The Malaysian Battalion in Cambodia

MALBATT in UNTAC was the single longest serving contingent, deployed for a total of 16 months on active service in Cambodia without a break. MALBATT carried out all THREE phases of the UNTAC operations, and succeeded in meeting and exceeding all the objectives set. The first phase of the operations that saw MALBATT deployed to almost all corners of the country (including some forays into KR territories, I will tell next) to ensure the safe transportation and resettlement of refugees from all over the world back into Cambodia. This operations involve close cooperation with almost every component of the UN including the UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and supported by numerous NGOs like OXFAM, Medicines Sans Frontiers, blah blah. For the record, MALBATT handled almost all the refugees returning from the border camps along the Thai-Cambo border, coming in through the border town of Poipet into the rest of the country, processed the final destination and resettlement into the interior for refugees returning by flight through Pochetong Airport, Phnom Penh. In total, I believe it could be up to half a million refugees in more than six months, not bad for a contingent consisting of only 850 men. And throughout the operation by MALBATT, everything was planned down to the last details and cooperation from all UN components, local authorities and communities, so throughout the resettlement of the refugees, there was not 1 single civilian casualty! Not that the operations is not without its dangers, most of the areas for resettlement were only recently cleared of land mines. There is also some tensions between the existing communities and the returnees coming into these areas, bringing extra strain into the existing infrastructure. And then there was the final few batched of refugees who were the hard core who did not believe that they could not be resettled into the greener pastures of USA and Canada. These groups were forcible evicted from Thailand by the RTA and excorted to the border. Some were even evicted by the burning of the refugee camps and the destruction of all the infrastructure. So we had a really hard core bunch of disgrunlted people to content with, and were only gaining information of the forced eviction from Thailand via the news, not by the UNHCR. So one group being held at the temporary camp of Toul Makak close to Battambang decided to riot one night before their resettlement into the countryside. A few hundred of them gathered close to the main gates manned by MALBATT and demanded to be paid money (go figure) instead of being resettled. The situation was almost out of control and the guard detachment of an infantry section raised the alarm. Toul Makak is only one of the dozens camps guarded by MALBATT throughout the countryside, in an area the size of the state of Pahang. The responsibility then fell on the Quick Reaction Force based at Battambang to respond. We had a reinforced section on a 3 tonner and a land rover and quickly rushed to the location. The scene confronting us was a huge wave of humans seething in the shadows, our guard section watching the front gates while the UNHCR rep and their interpreter try to reason with the group spokes person. Upon reaching the gates, I saw one refugee being held in the monsoon drain, water up to his chest, to cool him down after he tried to grab a weapon from the sentry (he got clobbered for his effort). But there was also a few instigators (batu api) challenging the guards in defiance. One particular instigator came up shouting abuse and claiming himself to be from the KR, tearing off his shirt to show me his tatoos (tangkal, konon), challenging me to shoot him. I just told him that I will hand over KR criminals and all their families over to the CPAF (their sworn enemy) who were watching from outside the gates. Tangkal ke mana, hero ke mana, he quickly ran away into the crowd. But to control the entire crowd was a different matter altogether. So we issued orders via loud hailers that whoever damages UN property will be immediately shot. This warning was broadcasted three times. Then following that, all the sentries and the QRF was lined up, the front line kneeling and the second line standing and the order to load weapon and to bring the weapon to bear was issued, loud enough for all to hear. The face of the white UNHCR rep became pale at our action. Then the order to disperse is issued and the warning that whomever who disobeyed this order will be shot. For effect, the order is given in Khmer, English, Malay and Tamil. The terrified UNHCR rep then came running up to our firing lines screaming, "no! no! you cannot do that!". The answer, "I don't care, these ppl are breaking our laws (?) and threating UN property, I have the right to shoot!". The UN rep then ran back to the crowd shouting to them, pleading them, "please listen to me, go home, they are crazy! they will shoot you!". The crowd then quickly dispersed back to their buildings and so a very bad incident was adverted, through quick action and strict rulings. Phew... berketak-ketak juga kepala lutut berhadapan dengan beribu-ribu orang tuh! On the way back to Battambang, we stumbled into an night attack being launched on a local political office. The RPG projectile just zipping across the front of the TATA truck in a trail of sparks... we were passing through a village then, so no opening fire unless we could see our target, but nothing showing in the shadows and we could not tell who was shooting at whom. We have pressed our luck too much that night already and so we left that attack behind us but made a report to the Sector HQ for the local cambodian military commander to investigate. Other incidents for phase 1 operations next...