FIJIAN TROOPS IN MALAYA

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26944, 21 January 1953, Page 3

FIJIAN TROOPS IN MALAYA

POPULARITY WITH RESIDENTS EFFICIENCY ON JUNGLE PATROLS (By W. E. PARROTT, N.Z.P. A.—Reuter Correspondent) SINGAPORE. During one year’s duty in Malaya the First Battalion, Fijian Infantry Regiment, and its New Zealand officers have' made a name for themselves out of all proportion to their numbers. The battalion arrived in Malaya in January, 1952, to fight against the Communist terrorists. The tall, handsome Fijians not only shoot straight, but they can sing sweetly, excel in any sport they know and are deeply religious. The decision to send the battalion to Malaya was made in August, 19<51, by the Fijian Council of Chiefs, and the strength of about 900 men consists of those selected from about double that number who volunteered to go.

Serving with the battalion are about 20 New Zealand officers and non-com-missioned officers, but they do not by any means hold all the senior posts. While the commanding officer. Lieutenant-Colonel R. A. Tinker, is a New Zealander, his second-in-com-mand, an Oxford-educated cricket enthusiast, Major Edward Cacobau, is a Fijian, as are several of the company commanders. New Zealand junior and non-commissioned officers serve happily under these capable soldiers and there is no problem of race or colour.

What is probably most striking about the Fijians is their enthusiasm in everything they take up ; They are enthusiastic soldiers. Although few had ever handled a rifle before they have become what one officer described as “a going concern.” Not only have they developed prowess in the obvious aspects of soldiering, but they have mastered all the specialist jobs of a modern fighting unit, including radio communications and transport maintenance and repair, without, of course, the advantage of a natural mechanical background. Used to Jungle In the Fijians’ favour has been the similarity of climate between Malaya and Fiji and the fact that many of them were used to jungle conditions. To these advantages they have added such natural attributes as patience and the ability to move quickly and quietly. Results reflect their success. In operations in which until recently the terrorists have held the tactical initiative, in which actions are never fought above section or platoon level, and in which successes are patiently counted in ones and twos, the Fijians have quickly run up a score of over 30 terrorists killed. For five months they patrolled 400 square miles of jungle and rubber country in Negri Sembilan and hit the terrorists so hard that they came away laden with the gifts and good wishes of the residents, both Asian and European. Now, in the notorious Yong Penag area of Johore, where only a few months ago the terrorists were laying ambushes on the main trunk road, the Fijians, in conjunction with the police, have quickly asserted their authority. A rubber planter, Mr Francis Lewis, who comes from Builth Wells, South Wales, said: “The difference since the Fijians came is this: when I go to Batu Pahat or Kluang (nearby towns) I now feel quite cocky on the road. It was definitely tricky before.” The greater feeling of security among workers in the area is reflected in the fact that on one large rubber estate the average daily attendance of tappers rose from 568, in the August before the Fijians arrived, to 708 last November. Rubber output . has increased heavily in the district. Enthusiastic Sportsmen

The Fijians are also enthusiastic sportsmen. Coached to the New Zealand style of play they have excelled in Rugby football and beaten all comers. Their score after 10 games was 573 points for and only 21 against, including a record score in one game of 95 points to 0. They have produced a tealh of tough boxers, have won more than a score of athletic trophies, and have filled several places in State cricket sides. They are also enthusiastic, but not fanatical, in their religion. A large majority of the Fijians are Methodists and their padre (Captain Samisoni Vukakoto) and several lay readers hold frequent services. Most of the men possess Bibles and as likely as not they take them along on fighting patrols to read during spare moments. “They appreciate the biblical parables,” an officer said. Entertainers Entertained The Fijians are also enthusiastic about their music. They love singing choruses and part'songs, and have a long repertoire of haunting, wistful South Sea tunes. Twice recently when touring stars of the London stage have entertained them in their camps, the Fijians have listened appreciatively and then, as the show finished, they have formed up and sung to those who came 800 miles to entertain them. Lieutenant-Colonel Tinker, an experienced soldier who served with the Long Range Desert Group and the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force in North Africa during World War 11, is enthusiastic about his men. Colonel Tinker said the Fijians had fought against the Japanese in World War II and were fighting in Malaya from the conviction that their way of life under the British Crown was being threatened. After their patrols they continue to write in their poetical, almost Biblical, English, reports containing such colourful passages as “We froze into the jungle at the rubber (plantation) edge as the tappers began to stream in orie by one,” or, after an overnight patrol, “The sun came up pink, like the blush on a maiden’s cheek.”