Malaysian UFO Bulletin - No 4 - 1982

Magazine Overview

This issue of the Malaysian UFO Bulletin, dated April 1982, presents a review of UFO reports from Malaysia in 1981. It highlights a relatively low number of cases, with only four known incidents, but details one significant event that occurred on November 1, 1981.

1981 Malaysian UFO Report

The bulletin notes that UFO reports in Malaysia for 1981 were infrequent. The most notable event occurred on November 1, 1981, near Kilometer 18 on the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Highway. A newspaper report from 'Berita Harian' on November 3, 1981, described an object resembling a 'flying saucer' sighted by several people. The incident was accompanied by a violent gust of wind at approximately 10 PM, but there was no sound. The newspaper report did not provide names of witnesses, making follow-up difficult.

Another case from August 7, 1981, in Sekudai, Johore, involved a housewife and her three children who observed a strange light descending from the sky. As they watched, the light took the shape of a saucer, estimated to be about 6 ft in diameter. It was dark-colored with lights emanating from its windows and bottom. The object ascended rapidly and disappeared after a 3-5 minute observation.

On October 25, 1981, in Seberang Takir, Trengganu, approximately 6-10 people witnessed a small, pulsating light that appeared from the South China Sea and flew silently inland. Witnesses estimated its altitude at about 3,000 ft and its speed as slightly faster than a plane. The sighting occurred between 7:05-7:10 PM.

The last known case for 1981 is still under investigation and occurred in October before sunrise on the island of Penang. Three people observed a strange light flying silently towards the sea, which was lost from view after a few minutes.

Abduction: The Malaysian Syndrome

This section delves into 'CE4' or abduction experiences, described as the most bizarre events in the UFO phenomenon. It presents several cases from Malaysia:

Case of a Student with 12 Missing Hours and 140 Miles Spatial Displacement

Sivaraman, a 17-year-old student, left home at 8 PM on August 5, 1970, for a tuition class. He woke up 12 hours later by the roadside, 140 miles away from his home in Kuala Lumpur. He was cold, hungry, and tired, with blisters on his feet. He recalled leaving home but had no memory of the intervening time.

Case of the Missing Soldier

Abdul Mutalib, an 18-year-old soldier, was on duty on the night of January 25, 1982. He vanished by 5:30 AM along with his rifle. A search was conducted but was unsuccessful. He was guarding the rifle range at the Recruit Training Centre at Port Dickson when he disappeared. Reports from the center suggest such disappearances have occurred before, with victims usually returning after several days. These individuals are believed to have been abducted by elemental beings known as the 'Bunian People.' Upon their return, abductees reported being taken to a distant place and given food, which, when vomited, consisted of worms and grasses.

Case of the Twice Missing Housewife

Zainab Hussein, a 40-year-old housewife, left her home on January 27, 1982, and was not seen again for four days. She is believed to have been abducted by the 'Bunian People.' She was found exhausted under a tree 200 meters from her home. This was the second time she had gone missing; the first was on January 4, 1982. Her daughter reported that Zainab had been unwell for about eight months, experiencing a strong urge to leave the house, and had difficulty sleeping despite taking pills.

Case of a Girl's Lost Hours

A 16-year-old girl reported to the police that she lost consciousness on her way to tuition class and woke up several hours later in a building about 500 yards away. She recalled seeing a dark figure dashing across her path at 7 PM, accompanied by a foul odor that caused her to lose consciousness. She woke up later to find her hands and legs tied. She managed to free herself and arrived home past midnight. Police classified the case as kidnapping, which occurred on July 25, 1981, in Kota Baru.

Case of the Late Train

On July 25, 1981, the night mail train from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur arrived at Gemas 30 minutes late. Railway sources initially cited a fuel shortage, but railway officials later expressed surprise, stating it was unlikely as the train had departed with 300 gallons of fuel, enough for the journey.

UFOs Over Brunei

This section discusses UFO reports from Brunei, a small oil-rich country on the island of Borneo. Few UFO reports have emerged from Brunei, with most activity quietening down in the 1970s. An early case reported in the Straits Times on February 26, 1953, described a flying saucer phenomenon seen in Seria. In a clear blue sky, a trail of white cloud pointed to a tiny, bright star-like object that hovered at an estimated 30,000 ft for 40 minutes. The object appeared to be rotating slowly, with two jets or vapor formations appearing and disappearing at its edges.

