RANTAU PANJANG: Celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri away from their family is normal for members of the General Operations Force (GOF) who are on duty at the Kelantan-Thailand border.
The GOF members who are currently involved in Op Benteng, however, are not letting that weaken their spirits for the festival.
They are as excited as any other Muslim in welcoming Hari Raya tomorrow, and the GOF members of Seventh Battalion today organised a gotong-royong to cook lemang.
Battalion commander Superintendent Azhari Nusi said today's gotong-royong involved more than 20 GOF members.
"We started to cook the lemang early this morning. We prefer to use the traditional way to cook the lemang as it will taste different compared to using modern equipment.
"We plan to eat the lemang together with other dishes at our normal Hari Raya gathering tomorrow morning," he said at the battalion's tactical base in Lubok Setol this evening.
Azhari said it was normal for them and other battalions to celebrate the festival without their beloved family.
"For us, our responsibility to the country is more important. We want to ensure the safety of the country as well as the people.
"As one of the border enforcement agencies, the safety of the nation is on our shoulders and therefore, we will ensure no untoward incidents happen while others are celebrating the festival," he added.