Brunei, Jungle Village..

Dated 2005..

I requested to be posted to Brunei after my stint in 5th Singapore Infantry Regiment.

Flew to Brunei not too long after completing the 2005 NDP..

I was posted to Team 2, the team I love the most.. We are made up of:

Capt Poh Choon Kiat

Msg Tan Boon Siong

Ssg Ong Shi Hong 

and Me..

Stories were in abundance and I really never thought I would encounter something of that sort when I was here to serve my tour...

A lot of stories focus on a particular place - Jungle Village..

A place where it is in the middle of a jungle.. Somewhere that we have to be flown in by helicopters or a 5 - 6 hours trek.

And when I was due to bring troops in to train, all the SAIs told me that I am bound to "kena" big time... All because I look like a boy and very young (Yes, my nickname there is NCC Officer.), it didnt make me any better because I rather avoid such incidents.

But it came to me.. Immediately..

I am due to bring in platoon to train on a battle course with specific enemies planted at specific locations. It was my first time, and I admit I was abit lost after the first 3 contact points. The fourth contact point consist of 2 enemies situated beside a stream in between 2 ravines..

I was really dis-orientated, light appearing to dim as nightfall approaches.. So I am very nervous, its not good to bring a platoon to holland if you are the subject matter expert there.

The men were tired and restless due to the fights and walks with their load. So I decided to recce the place first, I took 1SG Nantha with me from Alpha company. As we walk down... approaching towards a stream, my eyes lit up immediately..

I saw one of my heavily camouflaged enemies.. He "psst" me loudly and was waving to me asking me to approach him in a hand signal with his fingers moving in unison, towards him.. He did all this while hiding behind a tree...

I asked Nantha to head back up and ask the platoon to come our way so the enemies can contact them, and with that, I proceed towards the enemy and crossed the stream with care, afraid that I might wet myself..

Then I walked up towards that tree with a smirk attitude thinking: "Haha, I found them... My navigation isnt that bad at all!"

Then I look at the back of the tree where the enemy was supposedly hiding and said: "How long have you all been ... ...?

I didnt continue the question because ... ... He was not there...

But I am dead sure, he was there before I crossed the stream and that takes me less than 5 minutes..

Then my hair stood on its end..

I heard a loud "psst, psst!"

It was from somewhere up there... I looked up, and like I mentioned earlier, the location of the contact point was in between 2 ravines, and there he was, on top on the hill. 

It is impossible for him to climb up that hill within the time I crossed the stream, and the spur line that connects to the hill is of a very steep gradient..

Its absolutely impossible.. He "psst, psst" me and showed me the "come here" hand signal again. I looked up and then realised, I couldnt make out his face at all, it was all blurry...

I was sure, he was my "enemy" that was hiding behind that tree.

I turned and ran my life away up the knoll where I came from and shouted: "Nantha, keep the platoon there, dont let them come down!" Finally, I gave up and radioed SSG Ong to track me from the base camp. SSG Ong came, brought us to the correct contact point 4, proving the one that I was at was wrong and the course ended.

Till this very day, I dont know who that "enemy" was? What was he doing there? What if I followed "him"? What "he" want?

But its too freaky.. 

Definitely my most up-close experience...

I dont know if I would be alive if I follow "him"..