In the above picture Staff Sergeant Muit is the first person seated from the right. There are two valour award recipients in the picture above, the other person is Major Ahmad bin Rashid. The Chief Instructor was Lieutenant Colonel Chua Hong Kong, he is seated in the centre. I am the third guy standing from the right. This course was one of the two restarted , after which it was aborted. It was one helluva of a tough, challenging, miserable and demanding course. We made it though. Click on the picture to enlarge. 928133 Staff Sergeant Muit bin Ahmad was originally from the 3rd Rangers, before becoming a Commando. He was one of my Instructors at the Unconventional Warfare Wing of the Special Warfare Training Centre in Sungei Udang, Malacca during my 6 weeks Commando Orientation Course - edit

928133 Staff Sergeant Muit bin Ahmad

There was information from the residents of Kampung Karak Setia that there were Communist Terrorists moving in their area. The Commandos deployed into this area, with Muit under the command of Captain Ahmad bin Rashid (410336).The team of 5 men were inserted into the area very stealthily away from the prying eyes of the locals. 

Once in the area, they moved very carefully with their eyes wandering over every suspicious mound, bush or anything that would conceal an enemy. Their ears were listening to any possible suspicious sounds of the enemy. As they were moving, unaware, that they were actually moving into an enemy ambush. Suddenly there was a burst of firing, hitting one of the Commandos in the leg.

The firing of the enemy upon the Commandos gave away their location. An immediate assault was launched, which the enemy least expected. It was at close quarters, no quarter was given nor asked. It was a very fierce encounter. The enemy fled leaving behind two of their dead. There were no fatalities among the Commandos apart from their wounded. This incident took place on the 9th of December 1974.

After the above incident, the Commandos received some information from the Special Branch of Bentong about enemy activity in the Bentong District. He along with 650912 Lance Corporal Abdul Kadir bin Mahamudin, 302177 Lance Corporal Kamarul Ariffin bin Mat Johan, Trooper Manaf bin Ahmad and 208350 Trooper Samaon bin Samian deployed into the area. They wore civvies disguised as surveyors using a survey land Rover. 

They had all the equipment of a land survey team. They moved with the Rover to the River Chetang, in Raub, in the state of Pahang. After conducting his reconnaissance with his men he came to the conclusion that there was definitely enemy activity in that particular area. He recommended to the Special Branch that they arrest a rubber tapper, who was Chinese seen working in that area.

The rubber tapper was arrested by the Special Branch and interrogated; he eventually admitted that he was in touch with the Communist Terrorists who were operating in that area for the past two years. He was supplying food to them. Apart from that he was also trained by them to use explosives and trained to lay booby traps to inflict casualties on the Security Forces.

All the information obtained by the Special Branch were passed on to the 4th Infantry Brigade Headquarters. Further instructions and orders were given to Muit and his team. The collaborator (rubber tapper) was turned over to become an informant for the Special Branch. The informant was allowed to continue supplying the Communist Terrorists with food and information (harmless). This went on for three times.

After which Muit, with 5 others led by Captain Ahmad bin Abdul Rashid and with an additional support of a Mr. Chan (Liaison Officer of the Joint Command) deployed to the informant’s house to set up an ambush. They moved in the Military Intelligence Officer’s unmarked Land Rover at around 0200 hrs on the 4th of August 1976.

They were to conduct “Operation Murai (Magpie)” They were dropped off at the Bentong – Raub road, to continue their journey to the house of the informant on foot. The house of the informant was located in a rubber small holding, around 1000 meters from the drop off point.

The Communist Terrorists were expected to collect their supplies that day in the afternoon. As the operation was for a short duration they did not carry rations for more than one day. They were given “ketupat” (compacted rice cakes) and “rendang” (spicy beef). The enemy did not turn up at the expected time, they had limited food. They decided to stretch the food, which in turn got spoilt. Anyway to make their hunger pangs go away, they ate the spoilt food.

Not only were they lacking in food, they also did not have any chance to sleep. The dateline for the enemy to show up had passed, now there was tension and the expectation of the enemy to turn up at any time. They waited in that ambush position for two whole days. Captain Ahmad contacted Brigade Headquarters requesting permission to abort the continuation of the ambush via his radio set. Unfortunately for him he could not establish contact with HQ.

