Jaafar was an agricultural worker among the hills of northern Malaysia. He worked actively around Bukit Jenalek, hired to tend durian orchards there as a service to absentee owners. The durian season is short, and often the weather is hot and wet, as it was this year. Though 51 years old, Jaafar Putih climbed the slopes and brought the heavy durian fruits down from the high trees. He was anxious to "get every one of them." Toward this goal he worked night and day, taking a short break at midday to have lunch with his father at their home in Lenggong.

Working on the hills of Bukit Jenalek can be lonely, but Jaafar Putih was a self-motivated man who could work independently without assistance or supervision. He enjoyed the peace and quiet. It was a satisfying life, close to nature, and he was free from direct supervision. He enjoyed his work, and he got his work done. Jaafar Putih was that kind of man. We honor him. He is well thought of, and many Malaysians have him in their thoughts every day.

He died a hero of labour, and for his exploit he should be remembered. It is easy to remember the date he died, July 18, 2000, because it followed by just two weeks an historic event which peripherally touched Jaafar's life. For the short period of only four days, he was highlighted in all the Malaysian news media as a hostage being held on Bukit Jenalek.

Jaafar Putih became a hostage on Saturday afternoon, after returning to the orchard from lunch with his father in Lenggong, a small village a few kilometers north on the road to Gerik. He was anxious to get back to the orchard because there was something new and unusual happening in the vicinity of the orchard. The Malaysian army had begun widespread operations in all the surrounding area, and Jaafar worried that their training activities might interfere with his durian harvest.

On his return to the orchard, Jaafar was taken hostage, and was not released until the middle of the following week. It was during the days he was held hostage that Jaafar Putih demonstrated that he was indeed a hero of labour. After his release he described to all who were interested the events which transpired atop the hill during the famous and historic recovery of stolen military weapons.

His contribution to the annals of labour fame rests on the holes he dug atop the Bukit Jenalek ridge. "All day I dug holes," he said. Exhausted from his great exertions, he lay down at night to sleep in the open, protected by armed guardians who stood over him all night. Digging the holes was difficult work. The ground was a heavy red and yellow clay, with many heavy roots. But Jaafar Putih bent manfully to his hot and difficult work, though it was unfamiliar to him. As he dug, he wondered at the purpose of the holes, but he did not complain. Stooping and straightening with each loaded scoop, he lifted the heavy dirt and scattered it widely, so that it could not fall back into the hole or pile up at the edge to present a barrier hindering subsequent digging and deepening.

All in all, under these conditions, Jaafar Putih dug ten or eleven holes, some barely deep enough to bury a chicken, others just big enough to bury a small pig. While not accustomed to working at this task, still he toiled manfully, under the direction of his captors. Jaafar was a man captured by the imagination, held steadfastly to his work by a brutal determination to present a credible account of himself. He has succeeded. And Malaysia will always remember his holes.

When Jaafar Putih was released at the end of the combined military and police action, he was kindly escorted to his home by the police. During the following two weeks, the police forces in the nearby station showed their concern and appreciation for Jaafar Putih's bravery and diligence by allowing him to visit with them each day. They came for him in a police car each morning and gave him a ride home in the evening. Their concern was genuine, and continued daily from the time of his release as a hostage on July 6th, until his untimely death on the afternoon of July 18th.

On the day of his strange death Jaafar Putih had been taken to the Lenggong police station in the morning, as was his custom, and he came home a little after noon to request a loan from his mother. He had managed to get a ride from the police station riding pillion on a motorbike driven by a young relative, Mahmoud Bin Mansor. On arriving home, Jaafar Putih requested some money from his mother, and rode pillion with Mahmoud back up the road toward the police station.

They went only a short distance when Jaafar Putih became ill, complaining of severe stomach pains. Mahmoud stopped the motorbike just as Jaafar began to loose consciousness. He was laid out in the home of a neighbor, and it was there he died. The exact cause of death is unexplained, and all tests are said to have given negative results. Mahmoud was mystified, as were all the hospital personnel. Here was a strong, healthy man who just died in the middle of the day, attempting to return to his friends at the police station.

The police were also baffled. The next day Mahmoud was summoned to the police station to help in the evaluation in hopes that he might provide some new clue to the sudden and strange death. When Mahmoud drove away from his home for this conference, it brought him bad luck. He never returned, and has not been seen since. His family, inquiring for his whereabouts, were told that it had been necessary to arrest and incarcerate him for a drug matter. This is sad, because he was not only just a helpful relative, he was also a good friend of Jaafar Putih, and they had many long and happy talks together.

In an unfortunate coincidence, another of Jaafar Putih's close friends, a nephew, had come for a holiday to the nearby lake. He left a message with Jaafar's father by phone the previous night, asking Jaafar to meet with him and his family for a reunion and to hear first hand the story of Jaafar's experiences as a hostage. But Jaafar never came to meet him.

Perhaps if he had been able to get back to his friends at the police station they might have been able to help him. Police today are trained in the use of many new techniques and instruments which are not available to the general public .... CPR, breast paddles, etc. They might have been able to pump his stomach, on the theory that something he ate disagreed with his system.

Jaafar Putih was a witness to history. He saw a lot. And he told the whole story. Others might repeat it, but it has a better sound when he tells it. It is a very interesting story, and it is a shame that he is not here to tell it personally. It is really too bad. Jaafar Putih is a hero of labour. Let us all remember Jaafar Putih, and the role he played in the history of our country. We must not forget him.