ANN/THE STAR – The Malaysian Army thanked the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) for their assistance and support throughout an operation in search of Malaysian soldier Private Muhammad Syafiq Hilmi Abdul Halim from the 7th Battalion Border Regiment, who went missing while carrying out Ops Ukur with the Sarawak Survey and Mapping Department on June 18. He was later found safe.
“It shows that the bond between the two countries is strong. We are also grateful for the prayers by all Malaysians for Private Syafiq’s safe return,” the statement said. The army stated that the soldier was located by the Search and Rescue (SAR) team at about 11.29am yesterday.
“He managed to follow guide signs, which were deliberately left around the search area, until he discovered the Forward Operating Base (FOB) for one of the search teams.
“He was found safe but hungry and dehydrated. He was given initial treatment by a medical team,” the army said in a statement yesterday.
Private Syafiq has been contacted by the army via telephone and will be flown to Sarawak soon.
“All travel expenses will be covered by the army,” the statement added.
The army also commended and thanked all agencies involved in the SAR operation, especially the Sarawak state government, the air force, the police, the Fire and Rescue Department, and the Survey and Mapping Department.
An Investigation Board will be set up to identify the cause of the incident and to improve current standard operating procedures, the army added.
It was reported that Private Syafiq went missing on June 18 while carrying out Ops Ukur with the Sarawak Survey and Mapping Department.
Among the assets deployed for the SAR were the EC 725 helicopter from the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Augusta AW109 Light Observation Helicopter owned by the army. The search was further intensified with the assistance of the K9 unit from the police.
The RBAF also conducted searches within their search radius.