As Muit was discussing in the room with three of his men, at around 1230 hrs on the 6th August 1976, the informant knocked on the door saying that two Communist Terrorists had arrived and were making their way to his house. Muit quickly knocked on the wall adjoining his room where Captain Ahmad was and informed him to be ready. Captain Ahmad unfortunately mistranslated the signal from Muit and did not do anything. He assumed that some civilians were moving about to look for durians (fruits) as it was the durian season.

When the enemy was near the informant’s house, the informant went out and invited them in. The enemy asked him in Chinese whether he had bought the supplies required by them. The informant informed them that he had already acquired the supplies wanted by them and was inside his room. The enemy then asked him if there was any balance of the money given by them to him. 

He told them that he had a balance of RM$1.30 (USD $0.37). The Enemy then instructed him to return the money. He told them to wait awhile saying that he would get them their money which was in the room, asking them to make themselves comfortable by sitting at the round table in the kitchen. Meanwhile Captain Ahmad did not know what was happening.

According to the orders received by this group of Commandos, they were to take the Enemy alive. This was with the intention of gathering more intelligence. As the informant went into the room, one of the enemies followed him. They went into the room where Muit was. Having heard the Enemy following the informant into the room, Muit quickly moved behind the door of the room. 

As soon as the Enemy stepped into the room, Muit aimed his rifle which was cocked (locked and loaded) at the Enemy’s head and said, “You, do not run, put your hands up” (Lu jangan lari. Angkat tangan). The Enemy being surprised exclaimed, “Ayaaaaa!” He suddenly reached out and banged the barrel of the M16 down; he fell when he did this into a sitting position. Since the Enemy disobeyed the command from Muit, he let loose with his M16 at point blank range. The Enemy fell dead.

Captain Ahmad on hearing this kicked open the door of his room, started firing at a figure seated in the kitchen. The burst of fire hit the second enemy in the leg, Muit by which time came out and shot at the second enemy, hitting the enemy in the head. The enemy fell dead.

Once the firing stopped they went into the all round defence position, after which they conducted a search around the house. When Muit examined the bodies of the dead enemy, each of them was armed with a pistol. The pistols were cocked and ready to be fired.

Captain Ahmad made contact with Brigade Hq and informed Hq of the successful kills. After a couple of hours the Brigade Commander himself turned up, who was Brigadier General Wan Ismail bin Mohd Salleh (8273). He came to the location with his Land Rover. He was followed by others who acted as his escort. 

The Unit Combat Intelligence Squad of 5th Rangers was given the task of tracking down the remnants of this group. Sergeant Muit’s group was pulled out of the area. The enemies killed were Lum Kok Meng (IC No. 514897) and Kai Choon@ Mai Kai Choon (IC No. 7556286). Their bodies along with the informant were evacuated to Bentong, to be handed over to the Special Branch.

Staff Sergeant Muit was born on the 26th December 1944 at Kampung Pulau, Durian Tunggal, Malacca. He was the second child from a family of two. He finished his schooling until Primary 6 at Durian Tunggal. Mr. Ahmad bin Adam, his father did not encourage nor discourage him from his chosen path in the military. He joined up as a recruit, when the 3rd Rangers was being formed. He was 23 years old on the 7th October 1965 when he joined the Army. 

He was awarded the ‘Best Recruit Award” and the “Champion Shot’ for that intake of recruits in 3rd Rangers. He received the award from the Deputy Prime Minister, who was also the Defence Minister, the Honourable Minister Tun Hj Abdul Razak bin Dato’ Husien, at the passing out parade at Camp Suvla Line, Ipoh in Perak. 

Immediately after his passing out he was sent on a Cadre course after which he was promoted to a Lance Corporal, after a year and a half he was promoted to a full Corporal and transferred to 6th Rangers. After 2 years of service Muit got married to Zainab binti Jantan. He served in the Rangers for 6 years.

Muit being a very adventurous person decided to become a Commando after passing his Basic Commando course which only a handful pass on the 21st September 1971 at the age of 30.