VAT 69 Commando
The 69 Commando (, Jawi: ٦٩ كومندو); also known as Very Able Troopers 69 (abbreviation: VAT 69) is an elite multi-tasking special forces unit of the Royal Malaysia Police. The VAT 69 is based at Ulu Kinta, Perak and together with Special Actions Unit (), they are part of "Pasukan Gerakan Khas" (abbreviated "PGK", ). The mission of 69 Commando is to conduct high-risk tasks such as counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, intelligence gathering and counter-insurgency within the borders of Malaysia. Prior to 1989, the 69 Commando was primarily tasked with the war against communist terrorists in the  Malaysian jungle. Today, 69 Commando has much wider counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency role, but it still maintains considerable expertise in jungle warfare; many of their operators are drawn from the Senoi Praaq, an elite tracking unit which is now part of RMP's General Operations Force. History. VAT 69, also known as "Task Force, Charlie Force" and "Special Project Team", was founded in 1969 (hence the number 69) and is modelled on the British 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, as a small combat unit to counter the tactics and techniques of communist terrorists. The idea for an elite counter -terrorist paramilitary police unit was originally proposed the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, The Honorable Allahyarham (late) Tun Dr Ismail to fight the communist insurgency. In October 1969, 1,600 officers and men from the Police Field Force () applied for VAT 69 training of which 60 passed the basic commando training tests. A group of instructors from SAS were sent to Fort Kemar, Perak to supervise the training of the first 69 Commando recruits. Only 30 police officers managed to pass and they formed the first nucleus troop of 69 Commando Battalion. The official name for VAT 69 at  that time was Pasukan Polis Hutan 69; PPH 69 (Police Field Force "69") and they were part of Police Field Force (now General Operations Force). In the 1970s, VAT 69 started its initial operations and was successfully deployed against the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) during the Second Malayan Emergency. VAT 69 was responsible for neutralizing a significant number of MNLA guerrillas and seizing large amounts of weapons and equipment. VAT 69 cooperated closely with the Senoi Praaq Regiment, an exclusively Orang Asli police light infantry unit, in operations against pro-Communist ASAL groups, which were composed of Orang Asli  sympathisers of the Malayan Communists. In 1977, three new squadrons were raised and trained by the New Zealand Special Air Service and a special course was conducted to train their own instructors. This expansion program was completed in 1980 and VAT 69 had fully equipped units with its own logistics department. In 1978, 65 officers and operators from VAT 69 were sent to Hua Hin, Thailand to be trained by instructors from the Parachuting Training Centre of Border Patrol Police, Royal Thai Police. The course lasted for a month and the trainee learned to jump via static line insertion. Merger  in Pasukan Gerakan Khas. On 20 October 1997, under then Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad and then Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri .; the Royal Malaysia Police re-organised VAT 69 and UTK under one unified special operations command known as Pasukan Gerakan Khas (PGK; "Police SOCOM"). Although amalgamated into one directorate, they are essentially still two separate entities operating in two distinct operational environments. Functions. VAT 69 roles are believed to include: Identity. Sand coloured berets. The sand coloured beret was bestowed by 22nd Special Air Service when the original VAT 69 troop was founded and trained by SAS instructors . The sand-coloured beret then given back to the VAT 69 after the beret was officially accepted as an official headdress of VAT 69 on 18 December 2004 by the then Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri . On 14 November 2006, for the first time in the history of Royal Malaysian Police, the maroon and sand-coloured berets of PGK were honoured as Royal Berets by Yang Dipertuan Agong Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putera Jamalullail, the then King of Malaysia. Parachute wings. These wings, worn on the left arm of the uniform, identify the wearer as a qualified parachutist, airborne  unit and air assault operations operator. The parachute wings are mostly worn by operators from Pasukan Gerakan Khas and are awarded on completion of the Basic Tactical Parachuting Course (). Organisation. There are four infantry squadrons in VAT 69 Commando with its own logistics unit, totaling around 1,900 members. Squadrons are split into patrol teams consisting of six to ten operatives led by a Police Inspector (Insp) or Superintendent of Police (SUPT). Within each patrol, individual members may specialise in sniping, explosive ordnance disposal, demolitions, communications and as field medics. Previously separate entities, both the VAT 69 and the UTK were  amalgamated into the PGK Command on 20 October 1997, when it was launched by the 5th Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Rahim Noor. However, VAT 69 and the UTK are still operational as separate units. The UTK is now officially known as Pasukan Gerakan Khas Detachment A and VAT 69 has been deputised to "Pasukan Gerakan Khas Detachment B." Based at the Royal Malaysia Police Headquarters in Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur, the PGK is under the direct command of the RMP's Internal and Public Security () Director. The unit commander holds the rank of Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) and  is the Deputy Director of the Internal and Public Security Branch. Roles. Originally established to counter the communist threat during the insurgency years; VAT 69 was raised and trained by the British SAS to specialise in jungle warfare, deep reconnaissance and counter-insurgency. Originally trained by the British SAS, VAT 69 commandos conduct land, sea and air special operation techniques, with a specialty in jungle warfare and deep reconnaissance missions. They execute special operations in support of the Police Special Branch fight against subversive organisations and terrorist activities, conduct offensive operations using special weapons and tactics, counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency , hostage rescue, close protection and supporting the special forces, Rapid Deployment Force () or infantry force of the Malaysian Armed Forces in any security measures. With the growing threat of terrorism since the 11 September attacks, this unit has increasingly adapted itself to conduct counter-terrorism duties. With the aim of creating teams that are capable of dealing with a broad range of operations (especially counter-terrorism operations), the PGK has forged closer relations with the special forces of the Malaysian Armed Forces, including the 10th Paratrooper Brigade, Grup Gerak Khas, PASKAL and PASKAU, so as to enable them to more  effectively enforce security within Malaysia's borders. VAT 69's and UTK's snipers, technicians and explosive expertise specialists regularly cross-train with foreign special forces including the Special Air Service Regiments of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the Royal Thai Border Patrol Police, and a number of U.S. services including the Army Green Berets, Navy SEALs and others. In 2014, RMP establishes new elite units (STAFOC, STING and STAGG). UTK and VAT 69 is given another role which is to support these three new units in term of training and technical capabilities. Recruitment, selection and training. All  members of the Malaysian police services with two years of service can enter the Basic 69 Commando Course (). To enter the commando course, the police personnel need to enter and pass the Kursus Asas Pasukan Gerakan Am (PGA) ("General Operations Force (GOF) Basic Course") which last for three months. Trainees will learn jungle operations during the GOF Basic Course. Because of this, many of VAT 69 operators are drawn from the GOF personnel. The Basic 69 Commando Course lasts for three months training period, which includes thirteen weeks of basic training and nine weeks of advanced training. A primary selection  period is as long as two days. Depending on the department's policy, officers generally have to serve a minimum tenure within the department before being able to apply for a specialist section such as VAT 69 & UTK. This tenure requirement is based on the fact that PGK officers are still law enforcement officers and must have a thorough knowledge of department policies and procedures. To be eligible to join the PGK special forces, one must be younger than 30 years old and have a good health record. Prospective trainees are expected to exceed the minimum requirements of the Physical  Screening Test (PST), which requires that trainees must be able to: Basic 69 Commando Course. In Basic 69 Commando Course, it has three phases which are: Advanced Training. To accomplish its varied mission profiles, the 69 Commando ensures that its members are well trained in the required aspects of special operations. These include: The 69 Commando is known to conduct joint training exercises and participate in exchange programs with Commonwealth special units such as the Australian SAS, New Zealand SAS, British SAS and Singapore Special Tactics and Rescue. The 69 Commando routinely trains with neighbouring nations' tactical teams such as  the Indonesian Mobile Brigade and Thailand Border Patrol Police. Occasionally, the 69 Commando trains with Green Berets, Army Special Operations Command Pacific Unit (SOCPAC) of the United States and other international units. On 10 December 2003, the then Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Haji Omar, launched the training program between the USSOCPAC and the VAT 69 at the GOF Training Center in Ulu Kinta, Perak. The SOCPAC team were to conduct joint exercise with the PGK, under the code-name "Advance Vector Balance Mint" for a duration of 2 weeks. Only 42 out of the 194 participants  completed the inaugural program. Equipment. 