The Story of a Taiping Native in a Communist Ambush
Around 2:30 PM on June 3, 1970, the 6th Malaysian Infantry Brigade (6 BGD) headquarters received a report regarding the sighting of 5 communist terrorists, consisting of three men and two women, who appeared exhausted.
These communist terrorists were said to have asked the villagers of Kuak Tengah for the way to the Siamese border. Consequently, the army commander ordered the OC of Alpha Company to search for and destroy the enemy in the Kuak Tengah area. After receiving operational orders from Lt Col Aman, around 3:30 PM, Capt Latif and his men began moving towards Kampung Kuak Tengah. Pte Zi Yacob, a native of Taiping, Perak, also participated in this operation. For the loyal readers of orangperak.com, Pte Zi Yacob was born in Taiping, Perak, in 1932. He began his service in the security forces as a member of the Local Defence Corps (PPT) on April 6, 1964. From May 15, 1969, to March 31, 1973, he continued his career as a conscripted soldier and was subsequently absorbed into the 12th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, which was then based at Kem Batu Uban, Penang. Pte Zi Yacob was at that time stationed as a member of Platoon One, Alpha Company. Eventually, Pte Zi Yacob ended his service after ten years due to injuries he sustained. The ambush incident that will be recounted in this orangperak.com article occurred on the same day after the operational order from Lt Col Aman was issued to search for and destroy the enemy sighted in the Kuak Tengah area. The ambush resulted in the deaths of four members: Cpl Adnan, Cpl Syed Mustafa, L/Cpl Shobian, and Pte Wahab, while three members were seriously injured: Pte Zi, Pte Mohamad Bolia, and Pte Mohamad Rozali. Nine other members, including Platoon Sergeant Sjn Abd Jail Ali and two members of Platoon Three, Cpl Hamid Md Noor and Pte Daud Abdul Rahman, only sustained minor injuries. For the excellence and bravery displayed by Pte Zi, he was awarded the Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB) medal by His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Mu’adzam Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah, on June 2, 1971.
The story begins at exactly 4:30 PM, when Pte Zi and his company members were dropped off at the village community hall. Upon arrival, they were led by a village youth to show them the edge of the forest. "Ma'am, have you seen a group of communists in this area?" Capt Latif asked the villagers. That was what he did throughout the trek along the trail leading to the forest area. Most of them gave the same answer: the enemy was moving towards Kuak Ulu. When they reached the end of the village, they spotted three houses in a remote area. Capt Latif decided to ask each resident for further information. After questioning them, Capt Latif returned to their gathering point with a troubled look. This was because the answers given by the three residents were highly suspicious. Consequently, they divided into three groups: one would take the trail to the right towards the Malaysia-Thailand border, another would stay behind the Company Headquarters, and the last group would head towards the hill and continue towards the Malaysia-Thailand border. Then, our national fighters continued their movement towards their respective assigned directions. Pte Zi and his section members began moving along their designated route. At that time, the clock showed exactly 5:15 PM. Platoon Zi had arrived at the foot of the hill, where an old logging road was located. They were all ordered to rest and find a campsite since it was nearly nightfall. While resting, they took the opportunity to eat and drink. For some reason, Pte Zi had no appetite. Shortly after resting, Capt Latif ordered them to continue the journey. Pte Zi began leading the group. After 10 minutes of walking on the old logging road, the point scout, Pte Mustaffa, suddenly stopped and froze when he saw a strange figure. Pte Mustaffa immediately called his Assistant Section Leader, L/Cpl Mohd Shobian, to see what was in front. It looked like a pig that had just wallowed in mud, showing a yellowish-red figure. L/Cpl Shobian stared intently at the figure, focusing his eyes to identify what he was seeing. What they thought was a pig appeared to stand up and jump into a bunker. Seeing the pig's action, it convinced those watching that it was not a pig but a communist terrorist. "BANDIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted L/Cpl Shobian, but it was too late. Unfortunately, our national heroes were right in the middle of the enemy's ambush zone. The communist terrorists had long been waiting for the prey to enter the trap. It was like food served on a platter, and the communist terrorists greedily opened fire. In the ensuing chaos, Pte Zi dove to the shoulder of the logging road for cover. He was with Pte Wahab at the time, as they were both support weapon crew members. Wahab operated the General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) while Zi carried the ammunition. Pte Zi observed the surroundings as bullets whizzed past his shoulders, accompanied by the sound of explosions. He also saw his Section Leader, Cpl Adnan, taking cover on the road shoulder. Just as he was about to shout to Cpl Adnan, a booby trap explosion hit him. Cpl Adnan collapsed immediately. Cpl Syed Mustafa, who witnessed the incident, ran towards Cpl Adnan, but he was also unlucky as several shots pierced his chest, and he collapsed next to Adnan. The situation became increasingly tense. The hail of bullets and explosions lasted for nearly an hour. The morale of the national heroes weakened under the circumstances. Their section's fire was less effective as the enemy's position was strategically located at the top of the hill. At the same time, Pte Zi saw Pte Wahab struggling to use the GPMG, which appeared to be non-functional. It might have been damaged by the shrapnel from the booby trap earlier. Pte Zi's heart pounded as he saw that the most important support weapon could not be used. Everything seemed hopeless for them to get out of there safely. Pte Zi tried to hide his anxiety as he watched Wahab desperately trying to make the weapon work again. Finally, the situation became quiet as the shooting stopped. Wahab was still diligently fixing their support weapon. At the same time, the voices of terrorists could be heard shouting orders to search for the fallen national heroes. Then, three communist terrorists, one of whom was a woman, emerged from behind the bushes used as their cover. Pte Zi, seeing the situation, called out to Wahab, who was a few meters away. "The enemy is coming!" Pte Zi whispered, waving to call Wahab. However, Wahab refused to leave his weapon. He continued his determination and effort to ensure the weapon was fully functional again. The female communist terrorist noticed Wahab's movements but did not notice Pte Zi behind the bushes near Wahab.
