 2010
MESYUARAT AGUNG TAHUN 2010 TELAH DIADAKAN DI PERMAIPURA GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB, BEDONG, KEDAH. MESYUARAT TERSEBUT TELAH DAPAT DIADAKAN DENGAN LANCAR DAN KEHADIRAN AHLI-AHLI JUGA AMAT MENGGALAKKAN. RAMAI AHLI-AHLI BARU JUGA TURUT HADIR UNTUK MENDAFTAR.
AJK PENDAFTARAN SEDANG SIBUK MENDAFTAR AHLI UNTUK HADIR MESYUARAT DAN JUGA PENDAFTARAN AHLI-AHLI BARU.
PENASIHAT LT KOL HJ KHAIRUDDIN MOHD ALI(B) SEDANG MEMBERI UCAPAN PERASMIAN SEBELUM MESYUARAT DIJALANKAN DAN BARISAN AJK YANG SEDANG MENDENGAR DENGAN PENUH KUSYUK
AHLI-AHLI YANG HADIR TERMASUK AHLI BARU MEJ SABIR AHMAD (B) & MEJ NAZLAN (B), MEJ AMIRUDDIN (B) & MEJ DAMANHURI (B) SEDANG MENDENGAR PEMBENTANGAN LAPORAN TAHUNAN EX-SAPPERS WILAYAH UTARA
EN ZAKARIA OTHMAN AHLI PERAK UTARA SEDANG MEMBERIKAN CADANGAN UNTUK DIPERBINCANGKAN OLEH SEMUA AHLI-AHLI EX-SAPPERS WILAYAH UTARA
SETELAH MESYUARAT DITANGGUHKAN SEMUA AHLI-AHLI MENJAMU SELERA DAN DISULAMI DENGAN ACARA CABUTAN BERTUAH
ISTERI EN MD NOOR ARIFFIN MEWAKILI SUAMINYA AHLI SG PETANI MENERIMA HADIAH UTAMA CABUTAN BERTUAH SEBUAH TV 21". TAHNIAH !!
AHLI-AHLI YANG HADIR JUGA TURUT BERTUAH MENERIMA HADIAH CABUTAN BERTUAH PADA KALI INI. TAHNIAH SEMUA & TERIMA KASIH JUGA KEPADA PENYUMBANG-PENYUMBANG YANG TELAH MENYEDIAKAN SEBANYAK 34 HADIAH PADA HARI TERSEBUT!!
TIDAK KETINGGALAN JUGA EX-SAPPERS WILAYAH UTARA AKAN MEMBERI SUMBANGAN SAGUHATI KEPADA BALU-BALU YANG HADIR DALAM MESYUARAT INI. PENASIHAT LT.KOL. HJ. KHAIRUDDIN MOHD ALI (B) SEDANG MEMBERIKAN SUMBANGAN KEPADA PUAN WAN ASRIAH BT WAN ISMAIL.
YDP EN SHUIB@ISMAIL MD ISA SEDANG BERTANYAKAN SESUATU KEPADA SALAH SEORANG AHLI YANG DITIMPA MUSIBAH EN SHAARI BIN AB AZIZ YANG TURUT MENERIMA SUMBANGAN. EX-SAPPERS WILAYAH UTARA AKAN BERUSAHA MEMBANTU AHLI-AHLI YANG DITIMPA MASALAH SEPERTI INI."TERIMA KASIH"
KEPADA SEMUA YANG HADIR BAGI MENJAYAKAN MESYUARAT AGUNG TAHUN 2010 INI DAN YDP DAN SEMUA AJK BERHARAP AKAN DAPAT BERJUMPA LAGI DALAM MESYUARAT AGUNG TAHUN HADAPAN, INSYAALLAH !!
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