Chong Chor of Tronoh in Bahasa

We were briefed on actions to be taken in the event of an ambush. The route to Cameron Highlands was long winding and a narrow road. Excellent spots for executing ambushes. We had to take the road from Tapah. Those areas are the Highlands exceeding 5,000 feet. It is cold, clammy and wet most of the time.

With sand flies thrown in for added misery, not forgetting the leeches. I hate leeches. The trip took 5 hours as the speed was slow in the convoy. We reached Slim Camp where the Commandos were stationed. This camp was named after the famous WW2 British Field Marshall Slim.

We had dinner after which we were briefed. All patrols were allotted a sector to operate in to “search and locate” the enemy. The strength of each patrol was 5. All of us were trained as combat medics, signalers, in demolitions and conducting a fighting withdrawal. As 5 in a patrol are no threat to the enemy. The 2IC of my patrol was Sergeant Wellington from 1st Rangers. He was a Dayak from Sarawak.

We were given Grid References to our drop of point. The patrol was the same lot I had trained with in Special Warfare Training Center. They were a good lot. Only two of us were from the Rangers and the other 3 were from the Royal Malay Regiment. The Enemy was the 6th Assault Unit set up by a notorious enemy commander, Chong Chor.

He was from the WW2 era. A tough and determined insurgent Leader. He was also responsible for setting up the 5th Assault Unit in Perak. Everyone was looking for him but to no avail. Thousands of man hours were spent looking for him in the jungles. A break came when the Communists confronted a group of picnickers, who were Army Officers along the Karak highway, on a private estate.

The Army Officers (one of the Army Officers was from 7th Rangers), their wives were stunned, their children did not know anything. For them it looked like the end of life moment. The Communists were armed, they were not! Like in the Army you have dumb idiots even amongst Communist Insurgents. The Communists did not notice the military poncho used as sheet on the ground.

Fortunately, the Army Officers brains were working overtime. They passed themselves off as teachers. They talked for a while trying to be cool and nonchalant. Eventually the Communists moved away, giving an opportunity for one of the officers to hightail it to the Ministry of Defense.

They reported and immediately the Special Forces were dispatched to do a follow up. Nothing came of it. All was forgotten, our Police somehow or rather got wind that there were Communist sympathizers around the Batu Caves. So the sympathizer’s house was watched 24/7.

Surrendered Enemy Personnel (SEP’s) were used. Soon Chong Chor was identified. He was tracked to Jalan Tengku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur, in an eatery. The Police made it look like a robbery gone wrong and he was captured and whisked away.