Pahang River - The Last Expatriate By Neil J Ryan On Sungei

The Last Expatriate By Neil J Ryan On Sungei

pg 7-8: "We travelled by train with the rest of the battalion from Kluang via Kuala Lumpur to Mentakab which was to be the new battalion HQ. D Company was based at Temerloh where we took a row of new shop-houses which was built, overlooking the River Pahang. Here all the rifle platoons were living together and we were all now integrated into the company structure. The free and easy life of the estate living is now over - we were back in the army again. (Though this was not a spit and polish army). Pahang was much less developed part of Malaya than Johore. The latter had a good road network whereas in Pahang the main transport is based on railway and the river. At that time there was no bridge across River at Temerloh and the other side was dearth of roads. The other important difference in operational terms was that Temerloh was where the first Malay branch of the Malayan Communist Party had been established and Pahang was alleged to be the base of the only ethnic Malay regiment in the communist force - the remainder in the rest of the country, were still almost entirely Chinese. Our task was to keep Wan Ali and his colleagues under control and if possible eliminate them. Their territory was across the river from our shop houses well into the jumgle behind the kampongs(village) which stretched along the river bank. The other main change was in the way the battalion now began to operate. With six months 'sort of' jungle warfare experience we were now expected to spend a great deal more time in the jungle. The days of the short four- hour patrol were now over and we were obliged to spend up (to) a week away from base, The aim was for us to seek out and attack bandit camps, to lay in wait and ambush CT couriers and patrols and to be as expert in the jungle as they were. I don't believe we were but we certainly tried hard! It was hard work as the jungle was not a friendly place."