Battlefield tour: Following the Lahad Datu Incident trail in Kg Tanduo

LAHAD DATU, April 14 — Today, a verdant and tranquil scenery greets visitors to Kampung Tanduo here. Life goes on as usual for the villagers who share their place with an army camp.

It is hard to believe that the atmosphere in the village today is a stark contrast with what it was in early 2013 when a group of armed Sulu intruders who claimed to be the members of the Royal Sulu Force (RSF) landed in the village.

Kampung Tanduo became the subject of infamy as it was where the trail of bloodshed began in the Lahad Datu intrusion episode after the first exchange of fire between the Malaysian security forces and the intruders took place on March 1, 2013, resulting in the deaths of two VAT69 commandos.

On, March 3, 2013, the armed gunmen ambushed the police team during a surveillance operation Kampung Sri Jaya Simunul in Semporna killing six more policemen. In another subsequent ambush in Sungai Nyamuk in Tanjung Batu, a soldier was killed.

The intruders were eventually flushed out and Tanduo was turned into an army camp on March 15, 2013 under the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom), in a bid to prevent the recurrence of an incident as such.

Two years on

Recently members of the media were invited to visit Tanduo in conjunction with the two-year commemoration of the Tanduo intrusion on February 12 and Ops Daulat that the Armed Forces launched on March 5 in 2013.

For this writer who was present at the site during the height of the conflict, the trip was like walking down the memory lane with some of the sites evoking disturbing memories.

Despite the setting up of the army camp, several houses that once belonged to the villagers as well as its environs had been left untouched.

There are signs showing important landmarks in the conflict. A flag marked the site where the two VAT69 commandos were killed. The four oil palm trees at the site were also left untouched, while the rest have been felled for replanting.

Three gravesites where the Sulu terrorists buried 12 of their men killed during the conflict were also marked, as were the site in the village that was bombed by the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s F18 and Hawk fighter jets on March 13, 2013.

Also preserved was the “surau” (prayer hall) at the shores off Tanduo as it was the intruders’ first point of assembly on arrival by boat.

A small hut serves as a gallery showcasing photographs depicting the intrusion, the uniforms worn by the members of the Royal Sulu Force and a replica of their map of Tanduo.

Control post

Control posts have been set up under ESSCom in Tanduo, the Felda Sahabat and Tanjung Labian clusters, particularly in areas near the shore such as in Tanjung Batu, Tanjung Labian, Sinakut and Sungai Nyamuk.

Two army battalions have been stationed at the posts, backed by other security forces that provide aerial and naval surveillance.

ESSCom Commander Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun said that the army was in a state of constant vigilance, especially at the possibility of a second intrusion by Sulu terrorists.

He said its security personnel investigated every piece of information received on the matter.

“We have heard that there would be a second wave of intrusion. We are taking due precaution and exchanging threat intelligence with several neighbouring countries.

“We need to always be on guard and prepared for any eventuality,” he said to members of the media who attended the programme on March 7.

As a pre-emptive measure, ESSCom has beefed up its capability by increasing its number of security personnel and assets.

Still not forgotten

For the people of Kampung Tanjung Batu, life goes on as usual despite bitter memories of the intrusion episode.

The village is one of those in the Labian cluster that was attacked during the Tanduo incident. Many had their homes burned down, and some still carry bullet holes from the exchange of fire between the security forces and the terrorist group.

Village head Mahmud Mallang said the setting up of a permanent army camp in the area brought peace of mind to the villagers.

“We still get anxious when we hear rumours of security threats in the Felda Sahabat region, but the presence of the security forces assures us that there will be no recurrence of such an incident,” he said.

The curfew implemented at the eastern coast of the state has allowed for better monitoring around the region, allowing for the fishermen of Tanjung Batu and Tanjung Labian to go down to the sea in peace, he said.

Mahmud, whose home was burned down during the Tanduo incident, is now living in one of the units at the Public Housing Project.

The government has rebuilt 45 houses under the project for those from the two villages who had lost their homes in the incident.

The government has also repaired 103 houses that were damaged during the incident.

The establishment of ESSCom and the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZOne) are testament to the government’s continuous commitment in improving security control in Sabah and in preventing future intrusions. — Bernama