| Siti Hajar and Nuri Sufri |
THE sleepy town of Muara, home to the Royal Brunei Navy, was aroused from its peaceful sedation as a band of rioters marched towards the naval base carrying banners and signs expressing anger over the lack of security measures to protect the country’s waters.
With identities hidden behind masks and dressed in attire common to men who ply their skills at sea, several Muara fishermen took to the streets, demanding answers from the country’s military as they continue to face the threat of losing their livelihood to what the community has come to know as the One Mapan Group (OMG).
As enforcement personnel stood in defiance of rioters, protected by riot shields and equipped with firearms as the first line of defence with a quiet breeze, the only – if any, comfort in the El-Nino heat, a few kilometres away assaults were taking place in the nation’s waters as threats on boats clashed with the military, causing havoc within the naval base.
Bullets whizzed past the unbroken waters with one insurgent death as a result, following the navy’s success in hindering further marine violations. A quick surrender and detainment followed not long after the attempted breach.
The KDB Darulaman, at the centre of the action and serving as a convenient vantage point for riflemen, overlooked the unfolding carnage.
His Royal Highness Prince General Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and General of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, takes aim
Rioters confront enforcement officials
A Royal Brunei Armed Forces personnel guards the entry point during Exercise Hikmat Bersatu V 2016 in Bukit Agok
A navy gunman shoots at insurgents’ vessels
Navy personnel on rigid inflatable craft in action. – PHOTOS: AZARAIMI HH, AZROL AZMI, BAHYIAH BAKIR & NURI SUFRI
Despite several warnings that echoed across the afternoon’s stillness, insurgents travelling in assault boats ignored the navy’s order to cease their approach. With verbal notice falling on deaf ears, compromise was not an option.
The deployed naval arsenal ranging from inflatable crafts, security patrol boats and naval divers who specialise in boarding vessels often deployed as the Quick Response Team for harbour security, were momentous against the eight would-be insurgents who caused national upheaval.
Or at least this was the mock scenario presented by the Exercise Hikmat Bersatu V, where organisers sprung several surprise non-conventional attacks with the support of trained actors on the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, whose personnel have been tested to the hilt over the past six days.
Set in a fictitious country penned as Blueland, OMG activities created both panic and frustration in certain parts of the country as a result of fear over the lack of robust security to deter OMG activities that affected the country’s way of life.
Days prior to yesterday’s publicised exercise as part of His Royal Highness Prince General Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, and General of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces’ visit to several locations in the Tutong and Brunei-Muara districts, a number of civil unrests had taken hold of communities in the nation, resulting in anger directed initially towards the Royal Brunei Land Forces as well as the Ministry of Defence.
The exercise was part and parcel of the military’s efforts to improve its capabilities, particularly as the world continues to face non-conventional threats stemming from the likes of terrorism and civil unrest, where preparation is key to overcoming potential threats.
Meanwhile, the KDB Darulaman (OPV-08) was built by German ship maker, Lurssen Werft, which became the third ship of the Darussalam-class in 2011 as part of the Royal Brunei Navy, in addition to the KDB Darussalam and the KDB Darulehsan.
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