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Pustaka Negeri Sarawak to hold Sarawakiana talk on WWII Operation ‘Semut’ – The Unsung Heroes

Posted on 24 March 2015

KUCHING: Pustaka Negeri Sarawak (Pustaka) in collaboration with
Friends of Sarawak Museum (FoSM) and Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF)
invite the public to a Sarawakiana talk entitled “WWII Operation ‘Semut’
– The Unsung Heroes”.

It will be held at Pustaka’s special collection room on Saturday, March 28 from 9am to 11am.

The
talk is held in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the historical
heritage on March 25, in commemoration of the first parachute landing
of the commandos at Bario in 1945 during the Japanese occupation.

The
“Z” special unit, also known as Services Reconnaissance Department
(SRD), Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Special Operations
Australia (SOA) based at Allied Land headquarters in Melbourne
implemented the Borneo project in a series of long-term operations
codenamed ‘Agas’ and ‘Semut’ in North Borneo and Sarawak respectively.

The
SRD operations laid the groundwork, to a large extent, thereby paving
the way for the eventual invasion in mid-1945 at the Brunei Bay-Labuan
island area.

The main objectives of the SRD operations were
two-fold: the gathering of intelligence, and organising (including
training and arming) of local inhabitants into resistance group to wage
guerilla warfare.

Invited speakers for this talk are Jack Tredrea,
David Sanderson and Judith M Heimann. They will share their memoirs or
the accounts told by their loved ones and their research on the
operation ‘Semut’ during the WWII.

By sharing the information it
is hoped that the topic will create more awareness on Sarawakians in
Sarawak’s history during this period and generate more interest in
research and creating of new knowledge.

Admission is free but due
to limited seats, participants are advised to pre-register. For
registration, call 082-440488 Rozana Octovia (ext 19) or Hayati Sabil
(ext 36) or email rozanoru@sarawak.gov.my / hayatis2@sarawak.gov.my to
reserve your seats.