Senoi Praaq, Dubbed 'The Silent Killer' by the CIA
Have you heard of the Senoi Praaq? In reality, the Senoi Praaq is a unique unit within the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). 'Senoi' means people, while 'Praaq' means war in the Semai language.
Since its inception, this unit was placed under the Department of Orang Asli Affairs, and 100% of its members were recruited from the Orang Asli tribes, specifically the Temiar, Semelai, Temuan, and Semai. At the beginning of the unit's establishment, it operated with Platoon Commanders and signalers consisting of British SAS officers and personnel. Later, staff from the Department of Orang Asli Affairs, consisting of Malays and various Orang Asli tribes, were offered positions in the Senoi Praaq force. Due to the excellent and impressive success achieved before the SAS left Malaya, the SAS awarded their maroon berets to this unit. The Senoi Praaq force was later absorbed into the Internal Security/Public Order Department of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and became known as the 19th Battalion PPH Senoi Praaq. This 19th Battalion PPH was based in Pengkalan Hulu, which was formerly known as Keroh in Perak.
Because this unit succeeded in carrying out its duties and effective psychological warfare in winning the hearts and minds of the Orang Asli in the interior, a second battalion was established. This battalion was known as the 20th Battalion PPH and was based in Bidor, Perak. The emblem of this elite force is a weapon commonly used by the Orang Asli in the interior. For the 19th Battalion PPH, the blowpipe (sumpit) is used as the battalion's symbol, while the 20th Battalion PPH uses the adze (beliung). Both Senoi Praaq battalions were assigned a special operational area known as the OPS BAMBOO area, which covers the interior of Perak and Kelantan. For your information, loyal readers of orangperak.com, Senoi Praaq members are part of a closed scheme. This means they can only serve in the 19th Battalion, the 20th Battalion, or join the 69th Commando PPH. They are not permitted to serve as General Duty officers at police stations. This unit is highly skilled and experienced in jungle warfare, a skill the Orang Asli are experts in as they are trained from childhood. Their ability to detect and track the Malayan Communist Party (PKM) operating in the jungle was greatly feared by the enemy. Many trackers in the 69th PPH originated from the Senoi Praaq Battalion, and one of the most frequently mentioned is SM Apot.
Because their abilities were feared, there was a time when a group of Senoi Praaq members who were on leave in their villages in the interior were kidnapped by the Malayan Communist Party (PKM). Some managed to escape and later continued their service with the unit. However, those who did not manage to escape remained there until the peace treaty by the Malayan Communist Party (PKM) occurred, before they were allowed to return to their hometowns. There are many bittersweet experiences of this unit that are not known to the public. Their success seemed to be forgotten as soon as the Malayan Communist Party (PKM) ended their armed struggle to turn Malaysia into a communist country. In fact, their pride, the maroon beret, was even once revoked by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). This, to some extent, caused them to feel marginalized and saddened those who had served with this battalion. Due to the concern of the country's leaders, the berets were later returned to both Senoi Praaq battalions. The 19th Battalion PPH is now known as the 3rd Battalion PGA, and the 20th Battalion PPH is known as the 18th Battalion PGA.
Proudly, the Senoi Praaq were also dubbed 'The Silent Killer' by the CIA and were once used in secret in Laos. When the United States withdrew from Laos, they were simply left behind (perhaps with the hope that this secret would be buried in Laos), but who would have thought that the Senoi Praaq unit would manage to return to Malaysia while fighting enemy elements along the way home. Many also fell during the journey back. This event has been documented in a book titled "Death Waits in the Dark: the Senoi Praaq, Malaysia’s Killer Elite". The elite status and greatness of the indigenous people as 'Silent Killers' managed to gain special attention from the government, especially the police, where Senoi recruits applying to join the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) do not need to undergo 9 months of basic training at PULAPOL. They are allowed to be directly absorbed into the Senoi Praaq unit. This is a unique recruitment process compared to other units in the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).
The elite Senoi Praaq unit is often deployed in areas that require expertise in tracking, in addition to various other operations. It is also said that the Senoi Praaq prefer to move barefoot to facilitate their movement and avoid being detected by the enemy, although the veracity of this is unknown. In addition to jungle expertise, the Senoi Praaq are also given Public Order Reserve Unit (PORU) training. The Public Order Reserve Unit (PORU) has more specific and detailed directives where they are permitted to use live ammunition to disperse more critical threats.
Source and Reference: Department of Orang Asli Development Malaysia (JAKOA)
