British Frigate Takes Indonesian Invaders

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30633, 26 December 1964, Page 13

British Frigate Takes Indonesian Invaders

(N.Z.P.A.- Reuter—Copyright) KUALA LUMPUR, December 25. The British frigate, the Ajax, last night broke up an Indonesian invasion attempt capturing 22 armed men aboard seven boats in the Straits of Malacca, a Malaysian Government communique said today.

The communique said the Indonesian commando raiders were close to, and heading for, the coast of the Kuala Selangor district, about 30 miles northwest of Kuala Lumpur.

This is the second time in less than a fortnight that the radar-gunned Ajax has been in action against Indonesian forces.

On Sunday, December 13. she opened fire with her 4.5 inch main armament on six apparently hostile craft approaching at speed through the Straits of Malacca.

Although no official report on this was made public, it is believed that at least one of the vessels fired on was sunk.

Today’s communique said: “H.M.S. Ajax, while on patrol on the late afternoon of December 24, captured 22 armed Indonesians who were preparing to invade the Malaysian mainland. The Indonesians were in seven sampans in the Malacca Straits, close to and heading towards the coast of Kuala Selangor. All seven

boats contained Indonesians, equipped with explosives, arms and ammunition. The boats and crews were therefore arrested and handed over to the police.

“The leader was Sergeant Marimba Nana, who said that his party had been training for two months and a half for this infiltration and that eight other Indonesians were about to be transferred from an Indonesian patrol boat to the sampans when the Ajax was sighted. He also said that they were part of a force intending to land on the Malaysian coast that night.” At Pontian, in south-west Malaya, nine Indonesian commandos from a party that landed two days ago have surrendered to Malaysian forces, according to unconfirmed reports. “Big Build-up” Shortly before noon yesterday two senior Malaysian leaders—the Deputy Premier and Defence Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, rnd the Minis-

ter for Internal Security, Dr. Ismail—called reporters together to tell them new massive Indonesian attacks on Malaysia might be expected in the near future.

There had been a big buildup of Indonesian forces opposite Malaysia in Sumatra, the Java Sea and Malacca Straits, and Borneo, they said. Prior to the new Pontian landing of December 23, there had been six Indonesian commando attacks on the Malaysian Peninsula since August. These are known to have involved 302 Indonesians, 52 of whom were killed and 210 captured, and five of whom are missing believed drowned. Five members of the Malay-sian-Commonwealth forces have been killed and six wounded in fighting in the peninsula.