In memory of Semut Operation

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/7/28/sarawak/6737215&sec=sarawak

Wednesday July 28, 2010

In memory of Semut Operation

Story and photos by YU JI
yuji@thestar.com.my


WHILE growing up in Australia, Jack Tredea had never heard of the Kelabit tribe and the reverse must also be true for the Bario highlanders.

On March 25, 1945, the tranquillity of Bario in Miri division was rudely broken. In the quiet of the morning, the natives awoke to the drone of war planes.

As a beam of sunlight pierced through the dispersing clouds and the residents of two longhouses saw mushroom-like parachutes dropping down near the padi fields.

Moments earlier, Tredea, a member of the Allied Forces Semut Operation, peered through a small window on a tiny aircraft. What he saw was completely foreign to him.

The highlands, about 1.2km above sea level, was a remote place on Borneo island and this was why it was chosen as the launch site for the resistance against the Japanese occupation.


Tourism potential: Sarawak Tourism Federation president Wee Hong Seng (left) and Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan talking about eco-tourism packages of the Semut trail that will be implemented in stages.
Another reason for its selection was because mineral prospectors from Dutch Borneo (as Kalimantan was known then) had made a rudimentary map of the area. Besides a little geographical information, there was no other documentation of the highlands.

It is hard to convey the sense of foreignness that Tredea felt. Here was a young Australian soldier looking at the complete unknown.

Imagine the fear of landing in enemy territory with just a map drawn up by prospectors who didn’t find any minerals worth mining?

“We did not know what lay below as we jumped out of the plane,” Tredea said during a return trip to Bario earlier this year.

“I was a young man. I had a wife and child in Australia and we were at war with the Japanese. But to my delight, the people opened their hearts to us.”

Tredea’s visit to Bario was to mark the 65th anniversary of Semut Operation. The Sarawak government has erected a memorial at the landing site in recognition of the contributions of the Allied Forces.


Reflecting back: Tredea (second from left) and his family members visiting the site with Ba’Kelalan assemblyman Nelson Balang Rining (left) in Bario in March.
The importance of Semut Operation cannot be overstated.

What started out as a top-secret reconnaissance mission brought about the downfall of the Japanese and paved the way for the formation of Malaysia 20 years later.

It is impossible to imagine what it would be like now if Tredea and his team mates led by Major Tom Harrison of the British Army (who later becoming the Sarawak Museum’s famous curator) failed.

The significance of their mission never dawned on the small team at the time.

Fewer than 10 Allied commandos were part of Semut. Two successful landings occurred in Bario, each carrying just four personnel.

One other mission landed across the border in Dutch Borneo.

While the Bario residents received Tredea’s people warmly, their counterparts on Dutch Borneo were not so lucky. The natives there, fearful of a Japanese retribution, reported the commandos presence and were swiftly beheaded.

“It was very dangerous for the Kelabit and Lun Bawang people to help us Australians,” Tredea recalled.

“If your people (Kelabits) were caught by the Japanese, they would have faced great cruelty. Your people were incredibly brave, loyal and helpful.”


The memorial: Marking the landing site of Semut Operation team 65 years ago.
The first batch of Semut commandos hiked through the interior and reached Sibu on foot. They made maps, recorded important information and recruited natives along the way.

However, their personal experiences have not been well documented. After all, it was just a reconnaissance mission.

What is known is that the operation mobilised 2,000 tribal warriors from the Baram and Rejang basins.

By conservative estimates, the operation may have killed 265 enemy members, but it recaptured 25,000 square miles of Sarawak from the Japanese without a single casualty to the commandos.

Tredea is the only Semut commando still alive.

“My biggest regret is that my fellow commandos could not make this trip with me,” he said.

During Tredea’s visit, he was accompanied by his great grand-daughter and son in law.

“I wanted them to meet the beautiful people of Bario who were so kind to me and my colleagues so many years ago,” he said.

With him was Network Seven, Australia’s largest commercial television station, retracing the trail of 65 years ago.

The memorial marks the start of the trail which is open to tourists.

“Its design follows the spirit of freedom and unity,” said Sarawak Tourism Federation Heritage Development Committee chairman Lim Kian Hock.

“Through it, we hope to display the outstanding values of local tribal warriors and the commandos – lest we forget.”