One of the earliest armed engagements of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, demonstrating Indonesian cross-border aggression into Sarawak.
Key Facts
- Date
- 28 September 1963
- Distance into Borneo
- Approximately 50 miles from the border
- Region
- Third Division, Sarawak, Borneo
- Attacker
- Large Indonesian contingent
- Defender
- Small mixed military and paramilitary force
- Reinforcements
- British Gurkha troops deployed into jungle
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation (Konfrontasi) drove Indonesian forces to conduct cross-border incursions into Sarawak, targeting remote outposts in the interior of Borneo as part of a broader campaign against the newly formed Malaysian federation.
A large Indonesian force crossed the border and attacked the outpost at Long Jawai, roughly fifty miles inside Sarawak. The small mixed military and paramilitary garrison defending the position was defeated by the Indonesian attackers in one of the confrontation's earliest significant engagements.
British Gurkha reinforcements were rapidly inserted into the jungle between Long Jawai and Indonesian Borneo. These troops conducted a series of ambushes against the withdrawing Indonesian force, killing a number of the attackers and limiting the strategic impact of the Indonesian raid.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent