Senoi Praaq

Senoi Praaq
Senoi Praaq
	Crest of Senoi Praaq Force (c. 1963–1968)
Active	1956–present
Country	British Malaya (1948–1957); Federation of Malaya (1957–1963); Malaysia (1963–present)
Branch	Department of Aborigines (1956–1968); Royal Malaysian Police (1968–present)
Type	Commando (1956–1961); Elite Paramilitary (1961–present)
Role	Combat Tracker ; Intelligence Gathering; Jungle Warfare ; Search and Rescue
Size	2 Battalions
Part of	General Operations Force
Garrison/HQ	3rd Battalion: Bidor, Perak; 18th Battalion: Pengkalan Hulu, Perak
Nickname(s)	The War People; (Malay: Orang Perang) The Silent Killer; (Malay: Pembunuh Senyap)
Motto(s)	"We never killed anyone who didn't deserve to die"; (Malay: "Kami tidak pernah membunuh sesiapa yang tidak berhak untuk mati"); "Cepat, Cekap, Ihsan"; ("Speed, Efficiency, Courtesy")
Colour of Beret	Maroon (with yellow liner at beret insignia)
Engagements	Malayan Emergency ; Vietnam War ; Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation ; Second Malayan Emergency ; UNMIT
Commanders
Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion	Supt Azhar B. Hj Hashim
Commanding Officer of 18th Battalion	Supt Ramli B. Hj Wan Salin
Notable; commanders	Colonel R.O.D. Noone, Mohamed Ruslan Iskandar Abdullah

Last updated September 30, 2022

The Senoi Praaq (War People, Malay : Orang Perang) is a unit of the Royal Malaysia Police made up almost entirely of the tribal people of Peninsular Malaysia known as the Orang Asli (aborigines). The name Senoi Praaq means war people or those who fight in the Semai language. Roy Davis Linville Jumper considered them one of the finest jungle fighting forces and was highly successful in diminishing the threat by communist forces during the Malayan Emergency.

History

Roots of the Senoi Praaq

Members of the Senoi Praaq in 1953

One source for the following is Death Waits in the Dark, by Roy Davis Linville Jumper, Greenwood, 2001. Jumper has also written other books that are directly or indirectly related to the Senoi Praaq, Orang Asli, and the Malayan Emergency. They are, Power and Politics: The Story of Malaysia's Orang Asli, 1997; Orang Asli Now: The Orang Asli in the Malaysian Political World, 1999; Ruslan of Malaysia: The Man Behind the Domino That Didn't Fall, 2007.

The Senoi Praaq was the brainchild of R.O.D. Noone, a Colonel in Military Intelligence ^[3] and also a member of the then British Administration in Malaya during the Malayan Emergency. He pressed for the formation of the Senoi Praaq as a deterrent force to stop the communist influence over the remote Orang Asli settlements in the deep jungles. In 1956 General Gerald Templer finally agreed to the formation of the Senoi Praaq as an arm of the Department of Aborigines (DOA).

The unit was established in May 1956, and Colonel Noone was made the commanding officer, serving from 1957 until 1961. The Malayan Emergency was officially declared over in 1960.

The Senoi Praaq started as a small unit that served as the Special Air Service (SAS) auxiliary,^[4] with an initial 20 recruits. This soon grew to 40 with recruits from Surrendered Enemy Personnel. The original 40 troopers were trained by British units including by the SAS, in particular by Major John Slim. Training lasted three months and covered firearms and small units tactics, in particular ambush tactics, with the SAS concept of speed and surprise ingrained right from the start.

Charles H. Ley became the first commander of A Squadron, and had under his command some of the men he had originally captured. By 1957, the Senoi Praaq had grown to two squadrons of 80 men each.

Senoi Praaq operations

The Operational Area of the Senoi Praaq dubbed the “Bamboo Operations Area” spans two strips of land along the Main Range (Malaysia) from Thailand to Johor.

The Senoi Praaq would traverse the deep darkness of the rainforests that border Malaysia, moving quickly and silently through the thick jungle undergrowth, seemingly impenetrable to others. Although many members are of the Senoi tribe, all 18 sub ethnic groups are represented in the Senoi Praaq.

