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V. SHUMAN, MEW STRAITS TIMES By his own admission, Sia Boon Chee, became a policeman by chance, not because he was patriotic or wanted to serve his country. But, serve his country he did, which earned him the nation's highest award for valour. V. SHUMAN speaks to the unassuming man who retired as a deputy superintendent in 1994
Six months prior to the operation, I slowly penetrated their group, disguised as a supporter. Although initially they had their doubts, they eventually trusted me and gave me the responsibility of being their food supplier. They would place orders for food rations, which would last them several months, says Sia Boon Chye.
THERE is no such thing as a second chance when you are a policeman.
This was especially so during the days when communist guerillas were active in the jungles of Malaysia.
Retired deputy superintendent Sia Boon Chee is one of those who know this fact only too well. After all, he had battled the communists in the jungles of Perak in the early 1980s as an inspector in the Special Branch.
"No one can pat you on the back and say it's okay, you can try again, because having failed means you will be returning in a box."
Sia clearly remembers his role in the months of intelligence-gathering that led to one of the biggest arrests of insurgents -- 13 of them at the "Stone Coffin" camp in Tanah Itam, Perak, on April 14, 1981.
(Stone Coffin was the name given to the communist camp because there was a rock in the area that resembled a coffin.)
He went undercover as a communist supporter to gather intelligence.
"Six months prior to the operation, I slowly penetrated their group, disguised as a supporter.
"Although initially they had their doubts, they eventually trusted me and gave me the responsibility to be their food supplier.
"They would place orders for food rations, which would last several months."
Sia would then liaise with his team, which would only provide half of the food ration needed by the communists.
"Maintaining constant contact with the insurgents was crucial in planning our next move. I would drive up with a car full of supplies from Ipoh to Cameron Highlands, every two to three weeks, to pass the supplies to them."
To make his cover even more believable to the communists, Sia carried only one firearm -- a Llama .38 semi-automatic pistol -- with the serial number scratched off. At the time, many communist guerillas carried the same type of pistol.
"That way, I was safe when I was searched," said Sia, adding that he gained the confidence of the insurgents in that way.
Recalling how the force stayed one step ahead of the communists brought a wry smile to Sia's face.
He said the various communist groups usually relayed information on the time and place of their next meeting by leaving written messages at "Dead Letter Boxes" (DLBs).
A DLB could be anything, from a spot under a tree to a milestone at a certain location.
Unfortunately for the communists, policemen often got hold of the messages they had left at the DLBs without their knowledge.
"It was a cat-and-mouse game, where we always had to be one step ahead of the insurgents. We had to beat them at their own game."
Fighting the communists, however, was a physically and mentally taxing effort.
"It was depressing at times. We could not discuss it with our families or friends, and thinking about the worst case scenario was physically and mentally taxing."
Having to spend large amounts of time in the jungle waiting in ambush for the communists was also extremely frustrating.
Of course, these ambush attempts did not always end in success, but one such operation in April 1983 did.
For three weeks, Sia and his colleagues waited at the fringes of the jungle near Slim River, keeping watch from 7am to 7pm daily.
On April 30, they caught sight of their prey, a notorious communist leader known as Choong Peng.
Choong Peng, one of the most wanted criminals at the time, had boasted that he was invincible. He was notorious for extorting money from timber barons in Pahang.
On that day, Sia recalled, it was nearing 7pm and the police team was just about to end their watch when they saw the silhouette of a man walking towards them.
"At the time, we did not know who he was as it was dark.
"Just as he was about 6m away, in what we call the killing zone, he stopped.
"It was if he sensed we were there. He pulled out a pistol from his waist band, forcing us to open fire."
Born on Dec 11, 1953, in Hulu Langat, Selangor, Sia said he joined the police force because he did not get a credit for Bahasa Malaysia in his Malaysian Certificate of Education examination (now Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia).
"Because of that I could not continue my studies. I was unemployed for a year before I came across an advertisement for the position of inspector in the police force. I tried and got the job."
He said being in the force boosted his confidence, and helped him to acquire many skills, including public liaison, crisis management and leadership.
It also helped to improve his command of the English language.
Sia, who now has a law firm in Kajang, opted for early retirement in 1994.
He said policemen those days were more prepared to work hard and had more loyalty to King and country.
"Now, there is more corruption, not only in the force but everywhere.
"At the end of the day, it is up to the individual's discipline and moral values to help contain corruption. I think corruption can only be controlled. It can never eradicated."
For his valiant efforts in fighting the communists, Sia was awarded the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) medal, the country's highest medal for valour, on June 1, 1983, by the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ahmad Shah Sultan Abu Bakar.
"There are two types of courage -- hot courage and cold courage.
"Hot courage is reacting in the spur of the moment when under attack. Cold courage is what we had, going in knowing full well the risks involved. Knowing that if we made one wrong move, it could be the end of us."
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