TAWAU: Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) retiree Hamidun Daud from Selangor recalled being sent to the district to pioneer the establishment of the KD Sri Tawau base 50 years ago in August 1963.
“I was among the first batch of 10 personnel to be assigned for one year by the Royal Malayan Navy (now known as Royal Malaysian Navy) to Tawau in 1963,” he told Bernama after attending the opening of the KD Sri Tawau base and administrative complex by Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah here yesterday,
He said as Junior Ratings personnel, they were stationed together with the the Cordon Highlanders, a British Army infantry, at a makeshift base camp and entrusted to operate two Harbour Launch diesel vessels.
“We were here when the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation started. It caused anxiety and fear among the people. At that time the local population was not big compared to the present, and the rapport between the people and security forces was excellent,” he recalled.
Hamidun, 69, returned to the peninsula in 1964, bringing with him fond memories of the place particularly the friendliness of the residents. — Bernama