Recent flying saucer phenomena have also been reported in the skies over Borneo. One photographer captured a film at the height of a thunderstorm, hoping to photograph lightning, but instead obtained a picture of five circular objects in the sky. No other abnormalities were found on the film. Conventional explanations like meteorological balloons or aircraft were ruled out.

In May 1967, a fleet of 'space ships' was reported over Seria-Belait. Described as cigar-shaped and flickering red, they hovered in the sky, watched by many people. Telephone lines were jammed with calls reporting the sightings. Some described eight rocket craft, others seven, with one man suggesting the red streaks were gas flares from the Seria oilfield reflected from low-lying clouds. However, the sky cleared after an hour, and the streaks remained.

In August 1967, a police officer reported sighting a large, round object with a dim white light underneath, traveling horizontally at about 30 mph and silently. The object moved across Kuala Belait towards Seria. Aviation authorities reported no aircraft in the area. Shell's aviation adviser suspected it might have been a meteorological balloon.

West Malaysian students conducting a geographical survey in Brunei in 1967 reported seeing a mysterious object trailing a flame across the night sky in the Labi area. Aviation authorities suggested it might have been a meteorite or a satellite burning up. A large meteorite was found near Brunei Town in April 1968.

Indonesian Government Studies UFOs

The Indonesian government is noted as the second country in Southeast Asia to show interest in UFOs. The Indonesian National Aeronautic and Space Institute, led by J. Salatun, collects details for an intensive study. Reports from Irian Jaya mentioned flying objects seen every afternoon for a week, with occupants resembling humans waving to villagers.

The article commends the Indonesian government's approach and hopes other regional governments will follow suit. It speculates that Dr. Hynek's visit to Indonesia in 1976 and his talk on UFOs might have spurred this interest. It also suggests that J. Salatun may have had a personal interest in the phenomenon prior to Hynek's visit.

Colonel J. Salatun, secretary to the Indonesian Joint Chiefs of Staff, published a book titled 'The mystery of the flying saucers revealed,' claiming to have traced the source of 'flying saucers' to a planet designated YC5473 and devised an aircraft capable of atmospheric and space travel. He described the beings as 10 ft tall with a 'non-Freudian makeup.'

The Ufologic Confusion

This section touches upon differing beliefs regarding UFO occupants, with South Americans viewing them as extraterrestrials, American researchers discussing 'imaginary abductions,' Europeans focusing on archetypes, and Asians attributing them to the devil or elemental beings.

Sources

The article lists several sources, primarily from 'The Straits Times' and 'Berita Harian,' dating from 1970 to 1982.

World UFO Guide

A promotion for the 'World UFO Guide' offers hundreds of names and addresses of UFO groups and publications for £3.

Foreign UFO Reports in the Malaysia Press: Seismic Fireballs

This article explores the theory that many reported UFOs might not be alien spacecraft but rather natural phenomena, specifically 'seismic fireballs' or 'quake lights' released by rocks under stress before an earthquake. Dr. Michael Persinger, a neurobiologist, and Brian Brady, a geologist, are cited. Persinger's computer analysis of UFO sightings indicated that over half of them could be attributed to earthquake illumination. He suggests that these lights might serve as warnings of impending earthquakes.

Persinger's research, which began in 1971, involved feeding data into a computer. He found a trend linking lights to seismic activity, referencing historical accounts from England and the U.S. in the 19th century. He highlights the New Madrid region, where severe earthquakes in 1811-1812 were followed by an eight-fold increase in luminosity reports in 1958. Similarly, a fault line in Quebec showed 30 UFO sightings between 1975 and 1979, with a marked increase in luminosity reports.

Persinger and Brady discovered that when quartz-bearing rock breaks, it produces short-lived balls of light, intense as lightning. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that these luminescences could streak, hover, and move in characteristic UFO patterns. The Chinese refer to such phenomena as 'earthquake lights.'

