Documenting the exploits of our unsung heroes

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Documenting the exploits of our unsung heroes

by Terry Justin Dit.

Posted on February 15, 2011, Tuesday

History has always been a passion of mine as it involves the study of events in the past, many of which had a huge impact on humanity.

In recent years, there has been a shift in the study of history. Not only are the roles played by illustrious politicians, scientists, generals, philosophers and other personalities in a historical time period examined; the contributions of common folk are now also increasingly given prominence.

The Second World War (1939-1945) was a momentous period in 20th century world history given its unprecedented global proportions and scale of conflict and destruction.

Borneo was not spared because of the strategic importance of its oilfields in Miri, Seria, Balikpapan and Tarakan. Indeed, it was amongst the first strategic targets for expansion by the invading Japanese.

While the coastal areas were easily overrun and then administered by the Japanese, the hinterland of Sarawak was a different matter. The sheer expanse and impenetrable nature of the virgin forests of Sarawak in the 1940s made it possible for some of Sarawak’s tribes to be isolated from the war and the Japanese administration.

It was this remoteness and isolation that attracted the attention of the Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD), also known as Z Special Unit or Z Force, an Australian special operations unit that included a small number of New Zealand and British personnel, as it lay the groundwork for the Allied re-occupation of northwest Borneo.

As it was free from Japanese patrols, the Allies planned to use Bario in the Kelabit Highlands as a training area for indigenous guerrillas as well as a staging point to harass and tie up the Japanese forces in Borneo.

Such activities contributed to the success of the Australian landings (codenamed Oboe 6) at Brunei Bay and Labuan in June 1945.

The brave exploits of these mixed teams of Europeans and indigenous tribesmen have been written about by several of the soldiers who commanded the various guerilla groups (codenamed Semut 1, Semut 2 and Semut 3).

But in spite of this, much is still unknown about their activities as the number of official documents and reports pertaining to the SRD available to the public in archives are scant due to the clandestine nature of SRD operations during the war.

An ongoing project of mine is to document the contributions of the indigenous members of the Semut guerilla groups to the Allied cause during the war. While the exploits of the European members of Semut have been widely documented and publicised, the experiences and recollections of the indigenous tribesmen from various communities such as the Iban, Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah and Penan have not been formally documented at all.

There is a compelling need to record their stories as many are very advanced in age, and sadly, many have already left us. Since only a few of them can read, let alone write their own stories, their histories are largely oral histories.

Oral histories are stories that living individuals tell about their past, or about the past of others. To avoid Sarawak losing an important chapter of her history and to provide a balanced account of an important event in our country’s history, it is imperative that the exploits of these men are properly recorded and documented so that future generations will learn and treasure the sacrifices of our Sarawakian heroes.

Since the project is ongoing, I seek assistance from the public, especially those with elderly relatives who participated in the Semut teams, to contribute to this project. Here is the chance to record and document what was truly an important event (the Second World War) through the perspectives of an indigenous person.

• Terry Justin Dit is a lecturer in the School of Foundation and Continuing Studies at Curtin Sarawak. He wrote his theses on ‘British Counterinsurgency Operations in Malaya and Borneo’ and ‘Maritime Piracy in East Asia, 1990-2000’. He currently teaches Borneo Studies and 20th Century World History at the university. Terry can be contacted on 085-443939 extension 3209.

More flights will boost tourist arrivals – STF

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More flights will boost tourist arrivals – STF

by Peter Sibon

Posted on February 5, 2011, Saturday

PHOTO: FOR THE ALBUM: (From left) Former STF president Dato Wee Hong Seng, AirAsia CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes and Audry on a visit to Kuching. STF participated in talks with AirAsia aimed at bringing more flights to and from Kuching.


PHOTO: LOVELY COUPLE: Audry and husband Justin Bersales after she was conferred the Ahli Bintang Sarawak (ABS) by the Governor of Sarawak in June 2010.

KUCHING: The tourism industry was hard hit by the recent global recession and Sarawak was not spared by it.

However, efforts are made by various bodies, notably Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) and other stakeholders, to lure more tourists to the state.

The following is the excerpt from an interview with the president of STF Audry Wan Ullok.

BP: How did the local tourism sector perform last year?

Audry: According to statistics of visitor arrivals from the state Immigration Department, as at the end of October 2010 foreign visitors’ arrival in Sarawak has decreased slightly but domestic visitors’ arrival (especially from Sabah) has increased by 0.8 per cent. The final figures till the end of December 2010 are being compiled now.

BP: What were some of the problems/challenges faced by tourism players last year?

Audry: This would probably be a combination of various factors – such as increased competitiveness of other destinations especially in the Asia Pacific region, and to add to that the global financial crisis has not helped much.

BP: How do you see the tourism industry performing this year?

