CONFRONTATION : SINGAPORE INFANTRY REGIMENT

The photos are spot on — 2nd Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (2 SIR) at Kota Tinggi, Johor, April 1965. That was one of the hottest moments of the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation.

Here is what happened:

1. What was Konfrontasi?

From 1963-1966 President Sukarno of Indonesia waged an armed campaign to oppose the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. It included Indonesian infiltrations by sea, air-drops of paratroopers over Johor, jungle fighting in Borneo, and bombings in Singapore itself.

2. What was the Singapore Infantry then?

At that time Singapore had only two regular army units: 1 SIR and 2 SIR.

• 1st Battalion (1 SIR) was formed in 1957.
• 2nd Battalion (2 SIR) was formed in 1962.

When Singapore merged with Malaysia (16 Sept 1963 - 9 Aug 1965), the regiment was renamed the Malaysian Infantry Regiment. Both battalions were called to serve during Confrontation.

Deployment was split:

• 1 SIR -> Sebatik Island, Sabah — guarding the Borneo border
• 2 SIR -> Labis and Kota Tinggi area, Johor — hunting Indonesian infiltrators who had landed by parachute and boat

The second photo is captioned exactly for that: soldiers in slit trenches at Kota Tinggi, Johor, April 1965, armed with FN FAL rifles and wearing bush hats. The first photo you shared — group photo in barracks — is the same battalion in 1965, credited to Beh Huat Soon.

The fighting was real. The official history notes: "In Kota Tinggi, soldiers from 2 SIR were injured and killed in combat." 

While they were in Johor, back home in Singapore there were at least 42 bombing attempts by Indonesian saboteurs — 37 bombs exploded, killing 7 and injuring at least 50, including the MacDonald House bombing on 10 March 1965.

There is also archival record of this exact action — the National Archives of Singapore has a photo titled: AN OFFICER OF 2ND SINGAPORE INFANTRY REGIMENT BRIEFING PRESS ON THE BATTALION'S BATTLE WITH AND SUCCESS IN KILLING ARMED INDONESIANS AT ITS TACTICAL HEADQUARTER IN ASAHI RUBBER ESTATE AT KOTA TINGGI — that's the Asahi Rubber Estate operation the photos are from.

3. What happened after Separation?

When Singapore separated from Malaysia on 9 August 1965, many of the men, particularly those from 2 SIR, were still deployed in Malaysia, including Sabah. Singapore only gained complete control of its battalions in January 1966 when 2 SIR returned from its tour of duty in Sabah.

That return was difficult. One military history notes that 2 SIR found themselves displaced after returning, the "heroes of Kota Tinggi and Pontian" were "neglected and shabbily treated" because the British barracks were still occupied.

From there, in February 1966 the Singapore Infantry Brigade was established to command 1 and 2 SIR, and in late 1965 Singapore passed the Singapore Army Bill — starting the Singapore Army we know today.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

4 September 2026: 8.38 a.m