KUALA LUMPUR: IN April, a group of 20 Bateq tribesmen from Pos Kuala Koh left for a walkabout in the jungles surrounding their village.
Before the second week of June was over, only eight of them were alive.
Most were ill even before they left the village, down with fever, cough and rashes. Half of the village was down with similar symptoms, signalling an outbreak, now known to be measles.
Some sought the help of shaman to proceed with their customary walkabout, across a distance of 20km into the upper reaches of Taman Negara, where Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu meet.
Despite the talismans and precautions, some 10 of them died on the journey. Mek Nab, a village elder, was the first to die on
May 2.
The 63-year-old, like others who died on the trail, was buried under makeshift huts in the jungle before the rest deliriously made their way back to the village, stricken by a disease they should have been vaccinated against at birth.
As luck would have it, their chieftain, Hamdan Keladi, 71, also died in the village, forcing Muhammad Pokok, 42, to step in as Tok Batin.
“They started returning in batches since May 28. I was shocked. They were either sick or dying. Hamdan, our Tok Batin, died on May 9. His three children, aged between 22 and 32, also died.
“Everything happened so fast. I took on the duties of Tok Batin overnight,” Muhammad told the New Straits Times after travelling more than 400km with three other Bateq tribesmen to meet Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in Putrajaya to seek justice over the “senseless deaths”.
Villagers claimed that 15 had died due to the disease.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad confirmed that the contagious disease had spread to Orang Asli communities in Jerantut and Hulu Terengganu.
News reports on the deaths of the Orang Asli surfaced over the Hari Raya Aidilfitri weekend, suggesting the possibility of a mysterious outbreak.
However, on June 10, Dr Dzulkefly said it could only confirm two of 14 deaths that the community had reported at the time.
The disease was initially said to have been caused by their water source, a river nearby which the community believed had been contaminated by mining.
During the interview, Muhammad was in a state of distress. His 2-year-old son has been warded in Gua Musang Hospital for the symptoms.
“He is the youngest of five children. My wife is taking care of him. Every day I worry about them,” said Muhammad, who was fidgeting with his phone throughout the interview.
Raina Anjang, 47, the Tok Batin of Pos Aring 5, and who was appointed by the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) to look into Kuala Koh’s affairs, said his people were heartbroken at having to bury so many of their tribesmen.
“What was worse was when the police first came to the village to claim the two bodies on June 7. They were not interested in those who had died earlier. It was as if our words or our dead didn’t count.
“All we’re asking for is to be treated like human beings. The authorities look at us as only slightly better than animals and it’s worse in Kuala Koh. They are the most forgotten of us.”
He said the immunisation rate among the villagers was 50 per cent.
“The reason it is so low is because they (tribemen) don’t trust the authorities due to past experiences.
“The nurses from the state Health Department make faces and heckle them. Can one blame them for shutting themselves off?”
He said the department’s mobile clinic was scheduled to visit the village once a month, but it was inconsistent.
Asked why this was not taken up with Jakoa, Raina claimed that the personnel from the department were “the same”.
“We are asking the deputy prime minister for access to basic rights, such as water, electricity, health checks and education.
“We also want their (Kuala Koh’s) Tok Batin to be recognised by Jakoa because their village is two hours away by car from mine and an entire day by foot.
“I can’t look after two villages at the same time.”
He said the excuse given by Jakoa for putting him in charge was that the people of Kuala Koh “cannot communicate”.
Religious teacher Mohamad Fazli Mamok, 32, said the scale of the outbreak was worse than the disastrous floods of 2014, which saw 516 houses destroyed in Gua Musang and 38 houses swept away in Kuala Krai.
“No Orang Asli died then, but so many people died because of the current outbreak.”
He said the doctor in charge of the health clinic nearby called him a few days ago to apologise over the handling of the issue and deaths, and pledged to do a better job in the future.
The Bateq tribesman from Pos Aring 5 said diseases began creeping into the community over the last few years. Leprosy and perpetual itchiness caused by rashes and other skin conditions are common.
Fazli said 10 years ago, the Kelantan government had sold 10,000 ha of forested land around the village to oil palm plantations. This apparently led to a domino effect, leaving settlements such as Kuala Koh with only about 8ha of land for its 300 residents with little space to occupy, let alone work on agriculture.
He said the villagers, who relied on hunting and gathering until a few decades ago, opted for farming due to the decimation of land and forests.
Fazli, however, said of late, they had given up farming as their land and crops were destroyed by loggers and plantation workers.
“We have little food due to the decimation of our ranging grounds by loggers and plantations. Our people are eating less and due to poor nutrition, they are getting thinner.
“The situation is worse in Kuala Koh as they have no running water. Sungai Balai, which flows through a catchment area, is used for logging, 1,000ha of plantation land and a manganese mine, which is active. The operator is lying low.
“What do you think happens to the river that flows through areas which use chemicals, insecticides and pesticides before it reaches their kampung?”
Sahabat Jariah Malaysia founder Johan Halid, who has a close relationship with the Bateq tribes in Kelantan, said there were multiple challenges in getting the authorities to understand the gravity of the situation.
“The outbreak can be traced to April when some villagers had diarrhoea and other symptoms.
“It spread to other villagers and by that time, the group of 20 had set out to forage. Several were critically ill and died during the journey. Due to their customs, they bury their dead straightaway on trees or the jungle floor under the huts. That’s why the bodies are scattered in the forest.”
He said the Bateq tribe’s strict codes for burial, combined with a lack of trust of the authorities, could be the reason why villagers claimed they did not know where the bodies were when the police came knocking.
Johan said the villagers reported the deaths when they returned from the walkabout and Jakoa deployed vans on June 3 to ferry 30 sick villagers for treatment.
However, there were still 15 to 20 villagers who were sick in the village and those who were left behind died.
“They were given a medical check-up at the Aring 1 health clinic, with some transferred to Gua Musang Hospital. Those in critical condition were sent to Kuala Krai Hospital.
“It took six days until June 9 due to the Hari Raya break for the authorities to come in and move out the remaining villagers who needed treatment. It was the Hari Raya break... no one did anything.
“It was worrying. More people died in that period, on June 6 and 7. The villagers contacted me. I was in KL then. They called me because they were close to me,” said Johan, who estimated the death toll to be 17 and not 15.
He said many questioned his motive for highlighting the deaths.
Johan said Kuala Koh had been in dire straits for many years and it took a tragedy of this scale to get the authorities’ attention.
“This is why I say they’ve been neglected for so long. We pray their deaths will not be in vain.”
He said the village had 4G coverage and around 25 brickhouses with indoor toilets built some years ago.
However, he said, the villagers abandoned the houses as the stench from the toilets was unbearable as the units, like the village, had no running water.
Johan shot down the Kelantan Health Department’s claims that they sent a team to the village last month. The department had said the villagers were on the move so they could not trace the sick and the dead.
“So the 20 villagers were on the move, what about the 80 who were displaying symptoms (of disease) at the time?” asked Johan.