Much-needed relief for Temier tribe

GUA MUSANG: For the Temier tribe in Kampung Tameng, a small orang asli village, situated deep in the jungle of Kuala Betis, seeing outsiders coming in by a helicopter was a rare sight.
For the tribe, it was as if their prayers were answered because the EC-120B aircraft had brought for them the much-needed food and medical supplies.
The Temier tribe had been shut out from the outside world since the heavy rain had caused a landslide which closed off the only access road out of the village, since end of last year.
They were left helpless without proper food and drinking water ever since the heavy rainfall destroyed their settlements and crops.
It was such a relief seeing the United Sikh volunteers and a team of doctors that many cried with joy, especially mothers whose children were suffering from fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes and running nose, believed to have been caused by water-borne diseases.
The recent floods had affected the lives of some 60 villagers of Kampung Tameng, but their voices for assistance were too small to be heard.
Many needed medical help as they suffered from illnesses related to, not only water-borne diseases, but also the boiled muddy water.
"It takes us about three hours to reach the nearest medical facility. With the road destroyed, there is nothing much that we can do," said a 40-year-old Harun Angah.
He said the villagers depended a lot on herbal remedies from plants taken from the jungle to cure their illnesses. However, that too have been destroyed by the flood waters and logging activities.
"The upstream logging activities have contaminated the river which is our only source of water for cooking, drinking and cleaning. Water taken from the river had made many of our children sick, Harun told theSun.
He said they had reported their plight to the authorities, including asking them stop the logging activities as they were badly affecting the livelihood of the orang asli community. But the authorities had turned a deaf ear to their complaints.
"The logging activities not only polluted the river but also caused our villages to be flooded and our houses destroyed," he lamented.
Harun said he was happy that there are still groups of people who were concerned about the fate of the orang asli community.
Kampung Tameng was among the villages visited by the post-flood humanitarian mission coordinated by United Sikhs, along with other orang asli non-governmental organisations and doctors.
The two-day mission, which started last Thursday, saw doctors treating the sick and volunteers distributing items, including those donated by theSun Cares Fund, which comprised 20 Singer water purifiers worth RM6,000 to facilitate clean drinking water for the villagers.
Among the other items donated were Milo packets, milk powder and diapers.
The team taught the orang asli how to use the water purifier and they were delighted to see how it had turned the muddy water into clean drinking water.
Meanwhile, the helicopter ride over the jungle of Kuala Betis showed that logging activities were prevalent, with many hills cleared.
Many of the orang asli had voiced their concern and hardship over the logging activities which led to flood waters ravaging their crops and villages.
"Many who visited our villages during the general elections had promised us well-connected road and electricity, but none materialised so far, said 59-year-old Ali Adek.
"We do not have doctors here. We have been sick for so long. It is a hard life but we are all used to it," said Ali who has been suffering from body aches while his child has been having bouts of vomiting, believed to be due to the water-borne diseases.
The villagers were grateful to the United Sikhs, theSun and the volunteers for coming to their villages, at a time when they needed them most.