A DEADLY measles outbreak in Kampung Kuala Koh, Gua Musang, which claimed the lives of 15 Bateq tribe members, has opened the eyes of the people to the many problems plaguing the indigenous folk and the measures that ought to be taken to ensure their wellbeing.
On the fringe of the forest near Taman Negara, the Orang Asli are struggling to live as the forest on which they depend for food and sustenance is cut down by plantation, mining and logging companies. Left with no resources, the tribe depends on welfare aid.
Since the outbreak of disease on June 3 and until a quarantine was lifted on July 8, there have been 178 cases of what the Health Ministry has confirmed to be measles reported among the Orang Asli communities across three state lines – 147 in Kelantan, 23 in Terengganu and eight in Pahang.
Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia president Dr Steven Chow said high levels of manganese were found in the water samples collected from the Bateq tribe’s water sources in the forest, the nearby river, and piped water from the village’s water source in Sungai Pertang.
Manganese levels tested out at 2.53mg/L, 12 times higher than the normal level of 0.2mg/L.
While Kampung Kuala Koh is no longer a red zone for measles, the village remains deserted with only 30 people at home and the rest of the 155 residents who were infected sequestered in temporary shelters in Gua Musang.
While most of Malaysia has enjoyed the trappings of wealth and progress in the more than 60 years since independence, the mass deaths and continued vulnerability of the Orang Asli in Kampung Kuala Koh are a grim reminder that modernisation has had a far less healthy impact on the lives of the indigenous people, who also suffer administrative neglect. – July 20, 2019.
Lesung Binti Langsat and her grandchild maintain the Bateq semi-nomadic way of life and build their shelter close to the rivers and streams on which they depend for water. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019.Jong, who lost two children to measles, believes the scarcity of food has left his people malnourished and vulnerable to even common infections. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019.About 80km away from the nearest hospital, Ani Ong finds it difficult to give her four children proper healthcare in Kg Kuala Koh, where the infant mortality rate is significantly higher than the national average. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019.Like other Orang Asli teenagers, 18-year-old Zam prefers to eke out a living in the forest, where agarwood, rattan, damar and honey may be harvested for sale. According to the Orang Asli Development Department, the Bateq tribe had not produced a high-achieving pupil in primary or secondary school, a university graduate or a civil servant in 20 years. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019. Without a school in the village of Kg Kuala Koh, Soi Adidas spends most of her time helping her family at home. The Education Ministry says 700 Orang Asli dropped out of primary and secondary schools last year. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019.The only member of the family to prove impervious to measles, Zul Johari, 3, is in the care of his grandmother since his parents and siblings were hospitalised for suspected measles. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019.Kuntum Keladi, 60, who learned traditional medicine from her parents, gets the herbs for her concoctions in the forest, which the ‘tongkat ali, kacip fatimah, rempah gunung, ubi careng, gajah beranak and tengkuk biawak’ can be found to cure or alleviate a variety of ills. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019.As the surrounding forest is slowly cut down to may way for oil palm plantations, Johan, 56, is forced to grow banana, corn and tapioca for food on the little land the village is left with. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019.While Kampung Kuala Koh is no longer a red zone for measles, the village remains deserted with only 30 people at home and the rest of the 155 residents who have been infected sequestered in temporary shelters in Gua Musang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019.Orang Asli Bateq children like Peri, 10, are taught foraging skills at a young age to prepare them for life in the forest – a life that is now in danger of being snuffed out by deforestation. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019.Orang Asli have little access to health, education and economic opportunities even as their traditional way of life is destroyed by progress and development in the villages where they live. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019.Neglected by the state government and their livelihoods threatened by modernisation, the future looks bleak for the Orang Asli Bateq of Kg Kuala Koh. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 20, 2019.
Really nice photos. Two thumbs up. Three, if I had an extra thumb.
Posted 4 years ago by Firdaus Suffian Abdul Latif ·
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You have done a valuable service with this article. Increased visibility is the best means to ensure the well being of any indigenous group. Most Malays, including Kelantanese, will be upset by what is transpiring IF they can learn of it. Invisibility is an enormous threat to such groups and it allows them to be exploited and despoiled by any powerful faction - political or private.
Thank you.
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Posted 4 years ago by [email protected] · Reply
Posted 4 years ago by Firdaus Suffian Abdul Latif · Reply
Thank you.
Posted 4 years ago by Douglas Raybeck · Reply