The Senoi Praaq was formed to counter the influence of the communist insurgents on the Orang Asli community deep in the jungles of Malaysia as the communist guerrillas operated close to the Orang Asli communities and gained support from them. The extraordinary jungle survival and tracking skills of the Orang Asli were legendary and the British feared that the communist forces would gain an advantage if these skills were utilised against the British.

Apart from modern firearms, the unit also used sharpened bamboo stakes in traps called the Belantik, an animal trap modified by the Senoi Praaq to neutralise a more sizeable hunt. A contraption of rope, bamboo , rattan and roots, the Belantik was cleverly camouflaged with leaves and grass. The instrument effectively impaled its victims at torso height killing quickly and lowering morale. Before the Senoi Praaq was deployed into an area, conventional units would withdraw, allowing the Senoi Praaq complete, unrestricted freedom of movement in the operational area. The jungle skills, stealth, endurance, and fighting skills of the Senoi Praaq made them feared adversaries of the communists in Malaya. The unit attained a respectable body count and legends arose of incidents when the Senoi Praaq would count up 10 kills in a single, swift engagement. The Senoi Praaq Squadrons achieved a casualty ratio of 16:1^[5] for killed, wounded or surrendered.

Though the Senoi Praaq troopers were given a choice of weapons, they reportedly enjoyed scoring kills using their traditional weapons - the blowpipe being a favourite. They particularly enjoyed a leisurely hunt that would take a few days, stalking their prey as if they were tracking game.^[6]

The Senoi Praaq quickly established a ruthless reputation among the communist forces who took great pains to avoid the Senoi Praaq.^[7] Though they had access to air and artillery support, these were rarely used. Instead, The Senoi Praaq preferred more intimate tactics.

Absorption into the Royal Malaysia Police

The Senoi Praaq operated as a unit of the Jabatan Orang Asli (Department of Aboriginal Affairs) and not as a unit of the Royal Malaysia Police or the Malaysian Army. With the beginning of the Second Communist Insurgency in 1968, the Senoi Praaq was absorbed as a unit of the RMP, to fully exploit their skills and expertise. The Senoi Praaq was named as 3rd Battalion, General Operations Force.

A second battalion was raised in 1970 by the RMP. The new battalion was named as 18th Battalion, General Operations Force.

Present organisation

Today, the Senoi Praaq is part of the General Operations Force (formerly the Police Field Force) of the RMP. One of the unit’s main function is border security, but the unit is famed for the tracking skills of its members.

The unit has two battalions, the 3rd Battalion is based in Bidor. The Commanding Officer (CO) was then (2004-2006) Supt Mohd Yusof Wok and the 18th Battalion is based in Pengkalan Hulu. Both Senoi Praaq battalions are put under the administrative and tactical command of the General Operations Force Northern Brigade.

With the end of the insurgency by Communist Party Of Malaya, jungle patrols are no longer the primary tasks of the Senoi Praaq. Instead their task has been more akin of the normal General Operations Force battalions of the Royal Malaysian Police.

But both units have maintained their jungle tracking and survival skills and are occasionally called upon in Search and Rescue missions for people missing in the jungle. They are called to assist in locating lost jungle trekkers and mountain climbers.

Training

To enter the elite Senoi Praaq Battalions, a Malaysian aboriginal needs to enter Orang Asli Constable Basic Course (Malay: Kursus Asas Konstabel Orang Asli) which lasts for six months.^[8] This course is a collaboration between the Royal Malaysian Police and Department of Orang Asli Development. This course also open to women.^[9]

Those who graduated with Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) (Lower secondary Assessment) and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) (Malaysian Certificate of Education) have special physical flexibility of a minimum height of 1.52 meters compared to 1.7 meters for regular members.^[10]

Uniform

Maroon beret

The unit was bestowed the Maroon beret by the British 22 SAS, which is worn proudly by the unit to this day.^[11] This beret colour has become synonymous with the group instead of SAS sand-coloured ones because during their formation in 1956, the Malayan Scouts (now 22 SAS) wore maroon berets.^[12]

During the restructuring of the Police Field Force in 1997, the Senoi Praaq was made part of the Police General Operations Forces and made to wear the blue berets but this was rescinded and the right to wear the red berets was restored in 2003.^[13]

Killed in the line of duty

Rank/No.	Name	Date	Notes
Insp I/8294	Gunasegaran Naidu s/o Ratinum	1980-06-09	Killed during the Operation Bamboo at Ulu Kelantan. He was awarded the Star of the Commander of Valour.
Cpl 112512	Baharuddin bin Ramli	2020-11-24	Cpl 112512 was on duty at the Malaysia-Thailand border post in Padang Besar, Kangar with fellow officer Cpl 148715 Norihan s/o Tari were ambushed by ten or thirteen assailants at early morning, believed it is kratom smugglers. In the 3.10am incident, Cpl 112512 died at the scene while Cpl 148715 was seriously wounded and has been taken to the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital. During the gunfight, four assailants also wounded were among those who retreat across the border. After sweeping the crime scene, the 69 Commando operatives arrests two assailants, a Thai nationals, identified as Sahamadyusob Talah, 38, and other man was not named while three of them, Sanchai Madsuwan, Arun Madsuwan and Rachen Anumarn, also Thais were subsequently arrested by the Thai police when they were treated at Hat Yai hospital.

Notable members

Chief Inspector Long A/L Pandak, Chief Inspector Long was one of the PDRM leaders responsible for expelling and crippling Communist terrorist plans to join enemy groups from Perak, Kelantan and Thailand in a special operation known as Operation Bamboo on the Perak-Kelantan border. In the operation, he bravely took Inspector Gunasegaran who was seriously injured as a result of being shot by Communist terrorists to a safer place. Before exhaling his last breath, Insp Gunasegaran ordered C/Insp Long to continue the struggle and eliminate the Communist terrorists. C/Insp Long took over the leadership of the platoon and reorganized the attack until he succeeded in killing two Communist terrorists as well as capturing the rest of the group along with important confidential documents.
Inspector Gunasegaran Naidu s/o Ratinum is a well known Senoi Praaq member who led an operation on 9 June 1980, Inspector Gunasegaran Naidu Ratinam led 21 Senoi Praaq policemen into the jungle in Ulu Kelantan to participate in a special operation to hunt down communist members called Operations Bambu. Hours after being in enemy territory, his troops were bombarded with communist bullets. The shooting went really well. Gunasegaran quietly went forward alone to find a suitable position to return the shot. He managed to shoot dead one of them but unfortunately happened when he was shot in the chest.
Sergeant Major Ana anak Alang, P.P.N., is a Senoi Praaq trooper famed for avenging the death of his platoon leader by tracking the ambush party that killed him. On 9 June 1980 at upstream Blaur River, Pos GOB, Kelantan, a Special Platoon of Senoi Praaq with the strength of 21 troopers led by Inspector Gunasegaran had been ambushed when investigating communist tracks. The ambush took the life of Inspector Gunasegaran. Ana anak Alang tracked the ambush party of 20 insurgents before he and the rest of the platoon met them 11 days later at upstream Bertak River, Pos Gob, Kelantan. They proceeded to ambush the communists and managed to kill one and injure the others. Because of his service in defending the country, Sergeant Major Ana anak Alang was awarded with the Medal of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (Malay : Pingat Pangkuan Negara; P.P.N.) in 1996 by the King of Malaysia.^[14]
Sergeant Major Apot anak Saad, is a Senoi Praaq trooper-turned-commando famed for being part of the Commando Task Force led by the late Assistant Superintendent Mohd Zabri Abdul Hamid, S.P. The Task Force then became the present day VAT 69 Commando. Apot anak Saad entered the service in 1968 when he was 19 years old. His first unit was the Senoi Praaq before entering the newly formed Jungle Squad Commando Task Force in 1970. Apot anak Saad is famed for his unmatched skill in tracking and hunting. Because of his expertise, Apot often collaborated with the New Zealand Special Air Service and Australian Special Air Service Regiment during the Second Malayan Emergency as a tracker.^[15] His story as a Tracker in Task Force was documented by History Channel Asia in a documentary titled "VAT 69: Malaysia's Very Able Troopers ".

