KUALA TERENGGANU: IT came 33 years after he retired, but the recognition was worth the wait for unsung heroes like Datuk Leong Chee Woh.
Leong, 88, is one of two people recently bestowed the nation’s second highest gallantry award, Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB), by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V at the ruler’s birthday honours list.
It is a perfect Warrior’s Day gift for Leong and former Special Task Force squadron commander Md Radzi Md Isa.
An elated but surprised Leong said he did not expect awards or rewards, having retired as a one-star senior assistant commissioner of police on Nov 10, 1984, after 30 years of service.
“I would like to dedicate this (PGB) award to my squad members for carrying out highly-classified missions.”
His last post was as a Special Branch deputy director (operations) at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur.
“We served the country above anything else, knowing that our lives were at stake each time we went on a mission.”
Leong, born in Taiping, Perak, on Nov 11, 1929, also joined the nation’s warriors’ Hall of Fame.
With his award, comes a monthly appreciation allowance of RM1,500.
Recipients of the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP), the nation’s highest gallantry award, receive a monthly allowance of RM2,000.
Twenty-seven people have been bestowed SPs and 92 PGBs. Of these, 16 SP recipients and 10 PGB recipients have died.
Leong spoke on how his counter-terrorism E3F Squad was tasked with collecting intelligence.
“Without good intelligence, you would never be able to look for the enemy, and plan to defeat them.
“The brunt of collecting intelligence and working on the ground rested with us, many of whom were Chinese (to counter the Chinese-based Communist Party of Malaya (CPM)).
“As the saying goes, you need a thief to catch a thief.”
He was handpicked to lead the pioneer E3F Squad of 15 Special Branch men in March 1971 to carry out cover operations for intelligence gathering on communist terrorists’ activities.
Their mission was to capture the enemy alive, to obtain information on the movements and plans of the terrorists.
“Life in the jungle was harsh. We had to contend with not only the ferocious and unforgiving enemy, but also booby traps and natural dangers from venomous insects and animals.
“And there I was, tasked to lead a young platoon of inexperienced men in their late teens, who had just finished school.
“We were thrown into the thick of the action, and I had to coax my men to stay strong to overcome the odds and challenges.
“Some of the men were homesick and cried due to long-term missions,” Leong said.
He said his squad was a close-knit team of quality operatives who worked with informants.
Later, the force roped in more experienced police commandos to beef them up.
Today, the 164-strong squad can be proud of having killed 49 insurgents, captured 171 in the jungles and led to the detention of 1,432 others in rural and urban areas without losing a single man.
The E3F Squad was disbanded following the laying of arms of the CPM in Haadyai, Thailand, in 1989.
Leong’s worked as a Taiping Town Council clerk after the Japanese occupation before joining the force on Dec 1, 1950, to train as a probationary police inspector.
He saw action during the First (1948-1960) and Second (1970- 1991) Emergencies, the Confrontation with Indonesia, prior to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia and the CPM era.
But his experience as a Special Branch operational strategist saw him rise through the ranks with nine commendation decorations, including from the American Special Forces, Commonwealth Brigade and the Malaysian Army.
In 2010, 16 years after his retirement, Leong was bestowed the Panglima Mahkota Wilayah, which carries the title “Datuk”, during the Federal Territory Day celebrations.
He has written four books — Scorpio: The Communist Eraser, Scorpio: Against the One Eyed Dragon, Scorpio on the Dragons’ Trail, and Scorpio in the Dragons’ Playground.