For most local people here in Janda Baik, Bentong,
one aircraft wreck set on their mind. The plane was a British Fighter
plane. It was shot down by Japanese fighter in 1942. The aircraft was
crashed 100 metres from the road together with her pilot entombed to
his death. For almost 60 years, the wreck site was not been disturbed
by local people which they believed on the spirit from the ghost and
some of them were keen to keep the site from public since it was related
to bloody war causalities.
For wreck hunters and scrap hunters, this wreck
means money to them
They don't care about history. They only care for their profit. For
a few years behind, one group from outside Malaysia was been tip by
this wreck location and they set up some reccon trip to the site. They
also give several of the local people a large of money to keep their
mouth shut and helping them to recovered the wreck. They knew the exact
location of the crashed plane from the map and info that they gather
from accidental reports.
The plane was crashed into bamboo jungle.
One wing struck hard into the bamboo and due to the impact, the engine
was break off from the mountings. For a year, they removed everything
from boots, pilot remains, pistol anything that sound on their metal
detectors. For local people, they were happy since they got a large
of money from this group who has a leader which could talk Malay fluently.
For our team, we only heard of these
wreck information last month from our friend. He told us that his father
knew about this wreck and remember sharply the day when the aircraft
crashed. So we set up our equipment and visit this site on 2 February
2003. From our first trip, it was hard since
we were in a heavy monsoon rain. Our guide were lost in the jungle and
he did not know the exact spot. We only got several cut and bruises
from the sharp bamboo plus itchy and dozens of kamikaze mosquitoes hit
our skin hard.
So we get another guide ( orang asli
) which he led the foreign group last year to the site and was given
Rm300 for this role. He said to me that only a wing was still struck
into the ground. Many people on the site said that they heard about
this recovered and knew that the wing still there. So we set up our
foot again and walk the jungle. It was only 100 metres from the road
plus 45 degree steep climbing into the hill. It was a major disappointment
for us that the wing was missing.
Actually we were late for 5 months.
The wing was recovered by the same group early 5 months ago but pulling
the wing using winch. When they manage to get the whole aircraft, they
must think several times to get it out the wing. That how many people
saw several times of this group visited this area.
We are mad about this group. They steal our
war heritage.
Our team were been told that the same group was recovered one Japanese
fighter plane which was crashed into the riverbank near Temerloh town.
Now we are trying our best with Malaysian Army Museum Team to capture
this group before they clean up all our wrecks in Malaysian jungle.
We are making our best track which can led to this group which now hunting
in Endau jungle to recover a Japanese aircraft wreck. For the selfish
act, they can be penalized and can be jailed by Malaysian authorities
because they removing any artifacts that were not given permission by
authorities.
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