Audry: The tourism industry is optimistic and we expect tourist arrival figures to pick up this year. With the increased flights from Peninsula Malaysia (via Firefly) and from North Asia (via MAS to Japan and South Korea), the tourism industry is excited with the better prospects.

We understand that there is also a possibility of some charter flights coming into the state, as what is currently happening in Sabah. All these are still in very early and preliminary discussions, but it is something which will be good for the tourism industry.

BP: Is air connectivity still the major problem faced by the local
tourism industry?

Audry: We are thankful for the new flights to Kuching from KLIA (via Firefly – four flights a day), which I understand received very good response, and will definitely help to boost domestic tourism (from Peninsular Malaysia).

Also, Air Asia has about 10 flights a day between KL and Kuching, MAS has about eight flights a day between KL and Kuching.

In addition, there are daily flights from Singapore to Kuching by Air Asia, MAS, Tiger Airways and Silk Air.

This month has also seen the new connecting flight between Kuching (via KK) and Japan (Tokyo and Osaka) and South Korea (Seoul and Haneda). It is still too early to comment but we are hopeful that with Sarawak Tourism Board’s (STB) continued marketing of Sarawak in North Asia, visitors’ arrival will pick up over the next few months.

We are hoping for more flights to international destinations such as Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bangkok, Denpasar and selected destinations in Australia.

BP: What is your opinion about the possibility of the revival of Feri Malaysia which was introduced in the 90’s but subsequently scrapped due to uneconomic viability?

Audry: This is good news for Sarawak because it means more choice of travel options for tourists coming into Sarawak.

Inbound agents, tourist attractions and local restaurants have welcomed the arrival of tourists on cruise liners in the past couple of months.

As to the economic viability, I would not be able to comment on that. But I am sure that the companies or individuals who have invested in this cruise line business (Feri Malaysia) would have calculated and studied their risks and gains very thoroughly before investing and embarking on it.

BP: What are some of our new tourism products that can make Sarawak high on the wanted list by foreign tourists?

Audry: Our members are continually coming up with new products, for example a new 5-star, boutique and budget hotels which are up and running; there are many new food outlets in Kuching; the Mulu National Park is upgrading with new accommodation; we have the brand new Borneo Convention Centre, there are new caving, trekking and adventure tours around Kuching area. One such new attraction is the hot spring at Kampung Anah Rais in Padawan.

BP: In your opinion, do you think our tourist guides need better training?

Audry: Tourist guides need to be continually updated and keep up with new developments such as new attractions etc. Having said this, the Sarawak Tourist Guides Association, under the able leadership of president Abang Azahari is continually organising courses to upgrade and update the knowledge of their guides.

And recently, STF and UCSI with support of the State Ministry of Tourism and Heritage jointly organised and conducted basic Japanese and Korean language classes for local tourist guides, considering the increased arrivals of tourists from Japan and Korea.

We have also confirmed starting French elementary language classes in mid February 2011 and soon the German language classes. This will equip our local guides to better understand and handle our foreign tourists.

BP: What makes Sarawak lag behind Sabah in terms of tourism industry?

Audry: We have many differences with Sabah, but we also share many things in common with Sabah, and our respective state ministries and state tourism promotion boards have taken the initiative to conduct joint meetings and exchange views on common problems.

BP: Has our homestay programme been successful? If yes how? And if not, why?

Audry: The homestay programme in Sarawak is still in its infancy stage; as such much has to be done to educate those who are in the homestay business on standards of accommodation and food, especially when it involves tourists from very different cultures and backgrounds.

There has been a certain degree of success in homestays but some negative feedback we have received from homestay operators have been on the urgent need to improve the infrastructure, facilities and signage in certain areas or villages operating homestays, the lack of promotion and exposure of homestays especially for bookings via Internet and a lack of cultural experience for tourists.

BP: Please share with us your vision for Sarawak’s tourism industry?

Audry: I can only speak on behalf of the Sarawak Tourism Federation. STF represents the interest of its component members (through associations), with consideration for the other stakeholders in the tourism industry (i.e. the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage Sarawak, the Sarawak Tourism Board, the Federal Ministry of Tourism).

We sincerely hope to have greater involvement by our respective members. What greater role STF can do is up to each one of us. Of course the bottom-line for all who invest in the industry is for more tourist arrivals, better returns from their businesses (be it hotels, travel agencies, food outlets, taxi operators, handicraft outlets etc).

There is still much to be done to steer the industry to greater heights as the tourism industry is perceived to be mainly private sector driven.

Having said that, tourism stakeholders must be open minded to adapt to changing global trends and maintain high standards in our tourism products and service delivery.

It is also essential for businesses of today to be competitive by staying connected with their partners and the rest of the world via efficient connectivity.

And for this, we are completely dependent on good broadband access. We do encourage members to sell online. STF is also working hard currently to get a common consensus among tourism players to make things happen and play our part together with the government to benefit Sarawak’s tourism industry.