Sibu-born veteran proud of being among first S’wak Foochows to join ATM

SIBU (Sept 16): Major Patrick Wong Sing Nang could never forget how he nearly lost his life when his company of about 80 soldiers encountered a group of communists terrorists in the jungle in Gopeng, Perak during the Second Emergency Period (1969-1989).

In that fierce shootout in 1977, Wong was shot in the abdomen. Three of his fellow troops were also injured – one of them seriously hurt.

Nevertheless, Wong remained alert and continued to hold control of his company, despite knowing that he was losing a lot of blood.

Amidst the chaos, he still managed to organise an air evacuation, which later got all the injured men out from the danger zone.

Wong remained conscious throughout the ordeal and after the withdrawal of the terrorists, he was airlifted to Ipoh Hospital where he later underwent a long operation.

“It was a close call – with blood continuously flowing out of my belly, which made breathing difficult, I thought: ‘This must be the end’.

“I prayed hard, that I must live on, that I would get a second chance,” he told The Borneo Post in an exclusive interview.

Wong pulled through, having been hospitalised for a month.

Born and bred in Sibu, Wong, the eldest of seven siblings, had his early education at the Sacred Heart Boy’s School before proceeding to study at SMK Sacred Heart at Mission Road, Sibu.

After completing Form 5 in 1966, he opted to join the Armed Forces.

“The good prospect and the attractive salary, which were Sibu-born veteran proud of being among first S’wak Foochows to join ATM better than any other posts in the civil service, were the reasons why I picked the Armed Forces.”

Wong got drafted and in 1967, he undertook military training at the Royal Military College in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur. Two years later, he was commissioned with the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Royal Malaysian Ranger Regiment.

He took part in the various operational duties during the following years, having also served in Sarawak for two tours of duties: in 1969 and another from 1974 to mid-1977.

In 1971, he took part in an operation in Kedah that attacked a communist camp in May that year.

“Seven communist terrorists out of eight were eliminated.

“The operation was very successful,” he said, adding that he also undertook several combat operations against the terrorists during the height of the ‘Communist Insurgency’ in Peninsular Malaysia.

However, one deadly encounter against the communist troops was on the ‘Boxing Day’ (Dec 26) of 1977 – a date that would forever be etched in his mind.

As a commander, Wong was leading a company of 80 men to do a search-and-destroy operation in Gopeng.

“We had earlier received information from the Special Branch that a group of communist troops were sighted in Gopeng.

“After working out a detailed plan, the operation was launched. Our company was deployed on Dec 24, 1977, and on Dec 25, we moved uphill towards the communist’s location, but we made a rest-stop for the night.

“On Dec 26, at about 7.30am, we located the enemy’s hideout and as we advanced slowly, Ranger Adenan Aini had unfortunately crawled over a booby trap, and was seriously injured.

“Two others were also injured, because of the pieces thrown over from the exploding booby-trap.”

Wong then said it was then when the firefight broke out.

“Amidst it all, I got hit by a ricocheted bullet, which sent me tumbling down the hill.

“Initially, my team thought I was dead, but I told them I was still alive, and still in command,” he added.

“The first thing that came to mind after I was shot was to contain the enemy line, and to organise an evacuation.

“This was a difficult and dangerous operation in the battle zone. As an officer, I was fully responsible for the safety of my men. I must control the situation and make fast decisions.”

Wong was determined to stay conscious throughout the ordeal, saying: “If ever I lost consciousness, I would be a dead man. I must stay conscious in order to survive.”

Wong said with their firepower being far more superior than the enemy’s, there was no reason for them to withdraw.

“I pushed my men to fight on, until the sound of gunfire from the enemy side had subsided.

“After the communist troops withdrew, we found one dead man from their side. There were several of them (communist soldiers) who were injured but managed to escape, as could be seen from the blood trail.”

Then came the helicopter, said Wong.

“I ordered Ranger Adenan to be put on the first flight. I got airlifted out on the second helicopter, while Ranger Thomas Semang and Ranger Manggie Gengga, both having sustained non-serious injuries, were evacuated on the third flight.

Wong said Ranger Adenan was hospitalised for about four months.

“During my own month-long stay in hospital, my wife Gina Yeoh Wei Leng was at my bedside throughout the ordeal,” he smiled.

After recovering, Wong reported back to his Battalion 8 of the Royal Ranger Regiment.

However, because of the extent of his injury, he was regarded ‘not fit for active duties’.

“With much regret, I was unable to serve in the frontline unit. I was restricted to ‘Office/Staff Appointments’.”

Wong’s rank remained a Major until his honourable discharge on Feb 1, 1993.

The Sibu-born man created history by becoming one of the first Sarawak Chinese Foochows to join the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM).

The three injured soldiers were all Sarawakians, and all of them recovered and continued to serve until retirement.

“This makes me proud, seeing their contributions towards defending our country.”

For his service, contributions and sacrifices, Wong was awarded the ‘Mention-in Despatch’ (KPK) for gallantry by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1979.

In 1987, he received the ‘Perwira Taming Sari’ (PTS) Perak State Bravery Award from the Sultan of Perak.

Throughout retirement, Wong enjoys reading books and visiting fellow veterans and friends to catch up on old times.

He said although the incident that happened more than 45 years ago when he nearly lost his life in the line of duty, the memory remained vivid as if it was yesterday.

“I’m so proud to have served in the Army for 26 years, and fought for the peace and freedom of my beloved country that we all call Malaysia.”

The Malaysian Armed Forces Chinese Veterans Association (MACVA) has published two memoirs to record and commemorate the contributions of these veterans.

The ‘Memoirs 1 of the Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans’ and ‘Memoirs 2: Malaya and Borneo At War’ are available at SMK Sacred Heart’s library.