THE MALAYSIAN Government has honoured a Boyton man for his time spent serving in Southern Asia in the 50s and 60s.

On Wednesday, May 26 at the conference centre in the Holiday Inn, Plymouth, Peter Meakins and wife Lin joined 200 other veterans and their guests for the Pingat Jasa Medal presentation ceremony.

It had been intended that Brigadier General Dato' md Tajri Alwi from the Malaysian High Commission would make the presentations, but due to unforseen circumstances his deputy had to stand in at the last minute.

In 2005, the Malaysian Government approached the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to seek approval to present their new medal, known as the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) to British veterans and others who served in operation in Malaya/Malaysia between August 1957 and August 1966. Permission was granted in January 2006 for the medal to be awarded.

Peter served onboard the minesweeper HMS Dartington as a leading radio operator during 1963/64, for which he has been awarded the Borneo Campaign Medal.

Most of the ship's time was dedicated to ferrying members of the Ghurkha Regiment and Special Boat Service between Singapore and upriver to Kuching in the state of Sarawak – a part of Borneo having borders with Indonesia.

The HMS Dartington's role also included stopping and boarding many vessels suspected of gun running and other illegal activities, as well as carrying out many exercises as minesweeper.

After 20 years in the Royal Navy and 16 years with the Government Communication Headquarters behind him, Peter now resides in Boyton.

National Malaya and Borneo Veterans Association members, Mike Warren, wife Bev and John Silcock are to be congratulated on arranging the presentation day on behalf of the Malaysian High Commission and all veterans present on the day.

A friend of the Meakins said: "The community of Boyton extends congratulations to Peter on this achievement."