The audacious Al-Maunah siege that shook the nation
Lieutenant-General (Rtd) Abdul Aziz Hassan with his book 'A Gunner's Call: The Memoir of Lieutenant-General Datuk Abdul Aziz Hassan'. (Adrian David pic)
KUALA LUMPUR : He was just months away from a long-awaited retirement after over 37 years in the army.
Lieutenant-General (Rtd) Abdul Aziz Hassan, then serving as army deputy chief, recounted a ghastly episode that shocked him and the nation while competing in a golf tournament on July 2, 2000.
'It was a serene Sunday morning, when suddenly an Army Operations Room duty officer telephoned me.
'He relayed a matter of national urgency that required my immediate attention at the defence ministry,' related Aziz, 82.
He was referring to the Al-Maunah Islamic militant group who raided the 304th Infantry Battalion camp in Grik and the Kuala Rui military post 25 years ago.
However, then Army chief General Md Hashim Hussein was officiating the closing of the 'Ex Land MALPHI 2/2000' army exercise with the Philippines in Manila.
As acting army chief at the time, Aziz was tasked with formulating a contingency plan for the capture of the militants and the recovery of the arms.
'Then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad requested the military to collaborate with the police for the task,' he said.
Abdul Aziz Hassan (second from right) and former officers from the Royal Artillery Regiment at the book launch in Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur. (Adrian David pic)
'Mahathir's directive was unequivocal – conduct the operation without the loss of lives; avoid a repeat of the tragic Kampung Memali armed religious militancy in Baling, Kedah in November 1985,' said Aziz, in conjunction with the launch of his book 'A Gunner's Call: The Memoir of Lieutenant-General Datuk Abdul Aziz Hassan'.
Al-Maunah's audacious raid, he said, left a profound impact on him and put the army in bad light.
'Disguised as army officers and soldiers, 30 individuals deceitfully conducted a surprise readiness dawn check at the two locations.
'The militants over-powered the sentries and subsequently absconded with 100 small arms: M16 rifles, Steyr rifles, general-purpose machine guns, light machine guns, 10,000 rounds of ammunition and radio sets,' he said, adding that after making their getaway, they hid at Bukit Jenalik in Sauk, Perak.
Two days later, Aziz was ordered to replace Hashim in Manila, who was recalled to oversee the Al-Maunah stand-off.
Despite this, Aziz kept track of the developments in Sauk and learnt that the situation was soon quelled with the surrender of the militants. However, three people lost their lives: police special branch detective corporal R Saghadavan, army commando corporal Mathew Medan, and militant Abdul Halim Ali.
Abdul Aziz Hassan (seated) evaluating a 155mm FH77 artillery gun at Karlskorga, Sweden in 1979. (Abdul Aziz Hassan pic)
'I learnt that police assistant superintendent Abdul Razak Mohd Yussof persuaded Al-Maunah leader Mohamed Amin, a former army private, to surrender.
'(Army field commander) Lt-Gen Zaini Mohd Said – assisted by Razak and army provost marshal colonel Masood Zainal Abidin – were then tasked with capturing Amin.
'In the ensuing encounter, Amin aimed his M16 at Zaini, who managed to deflect the weapon.
'Amin was eventually overpowered and captured,' said Aziz, adding that Razak and Zaini were later bestowed the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) gallantry award, the highest federal recognition by the king.
Aziz admitted that the Al-Maunah incident almost gave him a second heart-attack, after he had survived the first one on his 54th birthday on Feb 25.
'My main artery was clogged and I underwent emergency angiography at the National Heart Institute.
'It bruised my ego as I had foolishly believed I was an incredibly fit general, being an active squash and golf player for a good many years,' said Aziz, born in Kampung Tengah, Sepri in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan in 1946.
A young Abdul Aziz Hassan at his wedding reception to Norsimah Abdul on Aug 22, 1970 in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan. (Abdul Aziz Hassan pic)
Aziz is of mixed ancestry: the Biduanda tribe of the Minangkabau Highlanders in Sumatera, Indonesia and the Sakai-Jakun indigenous tribe of Peninsular Malaysia.
He said that accurate communication was vital for survival during operations in the deep jungle.
'There is no room for error in the artillery. Miscalculation, miscommunication and incorrect grid-reference plotting can lead to injuries or fatalities.
For example, three people died and 11 policemen were injured on June 24, 1976 during 'Ops Parabola' when a miscalculated artillery shell struck a Police Field Force platoon involved in joint operations with the army.
'Those responsible for the horrendous accident were severely reprimanded, including being court martialled and dismissed from service,' said Aziz, adding that a similar incident took place during 'Ops Gonzalez' in Gubir, Kedah in the 1980s when one soldier was injured.
Aziz recounted a comical miscommunication incident during one jungle operation: 'We radioed operational headquarters for replacement walkie-talkie batteries (using the Malay code 'pasu bunga').
'What a shocker the soldiers had when the authorities misinterpreted our message, with actual flower pots (pasu bunga) air-dropped to our forward location!' said Aziz, laughing.
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