Operasi SAR Kg Kemansah

Last Saturday, I received a call from Gerakan to report duty for "Operasi Orang Sesat". This time it was at Kg Kemansah area, Hulu Kelang. The victim was a 26+ old woman. I had prior arrangements and only picked up my gears at home and rushed to the scene around midnight. It was a joint operation between police, JPAM (Civil Defence), 4WD members and the villagers. There was also the Police Air Wing and the K9 unit. There were 35 members from JPAM.

Teams were sent into the jungle at 2am. "tempat ni memang keras" said one of the local villagers. Hmmm...I was telling myself "now how does that bit of information useful to calm the nerves of the search party?". I felt like saying "abang ni boleh diam tak?" but I knew that it was wishful thinking on his part.

JPAM's heavy rescue vehicle with communication tower

The guys were poking fun at me. You see I bought myself an Aitor Jungle King 2 survival knife...been eying for one...resisted but succumbed to the temptation. However, during operations, I am always there at the PKTK (Pos Kawalan Tempat Kejadian), helping the Ops Officer organize the running of the whole ops.

Another factor is I have knee problem because of my old 'rempit' days. I was riding at 80+ km/h when I hit another motorcyclist, went flying, landed on my knee and my motorcycle used my legs as a landing spot. Next day, it was swollen like really bad. Until now, its not that good for climbing high places.

I didnt sleep at all right up to the next morning, communicating with the various search parties via radio and coordinating with the other agencies. At 1000hrs, I got my chance to silence the guys once and for all. I was instructed to go in with a party of 5 to check out a specific area. The name of the place? Air Terjun Sofea Jane. I was like saying "wow sedapnye nama". They named it after the said actress shot a movie scene there.

the police K9 unit

We teamed up with the police K9 unit...which comprises of the K9 itself, a handler and a helper. Man, that K9 was a big one. Since I was walking flank, the K9 was right behind me. Luckily it was a well trained dog. I am sure my 'well developed' calf muscles smells like KFC to him..haha. As we were trekking uphill, I could hear the dog's breathing getting louder and louder...like a locomotive. Looking back, I asked the corporal "Kopral, anjing you ni ok ke? Macam nak kena sakit jantung je" (Translated: Corporal, is you dog ok? sounds like he's having a heart attack soon). The answer..."Dia penat sangat ni. Silap2 boleh mati ni. Kita berhenti kasi dia rehat dulu la, boleh tak?" (Translated: He is very tired. He could even die. We stop to let him rest a bit). The helper took out its bowl and pour water for it to drink. I find that very amusing. Thanks to the dog, people like me could also rest without looking 'out of shape"...hahaha.

the "air terjun Sofea Jane"

When we arrived at the place, it was beautiful. I went down to the bottom of the waterfall and recite some prayers including azan (supposedly to 'free' the victim IF she was 'trapped' by evil spirits). Suddenly...a strong, sweet smelling aroma...and the hairs on my neck stood up. I looked up and I was all alone. Unknown to me, the rest of the guys had gone over the other side, thinking that I needed some 'privacy'. Hmmm...what to do now? Well you asked for it Kaz, so now you face it like a man. Hoya! In the midst of this tense silence... except for the sound of the waterfall... my heart pounding....it was a very erie feeling...suddenly....jeng! jeng!... suddenly the radio crackles and I almost jumped out of my skin in fright. "Semua tim penyelamat. mangsa telah ditemui. lapur balik ke PKTK. over" Haha...I bet you Rambo never had any of these Kodak moments.

the crowd including concerned relatives and friends

To cut the story short, the damsel in distress was rescued. Based on what has happened to her, the moral of the story:-

- Never be over confident and enter the jungle alone
- Always respect the jungle and its habitants
- Respect the guardian. If the guard advice you to not enter, dont go and hurl abusive words.