One case involved sightings from an aircraft flying from Wellington to Christchurch, New Zealand, on December 30, 1978. The crew spotted brilliant lights that seemed to follow the plane. Researchers later found the flight path was parallel to the Alpine Fault line.

Quakes and UFOs

This article from The Sunday Star (October 28, 1979) discusses the link between earthquakes and UFO sightings. Local UFO researcher Encik Ahmad Jamaludin believes that records show frequent sightings in areas prone to earthquakes, citing South America as an example of high UFO incidence and frequent earthquakes. He theorizes that whatever triggers earthquakes also triggers UFO arrivals.

UFOs & Earthquakes

This section presents a list of historical anomalous lights or objects sighted before or during earthquakes, suggesting that these phenomena could be indicators of impending earth tremors. Examples include luminous bodies over France in 1779, luminous objects in Italy and Connecticut in the 19th century, and 'lights' seen during the Japanese earthquake in 1923.

The Flying Earthquakes

Reports from Wakayama, Japan, describe phenomenal sunsets accompanied by flames leaping in a giant arch across the sky, occurring immediately after earthquakes. These spectacles, lasting nearly 10 seconds, were witnessed by many, including a seismologist. Seismologists were unable to provide a natural or scientific explanation.

UFOs Really Lights from Quake Faults?

Wayne Laporte, a field investigator for the Aerial Phenomenon Research Society, suggests that many UFO sightings may be due to 'quake lights,' a natural occurrence associated with earthquake fault lines. His research aligns with statistics showing that 85% of UFO sightings occur along or near geological fault lines. Laporte theorizes that the electricity induced by shifting earth creates charged air, producing these lights. He points out that Indian Trail, where many sightings occurred, lies on the Gold Hill geological fault line, which is rich in quartz-bearing rock.

Earthquakes and the 1954 UFO Wave

This section examines the 1954 UFO wave, one of the best-documented UFO events, which occurred in Europe and South America. It notes that 200 landings and occupant encounters were recorded within four months. The research of Michel on Orthoteny and Vallee's 'Law of the Times' are mentioned. Poher's work attempted to correlate earth magnetic field perturbations with UFO manifestations. The 1954 period also saw notable seismic activity in Europe, with earth tremors felt in Switzerland, Greece, Spain, Germany, and Norway. In October, tremors were reported near Innsbruck and in Spain. Fifty-one percent of French UFO landings were concentrated in eastern France, near Swiss seismic activity. Italian shocks were felt near Rome and Palermo, coinciding with UFO manifestations in Italy. In December, most UFO sightings were in South America, notably Venezuela, where a magnitude 6.25 earthquake occurred near Trinidad.

A figure plots the geographical locations of UFO concentration against latitude and month, showing a close agreement between the migration of UFO concentration and earth tremors, raising the question of a direct or indirect relationship.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are UFO sightings in Malaysia and Brunei, abduction experiences, and the potential link between UFOs and seismic activity. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, presenting various theories and research findings, including the controversial idea that many UFO sightings might be explained by natural phenomena such as 'quake lights' related to earthquakes. The publication encourages further investigation into these phenomena and their potential connections.

The Malaysian UFO Bulletin is a privately produced publication focused on the dissemination of UFO reports from Malaysia and the region of Southeast Asia. It is a not-for-subscription publication, meaning it is not sold through standard subscription channels. The bulletin is produced at least twice a year.

Production and Content

The publication is privately produced by Ahmad Jamaludin. Its primary purpose is to share information and reports related to UFO sightings and phenomena within Malaysia and the wider Southeast Asian area. The content is intended for those interested in UFOlogy and related investigations in the region.

Permissions and Usage

The Malaysian UFO Bulletin explicitly grants permission for its content to be quoted, either in part or in full. This permission is contingent upon proper attribution, requiring that credit be given to the author of the content and to the Malaysian UFO Bulletin itself. This policy encourages the wider sharing of information while ensuring proper recognition for the source.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The central theme of the Malaysian UFO Bulletin is the reporting and dissemination of UFO phenomena. The editorial stance, as indicated by the open permission to quote, appears to be one of encouraging the sharing of information within the UFO research community, provided proper credit is maintained. The publication serves as a regional hub for UFO-related news and reports.