Notes

Related Research Articles

The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War(1948–1960), was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth. The communists fought to win independence for Malaya from the British Empire and to establish a socialist economy, while the Commonwealth forces fought to combat communism and protect British economic and colonial interests. The conflict was called the "Anti–British National Liberation War" by the MNLA, but an "Emergency" by the British, as London-based insurers would not have paid out in instances of civil wars.

The Semang are an ethnic-minority group of the Malay Peninsula. They live in mountainous and isolated forest regions of Perak, Pahang, Kelantan and Kedah of Malaysia and the southern provinces of Thailand. The Semang are among the different ethnic groups of Southeast Asia who, based on their dark skin and other perceived physical similarities, are sometimes referred to by the superficial term Negrito.

Orang Asli are a heterogeneous indigenous population forming a national minority in Malaysia. They are the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia.

Jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain.

Jakun people or Orang Ulu / Orang Hulu are an ethnic group recognised as Orang Asli of the Malay Peninsula in Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Ranger Regiment</span> Military unit

The Royal Ranger Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Malaysian Army. Although it is second in seniority to the Royal Malay Regiment, the RRD can trace its origins back to the mid 19th century and the establishment of The Sarawak Rangers, the peacekeeping force in the Sarawak region. This force was absorbed by the Sarawak Constabulary in 1932, but the name was revived in 1941 as a British Colonial unit; this unit commanded by British Lieutenant Colonel C.M. Lane was captured by the Japanese in 1942.

Bidor is a town and mukim in Batang Padang District, southern Perak, Malaysia.

Pasukan Gerakan Khas is a special operations command of the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP). The PGK has two distinct sub-units; the Special Actions Unit and the 69 Commando Battalion.

The Mah Meri are an ethnic group native to western part of Peninsular Malaysia. They are one of the 18 Orang Asli groups named by the Malaysian government. They are of the Senoi subgroup. Most of the members of the Mah Meri tribe live along the coast of South Selangor from Sungai Pelek up to Pulau Carey, although there is at least one Mah Meri Community on the other side of the Klang River.

The Communist insurgency in Malaysia, also known as the Second Malayan Emergency, was an armed conflict which occurred in Malaysia from 1968 to 1989, between the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and Malaysian federal security forces.

The New Zealand armed forces saw action in Malaysia throughout the 1950s and 1960s, first as part of the British Commonwealth response to the Malayan Emergency, and then in defence of Malaysia in the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation.

The Royal Malaysia Police, is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation. Its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. The police force is led by an Inspector-General of Police (IGP) who, as of 4 May 2021, is Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.

The General Operations Force is the light infantry arm of the Royal Malaysia Police. The General Operations Force was established in 1948 during the Malayan Emergency by the British Administration when Malaya was a colony. The police service was mobilised to the field role, primarily to engaging Communist guerrillas during the emerging Insurgency. When Malaysia was formed in 1963, this law enforcement unit was then known as the Police Field Force. The title was adopted when it dropped the previous handle widely referred to as the Jungle Squad.

The Temuan people are a Proto-Malay ethnic group indigenous to western parts of Peninsular Malaysia. They can be found in the states of Selangor, Pahang, Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Malacca. The Temuans are classified as part of Orang Asli group according to the Malaysian government. They are also one of the largest and the most widespread of the Orang Asli ethnic groups.

The Senoi are a group of Malaysian peoples classified among the Orang Asli, the indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia. They are the most numerous of the Orang Asli and widely distributed across the peninsula. The Senois speak various branches of Aslian languages, which in turn form a branch of Austroasiatic languages. Many of them are also bilingual in the national language, the Malaysian language.

The Orang Asal are the indigenous people of Malaysia. The term is Malay for "Original People", used to refer to the aboriginals of Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia. These groups are given the Bumiputera status in Malaysia.

The Landing at Pontian was an amphibious landing made by a small body of Indonesian troops in the Pontian District, Johor, Malaysia. The landing took place during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, an undeclared war fought between Malaysia and Indonesia during the early 1960s over the creation of a Malaysian Federation encompassing parts of northern Borneo, areas that Indonesia sought to increase its own power in Southeast Asia.

