Operation Semut

Operation SEMUT was a series of reconnaissance operations carried out by Australia's Z Special Unit during World War II as part of the Borneo Campaign at Sarawak, northwestern Borneo. Another closely related operation codenamed AGAS was carried out in North Borneo (present day Sabah). Both operations combined and relayed their intelligence through the STALLION project to Australian forces and carried out guerilla warfares against the Japanese in the region with the full support of the natives.

The idea of operating deep behind the Japanese line and organising an indigenous resistance against the Japanese operations in Sarawak was conceived as early as December 1941. Second Lieutenant P. M. Synge of the British Intelligence Corps based in Oxford, England, proposed that "a force of 500 men or more if necessary, skilled in forest-craft, could be raised from the Long Houses of the Baram, Tinfar [Tinjar] and Niah rivers and organised into an effective guerilla force'. Lieutenant Synge then submitted a proposal of the operations in February 1942 but it was not approved because was not feasible at that time. In July 1942, Tom Harrisson, who was an Oxford Sarawak Expedition leader in 1932, drew another similar proposal that put an emphasis on operations against Seria oilfields in Brunei rather than Miri oilfields in Sarawak. Meanwhile, Captain D. L. Leach proposed the need to contact ex-Brooke officials, natives, and Chinese who are still loyal to the Allied forces and to establish three main bases at Baram river, Rejang basin, and Rejang upriver.

The operation was finally carried out in 1945 by Australian Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD) with two main objectives: to gather intelligence and to train the indigenous people in launching guerilla warfare against the Japanese. The operation was under the overall command of Major G. S. Carter, and was divided into three distinct parties: SEMUT 1 under the command of Major Tom Harrisson, SEMUT 2 under the command of Major G. S. Carter himself, and SEMUT 3 headed by Captain W. L. P. Sochon. SEMUT 1 would operate at the Trusan valley, SEMUT 2 at Baram valley, and SEMUT 3 at the entire Rajang valley. Tom Harrisson and his SEMUT 1 team parachuted at Bario, Kelabit highlands in March 1945, however, upon the completion of small airstrip in Bario by using native labour, he shifted his base to Belawit in the Bawang valley in Dutch Borneo. SEMUT 2 team also parachuted into Bario in mid-April with the full support from the Kelabit people, the moved to the Baram valley and established a base at Long Akah. Sochon and his team then moved out from SEMUT 2 team and lead the SEMUT 3 team to Belaga at Upper Rajang, with full support from the Kayan and Iban there. All the intelligance from these operations were relayed to Blamey's Advanced Land Headquarters at Morotai in the Halmahera. Four days before the launch of the Operation Oboe Six (Battle of North Borneo), SEMUT 2 team captured a Japanese wireless station at Long Lama. On 9 June 1945, on the eve of the Australian landings at Labuan island, SEMUT 1 team attacked a small Japanese garrison at Brunei Bay.

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