An Ambush At Sg Siput (south) ..1973

Jerry Francis (2nd from left) with other press personnel during the communist insurgency

Our story on Sungai Siput (South) / April 6, brought back memories for Jerry Francis a former New Straits Times journalist who extensively covered the communist insurgency in Perak and South Thailand from 1973 till after the Peace Accord in 1989.  This his account of an incident at Sg Siput (S) in 1973.

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I remember Sungei Siput South. Although not as notorious as Sungei Siput (north) during the Emergency, it had its share of incidents in the fight against the communist insurgents.

This incident occurred in the vicinity of Sungai Siput (South) on April 14 1973. 

I went to the village the following day to report on the killings of two insurgents in an ambush in the village by 3rd Battalion, Police Field Force led by Supt. Mohamed Kassim.

It was the battalions first success in the security operation.

Supt. Mohamed Kassim had handpicked 10 men on the information of the Special Branch for the ambush. 

The men who were in disguise, waited throughout the night of April 14. At 11am the following day, five insurgents walked into the ambush position and had an exchange of fire.

Two of the insurgents were killed. The rest managed to escaped and fled in the direction of Cameron Highlands.

The PFF battalion was in the area as part of a series of Operation Setia. The operation which was launched in September,1971 covered an area from Sungei Siput (north) to Tanah Hitam, Tanjung Rambutan and further south.

Thousands of leaflets urging the insurgents to surrender were airdropped in the area in the follow up to the incident.

The State Security Council introduced effective measures in the village, which at that time had a population of about 800 people.

Jerry Francis