MIRI (March 25): A historical re-enactment was held today at the Bario Memorial Park to commemorate the 1945 Op Semut landing of the Z Special Unit parachute troops during World War II (WWII) against the Japanese occupation.
Held for the first time, the event saw participation from the Australian High Commission, the Royal Malaysian Air Force, and the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba).
Dignitaries in attendance included Australia’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Danielle Heinecke; New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia, Mike Walsh; and British Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia, Tom Shepherd.
Also present were representatives from Australia’s Special Operations Command, the Australian Army Research Centre, veterans of the Z Special Unit and their family members, as well as Sarawak veteran Lt Gen (R) Datuk Stephen Mundaw.
Sarawak’s Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Hamzah, highlighted that the re-enactment was a tribute to the heroism of soldiers from Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as local resistance fighters, whose bravery contributed to the liberation of Sarawak from Japanese occupation during WWII.
“The significance of the event is also recognised by the Sarawak government, with a repeat of the re-enactment to be held at Padang Merdeka, Kuching this March 27,” he said when met by reporters after the event.
Abdul Karim also noted that war memorials serve as important reminders of past conflicts and as a means to honour those who served, adding that war heritage tourism has become a significant activity in Malaysia.
He expressed his delight that Bario Memorial Park has become a meaningful site for visitors to pay their respects.
During the ceremony, Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Department, Datuk Gerawat Gala, acknowledged the Kelabit community’s deep gratitude toward the Z Special Unit for initiating Sarawak’s liberation from Japanese rule, starting in Bario.
He noted that this historic event also introduced the Kelabit people to the modern world
“The exposure to the modern world and western military warfare has created a new horizon for the community and inspired them to explore beyond their closed world.
“It also opened new possibilities which the local community had never envisaged before in their enclosed world which the late Tom Harrison wrote about in his book titled ‘The World Within’ which some of you may have read,” he said.
Gerawat also highlighted that after WWII, around five per cent of the Kelabit community joined the Border Scouts, the army, and the police force, making them the community’s unsung heroes.
Among them was the late Sub Inspector Ngelinuh Bala, who was awarded Malaysia’s highest military honour, the Sri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP), for his exceptional bravery in the battle against communist insurgents in Sibu in 1972.
-Agency
