Dissension Among Infiltrators

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30575, 19 October 1964, Page 1

Dissension Among Infiltrators

<N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, October 18. Accusations that dissident Malayan guerrillas with Indonesian infiltrators in Malaysia had misled the Indonesians about the amount of support they could expect from the local people has led to quarrels between the two groups.

A report to this effect has been received by Army Headquarters in Wellington, from security forces who have interrogated prisoners captured in the Pontian district in the last few days. One infiltrator is reported to have been killed by his own group after an attempted escape from a jungle camp. The report said the Indonesians had accused the Mai-

aysians of lying about conditions in Malaysia before the group left Indonesia to land near Benut on the night of August 17.

The Malaysians, they chimed, had promised that the invading party would receive help and food from the people of the district, but this did not happen. The Malaysians had landed with the infiltrators on August 17 and were captured by the police after a woman was murdered because she refused to continue supplying the Indonesians with food.

Until then 'he groups had been able to remain together hiding in the jungle swamplands, but after the murder patrols discovered jungle camps and aircraft strafing and rocket attacks forced them into the open. During the last few days in the Pontian area the security forces, which include the New Zealand battalion, have killed one more Indonesian infiltrator and captured others and a large amount of arms and equipment have been re-

covered from jungle camps and from caches buried in the jungle. One morning last week nine Indonesians trying to escape in a stolen boat were captured at the mouth of a river by marine police. All admitted being Indonesian regular soldiers.

The party, which had been chased into swampy lands and mangroves by security forces the night before, had eluded patrols in the dark by hiding in the tops of mangrove trees before stealing the small boat just before dawn.

The New Zealand troops, still searching for infiltrators, have been on operations for six weeks with one break of less than 40 hours at Terendak camp. The battalion is constantly moving and redeploying, mainly by helicopters, on fresh information received at tactical headquarters from police and other sources. Cold weather last week made patrol conditions unpleasant and rain has hampered tracking.