The 69 Commando ; also known as Very Able Troopers 69 is an elite multi-tasking special forces unit of the Royal Malaysia Police. The VAT 69 is based at Ulu Kinta, Perak and together with Special Actions Unit, they are part of Pasukan Gerakan Khas. The mission of 69 Commando is to conduct high-risk tasks such as counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, intelligence gathering and counter-insurgency within the borders of Malaysia.

The Special and Elite Forces include both a specially and higher trained unit and a small percentage of personnel from a specific Malaysian military branch, law enforcement or government agency. In Malaysia, the term 'Special Forces' is widely used by uniformed services for special forces, special operations forces and 'special' trained units while 'Elite Forces' for units that more trained and capable combat. Regular personnel must undertake specialized and higher training to be able to join the units of the 'Special and Elite Forces'. These 'Special and Elite Forces' are denoted by different beret colours, shoulder tabs, unit patches, skill badges and uniforms.

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References

↑ Davis Linville Jumper, Roy (2001). Death Waits in the "dark": The Senoi Praaq, Malaysia's Killer Elite. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood. p. 67. ISBN 0-313-31515-9.
↑ Jumper, pg 77
↑ Jumper, pg 50
↑ "Troop that relied on the sixth sense - Letters | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my.
↑ Jumper, pg 61
↑ Jumper, pg 62
↑ Jumper, pg 63
↑ "Majlis Tamat Latihan Kursus Asas 129 Anggota Konstabel Orang Asli Polis DiRaja Malaysia". www.jakoa.gov.my (in Malay). 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
↑ "130 KONSTABEL ORANG ASLI JALANI LATIHAN KEPOLISAN BERMULA ESOK". www.rmp.gov.my. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
↑ Mohamed Yusof, Noor’Ainon. "Bakal diserap dalam PGA" . Retrieved 6 May 2017.
↑ "Senoi Praq". www.jakoa.gov.my (in Malay). Retrieved 6 May 2017.
↑ Durkin, J. C. (2011). Malayan Scouts SAS: A Memoir of the Malayan Emergency, 1951. Stroud: Spellmount. ISBN 9780752461106.
↑ Abdul Rahim, Azran Fitri (2003). "Senoi Praaq - Dapat semula beret merah". Utusan Online.
↑ Samsudin, Mohd. Romzi (2004). "Ana - Pakar menjejaki pengganas komunis". Utusan Online.
↑ "Perjalanan hidup komando Apot selepas VAT 69". Utusan Online.

External links

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[1] Davis Linville Jumper, Roy (2001). Death Waits in the "dark": The Senoi Praaq, Malaysia's Killer Elite. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood. p. 67. ISBN 0-313-31515-9.

[2] Jumper, pg 77

[3] Jumper, pg 50

[4] "Troop that relied on the sixth sense - Letters | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my.

[5] Jumper, pg 61

[6] Jumper, pg 62

[7] Jumper, pg 63

[8] "Majlis Tamat Latihan Kursus Asas 129 Anggota Konstabel Orang Asli Polis DiRaja Malaysia". www.jakoa.gov.my (in Malay). 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.

[9] "130 KONSTABEL ORANG ASLI JALANI LATIHAN KEPOLISAN BERMULA ESOK". www.rmp.gov.my. Retrieved 6 May 2017.

[10] Mohamed Yusof, Noor’Ainon. "Bakal diserap dalam PGA" . Retrieved 6 May 2017.

[11] "Senoi Praq". www.jakoa.gov.my (in Malay). Retrieved 6 May 2017.

[12] Durkin, J. C. (2011). Malayan Scouts SAS: A Memoir of the Malayan Emergency, 1951. Stroud: Spellmount. ISBN 9780752461106.

[13] Abdul Rahim, Azran Fitri (2003). "Senoi Praaq - Dapat semula beret merah". Utusan Online.

[14] Samsudin, Mohd. Romzi (2004). "Ana - Pakar menjejaki pengganas komunis". Utusan Online.

[15] "Perjalanan hidup komando Apot selepas VAT 69". Utusan Online.

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