69 Commando teams use equipment designed for a variety of specialist situations. The particular pieces of equipment vary from unit to unit, but there are some consistent trends in what they wear and use. Much of their equipment is indistinguishable from that supplied to the military, not least because much of it is military surplus. Weapons. As a special forces unit, the 69 Commando is equipped with a wide variety of high-class weapons and support equipment commonly associated with counter-terrorism operations, the most common weapons include sub-machine guns, assault rifles, shotguns, machine -guns and sniper rifles. Tactical vehicles. As a special forces unit, the 69 Commando employs a number of specialised vehicles to accomplish its missions. These include the Commando V-150D and the GKN Sankey AT105 armoured personnel carriers equipped with M60s as assault vehicles in urban and jungle terrain as well as modified police MPV (Mobile Patrol Vehicles), vans, trucks, 4WD and buses for use as tactical vehicles. PGK also employs RHIB assault boats, jet-skis and Marine Subskimmer (DPV) in maritime missions and amphibious insertions. For its airborne operations, 69 Commando utilises the C-130 Hercules, Cessna 206G, Cessna 208  Caravan 1 and Pilatus Porter PC-6 aircraft as well as the E-Squirrel AS-355 F2/AS-355N helicopter. Development and acquisitions. On 25 October 2007, the US Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) West funded RM2 million state-of-the-art shooting house for the VAT 69 Commando battalion was opened. 69 Commando will get their own base after 47 years sharing base with the General Operations Force Northern Brigade. The new base estimated to be fully operational in 2017. Missions. Operation Dawn. Its first counter-terrorism mission, which is one of the most well-known and which established the unit's  reputation as an elite unit, was an operation known as "Operasi Subuh"/"Operasi Khas 304" (Operations Dawn/Special Operation 304). It was carried out on 3 July 2000 against the militants of Al-Ma'unah who had stolen ninety-seven M16 rifles, two Steyr AUG rifles, four General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), six light machine guns (LMG), five M203 grenade launchers, twenty-six bayonet daggers and thousands of ammunition rounds from two control posts of the Rejimen Askar Wataniah "(Territorial Army Regiment)" camp in Kuala Rui, Perak and captured two police officers, one army special forces soldier and one villager as hostages  and planned to commit treason against a democratically elected government. In the dawn of 5 July 2000, police and military units created a distraction, while members of the PGK led by 69 Commando Battalion leader ASP Abd Razak Mohd Yusof, accompanied by the 22nd Grup Gerak Khas led by Malaysian Army senior officer Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Zaini Mohamad Said, were sent to "Sauk" to negotiate with the "Al-Ma'unah" leader, Mohamed Amin Mohamed Razali. Amin, along with his comrades, were persuaded to drop their arms and surrender to the security forces. Although most of the group initially surrendered, negotiations eventually  broke down and a bloody gunfight ensued. In these incidents, 2 of the 4 hostages were killed before the group finally surrendered. The security forces suffered two casualties – police Special Branch officer Detective Corporal R. Sanghadevan and Trooper Matthew anak Medan from 22nd GGK were tortured before they were killed and was buried by 2 other hostages, Sergeant (R) Mohd Shah Ahmad and civilian Jaafar Puteh, in the jungle before they were both rescued by the security forces. Abdul Halim Ali @ Ahmad, a member of the militant group, was shot dead in the firefight and five others were injured, including  two seriously. The other 22 were taken into police custody. Mohamed Amin, Zahit Muslim, Jemari Jusoh and Jamaludin Darus were later sentenced to death and the other 16 were sentenced to life imprisonment. 10 more comrades, Megat Mohamed Hanafi Ilias, Muhamad Nukhshah Bandi Che Mansor, Riduan Berahim, Azlan Abdul Ghani, Shahidi Ali and Khairul Anuar Mohamed Ariffin, were sentenced by the High Court to ten years in jail each after pleading guilty to an alternative charge under Section 122 for preparing to wage war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after they pleaded guilty to the lesser charge. In popular  culture. Books and televisions.