On the 23rd of January 1964, close to Sabah in the Sarawak Fifth Division, a ten men patrol of the 1st Royal Leicesters under Lt Michael Peele attacked 40 Indonesians as they were having their lunch in a clearing north of Long Miau. The patrol had been directed into the area after Sergeant Bob Creighton of D Squadron, 22 SAS had picked up the tracks of military boots. Peele’s attack killed 5 of the enemy and forced the rest to flee for their lives, abandoning half a ton of arms and ammunition. When Sergeant Creighton searched the site he found two survivors, who confirmed that the group had been intending to cross into Brunei.

Image: Sergeant, Indonesian Airforce paratroops 1964 (PGT). Indonesia's original airborne unit-tracing their lineage to a handful of anti-Dutch guerrillas who jumped into Kalimantan in October 1949 - the Pasukan Gerak Tjepat or Fast Moble Force saw action in the 1950s-60s against anti-government rebels, before being committed to both airborne and seaborne insertions during the Confontation in 1964. By the next year the PGT had three battalions, headquarters at Bandung, the force was later redesignated KOPASGAT and finally PASHKAS-Air Force Special Forces-in 1983. This image taken during the 1960s show this one piece camouflage overall based on the US M1942 jungle suit with four external pockets. The squashed looking field cap in drab herringbone twill seems to have been common. The insignia worn here on barracks dress were not displayed in the field. The Air Force Special Forces left shoulder patch, the PGT title in black and yellow on the right breast and yellow metal Air Force parachute wings on the left. Rank was Dutch style, worn on shouldr strap slides. In the field, webbing equipment was of US M1956 pattern and the standard personal weapon was the 7.62mm NATO FN-FAL rifle.

In a small scale but tough operation in early January men of the 1/7th Gurkhas and the Special Branch co-operated in exterminating a group of 23 Indonesians commanded by an Indonesian Sergeant, who had landed by boat in the mangrove swamps of an estuary in eastern Sabah. Realising that their landing had been compromised, they split up, one group of seven was destroyed by Gurkhas led by Major D.O’ Leary, operating from a requisitioned launch with the apt name’ The jolly Bachelor’. 3 Gurkhas were wounded, the payback was 3 dead Indonesian raiders, two wounded enemy along with one captured. The weapons recovered were one LMG, a Sten and two Armalite rifles. The remainder of the Indonesian group was later captured hiding like rats, on a stolen fishing boat.

Talks in Bangkok, Thailand, between Malaysia and Indonesia under United Nations chairmanship produced a truce which lasted from the 25th January until the 6th March 1964. Foreign Minister Subandrio insisted that all infiltrators , cross border raids were the work of local volunteers, beyond the control of Djakarta. Tun Abdul Razak representing Malaysia, insisted that all infiltrators should be withdrawan before substantive negotiations could start.

The talks dragged on, but by the first week of March three groups of between 30 and 50 Indonesian raiders had crossed the borders into the First Division at Lundu at the end of January, at Bau on the 21st February and at Rassau on the 6th March 1964. On each occasion they were confronted by 42 Commando or 1/2nd Gurkha Rifles. They always suffered casualties and withdrew. Source : Britain's Secret War by Will Fowler.