Without hesitation, the female communist terrorist shot Wahab, the bullet passing through his head from right to left. A terrorist accompanying the woman moved towards the limp Wahab to retrieve his weapon. Pte Zi watched every move of the communist terrorists with intense rage. Suddenly, a spirit possessed him. "I will make sure you die! I will kill you! I WILL KILL YOU!!!" Pte Zi's heart screamed in fury. His best friend was brutally murdered right before his eyes! Pte Zi was now determined to claim a life for a life. Finally, Pte Zi aimed his SLR rifle at the communist trying to take Wahab's weapon. As the terrorist bent down, Pte Zi fired without hesitation. The communist terrorist fell to the ground. Two other communist comrades who witnessed the incident from a sheltered area immediately fired repeatedly at Pte Zi. Pte Zi's buttocks, thighs, and both calves were pierced by the communist terrorists' bullets. Consequently, Pte Zi could not return fire because he could not see the enemy's position. He eventually lay weak, enduring the pain while looking at Wahab's body, which was still clutching the GPMG, sparking feelings of sorrow and rage towards the communists. His will to survive returned. An enemy emerged from his hiding place, thinking that Pte Zi was dead, while the communist terrorist moved towards Wahab. Pte Zi was certain his intention was the same as his comrade who had been shot by Zi earlier. Pte Zi steadied his aim directly at Wahab's weapon. If his assumption about the enemy's intention was correct, it would be easy for him to just pull the trigger.
Finally, Pte Zi fired when the enemy was bending down to take Wahab's weapon. The female communist, seeing her comrade fall, immediately fired at Pte Zi, and at that moment, Pte Zi made a wise decision not to return fire. He pretended to collapse and played dead. Thinking Pte Zi was truly dead this time, the woman continued towards Wahab's body with the same intention. Cold sweat began to pour, his vision blurred, and blood soaked our national hero. The pain intensified. Parts of his body had been pierced by bullets. However, Pte Zi still wanted to kill the communist. He pressed the butt of his weapon to his cheek. Even though his eyes were not clear because it was nearly night and sweat kept streaming down, his hands gripped the pistol grip tightly, and his finger was ready on the trigger. When the female communist got close to Wahab's weapon, Pte Zi finally fired, and the shot hit the enemy. However, it only wounded and did not kill the communist terrorist. The female communist screamed, calling her comrade who was on the hill. The communist comrade on the hill rushed down, threw a hand grenade at Pte Zi, and fled. Pte Zi could only watch the hand grenade roll and land exactly between him and Wahab's body. However, the luck of our national hero was on his side. The thrown grenade did not explode, and Pte Zi breathed a sigh of relief. The pain began to peak again, and Pte Zi did not dare to move anywhere for fear of stepping on a booby trap or encountering the enemy. That night, he just lay next to his friend Wahab's body, enduring the pain alone.
The feelings of fear, worry, and pain eased when he heard artillery fire directed at the enemy's position. The next morning, around 7:00 AM, Pte Zi was found by the rescue team and was taken to the Royal Australian Air Force Hospital in Butterworth, Penang, by a Nuri helicopter for further treatment. For the excellence and bravery displayed by Pte Zi, he was awarded the Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB) medal by His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Mu’adzam Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah, on June 2, 1971. Photo: Sjn Nurulhaswani Ruzaini and courtesy of Pte (Rtd) Zi Yaacob Source and references:
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