As we entered the year 2023, my mind wandered to a fateful incident that had left an indelible mark in our nation's history. It was ten years ago that a group of armed men numbering around 200 to 400 had came ashore at Kampung Tanduo in Lahad Datu on 11th February 2013. Their presence was detected as soon as they stepped onto land by two off-duty auxiliary policemen who immediately informed the authority. And the rest is history.
In a span of less than one month, 68 of these men would end up dead. On Malaysian side, eight police officers and 2 soldiers lost their lives.
What Have We Learnt?
It would be harsh to say so but we have not really learned much from the short conflict. The event was hugely politicised, while national security continued to be sidelined. Then opposition made fun of the armed forces and police. While certain elements from then government continued to squander critical funds that were made available for the military to procure new equipment.
The Pain
But what really pained me was seeing the families of our police officers who were killed in the battles that had ensued.
Superintendent Ibrahim Lebar's widow, Kak Rosiah Dahlan is a friend. I remember encountering him just months before the battle that took his life.
And it was this event that pushed me to the directions of recording their stories, and reminding people of their sacrifices so that their stories would not be forgotten.
Superintendent Ibrahim Lebar
He was not supposed to be involved in the operation at Kampung Siminul and Kampung Jaya in Semporna. His leave was approved, he was supposed to have flown back to Kuala Lumpur that day to celebrate his wedding anniversary. But he was a true patriot. Hearing that they need more men, he volunteered. During the battle, he was slashed with a barong and was mortally wounded.
His wife had tried calling him but did not get through. Before the operation, all mobile phones had been taken away and kept at the station.
It was a Sunday that I received information that Kak Ros' (we called her Kak Ros) was one of the six police officers killed in an ambush in Semporna.
I quickly went into Facebook and found her profile. The latest post was from her daughter who was studying in Egypt, wishing her parents a long-lasting marriage till the end of time. Little did she know that her father was no longer around at the time she posted the message.
Days later, I rushed to their home as his remains arrived at their home at USJ for funeral detail. As I rode on a taxi back home after the funeral detail, it felt awkward as just months ago, I watched the movie Act of Valor which detailed the sacrifices of US Seal Team in the Global War on Terrorism, and here I was, attending one of our own.
He was later awarded the Pingat Gagah Berani (PGB) and posthumously promoted to the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP).
Lance Corporal Azrul Tukiran
Lance Corporal Azrul came from a military family. His father was a former Ranger who was once assigned to Sarawak and at one point had participated in combat patrols near my hometown.
A very naughty boy, no one thought he would end up joining the police force. In fact, he had even tried out to join the police special forces Unit Tindakan Khas (UTK).
He was assigned to Sabah under 14th Pasukan Gerakan Am (PGA) which is a paramilitary wing for the Royal Malaysian Police Force.
A friendly young man, he willingly placed his life to help others. A year before the events that took his life, he was involved in a rescue operation to help his room-mate to save a relative who had been forcibly withheld by a local man with suspected ties to militants in Southern Mindanao. As they left with the relative, one of the men threatened to kill him. As the rescued person was worried, he told her, "aku mati takpa, yang penting hampa balik Semenanjung dulu," literally translated as "it is okay if I'm killed, as long as you get back to Peninsular first."
During the ambush at Kampung Siminul and Kampung Jaya, Azrul was caught in the middle of enemy forces. He tried to fight back, but the enemy managed to overwhelm his position and he was decapitated.
Upon finding out that Azrul was caught in the ambush, his room-mate tried to rush into the village amidst of the chaos, but was held back by a Malaysian commando (either a VAT69 police commando or a Navy Paskal commando). The scolding brought sense to him, as they might walk into traps set by the enemies. He narrated to me how heartbreaking it was to him when he found Azrul's body during the mopping-up operation. Scarred for life, he later requested to be transferred back to Peninsular Malaysia, to a different formation.
Azrul was posthumously promoted. Together with Ibrahim Lebar, he and his cohorts were all awarded the Pingat Gagah Berani for their gallant actions that led to their deaths. As narrated by one of the participants of the battle, one officer, with total disregard of his personal safety, Kons Salam Togiran, had rushed out of his position with only a revolver trying to rescue another fallen officer while returning fire at the enemy. He was killed in a barrage of fire.
Traitor in their Midst
Later it was revealed that someone had tipped off the bandits. Detective Corporal Hasan Basri who have family ties with members of the militant group had called them up just before the operation commenced. A voice recording of the call would later be used to prosecute him and in August 2013, he was sentenced to seven years in prison. He was released from prison in 2020, with no information of his current whereabouts.
Aftermath
Altogether, 10 Malaysian security personnel were killed in Ops Daulat. Two VAT69 (erronously typed as UTK) commandos were killed on 1st March 2013, a day earlier at Kampung Tanduo. While a soldier attached to Royal Malay Regiment was killed in a firefight at Sungai Nyamuk. One soldier was killed when his supply truck was involved in an accident while transporting material to the battlefield.
Several of the perpetrators of the ambush in Kampung Siminul and Kampung Jaya. At least one of them was later involved in the Zamboanga uprising.
The intrusion had also led to Kidnap-for-ransom (KFR) groups to return to Sabahan waters to kidnap their targets. In one of their kidnapping attempts, a police officer was killed while another was kidnapped together with a foreign tourist. The reinvigorating of the KFR group later turned even deadlier when Abu Sayyaf group, which was one of the main KFR groups turned Marawi city into a battleground.
As I dot the i's and cross the t's, I can only pray that God bless the souls of the men and women who had placed their lives in the line of fire for this nation of ours.
The following are the men who were killed in the Sabah intrusion and later subsequent intrusions by KFR.
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