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Richard Noone Briefing Senoi Pra'aq Troop Commanders On A Jungle Operation
This photograph reproduced from 'Rape of the Dream People', shows Richard Noone briefing Senoi Pra'aq troop commanders on a jungle operation.
In September 1956, Richard Noone, the Adviser of Aborigines, recruited a force of 180, formerly 'hostile', Temiars and Semais to form the Orang Asli troop, Senoi Pra'aq. Initially, they were armed and trained by the Special Air Service (SAS), and attached to a security force unit.
In 1958, they were allowed to operate independently for the first time, forming an aboriginal troop within the security forces with Noone as the commanding officer. Their duties were to track down Communists, identify their locations and report this information to the SAS. The SAS bombing squadron was then sent to destroy the detected areas with air strikes.
A second intake was sought in 1958, and Noone recruited more than 100 Senois from lowland Senois villages of Denak, Temboh Bekett, Tew Ba' and Gedung Batu'.
The Senoi Pra'aq record of jungle Communist eliminations was higher than any of the Federal or Commonwealth security units in 1959 and 1960.
To read more about the background of the Orang Asli people, click here.
To read more about the book ‘Kinta Valley’, click here.