THE Orang Asli from the Bateq tribe in Gua Musang are demanding answers from Kelantan on the tragedy that has hit their families. 

They are questioning the authorities’ silence who have yet to shed light on the 14 deaths in their village over the past month. 

Tok batin (village head) Muhamad Pokok said the authorities must be able to identify the source, which caused the death of villagers, as he fears for the rest still living around the area. 

“It has been nearly 15 years since I moved to live within the Kuala Koh area and we have never seen so many deaths within a short period of time.

“This is the first time we have experienced such tragedy. So, we hope the relevant authorities will tell us what caused them soon,” he told The Malaysian Insight. 

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad yesterday ruled out chemical poisoning as the cause of death of the Bateq tribe members.

Their symptoms showed that it was upper respiratory infection, which was acute pneumonia and not chemicals, based on the chest X-rays, he said.

Dzulkefly also said the ministry is waiting for test results to confirm the source of the incident. 

“To find out the true cause, we are waiting for the serology and PCR tests being conducted by the hospital,” he told a press conference after a town-hall session with general practitioners (GPs) in Kuala Lumpur.

Muhamad also said after the incident, no one from the state government came forward to ask them to move to a safer place. 

“The villagers are still staying out in the open under the tents. 

“No one approached us and no one offered us any temporary shelter.”

The Bateq tribe and their families have moved from their wooden huts to makeshift tents some 2km away.

The plight of the tribe came to light after two of them were suspected to have died of pneumonia earlier this month. 

It was reported yesterday that four members of the Bateq tribe were warded at the Kuala Kerai Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) suffering from breathing difficulties. 

Muhamad said the incident is putting their population at risk, claiming that more than half of them are still getting medical attention.

“We still don’t know what had happened to them. Whether they drank contaminated water or was it a disease. We don’t know.”

Earlier yesterday, the district health department came to conduct routine medical checks on the Bateq tribe. 

It was learnt that there were no new cases that needed immediate medical attention. 

Also present at the site were officers from the Fire and Rescue Department’s hazardous materials (Hazmat) unit, who were on hand to take water and soil samples from the village. 

The unit also collected samples from the mining area, which some claim to be the cause of the villagers’ health problem.

In the evening, officials from the Kelantan Land and Mines Department visited the mining area to check if there is any pollution in the water that flows to Kg Kuala Koh. 

On Monday, Dzulkefly said the government has sequestered Kg Kuala Koh and only personnel with protection equipment (PPE) would be allowed into the area. 

However, checks by The Malaysian Insight yesterday showed the area was still accessible. – June 12, 2019.