GUA MUSANG: Timbalan Perdana Menteri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail berkata penularan penyakit radang paru-paru (pneumonia) dalam kalangan masyarakat Orang Asli suku Batek di Kampung Kuala Koh di sini, bukan disebabkan aktiviti perlombongan bijih manganese.

Beliau berkata, keputusan yang dikeluarkan oleh Jabatan Kimia pada 12 Jun secara keseluruhan mendapati kualiti air di kawasan persampelan, iaitu Sungai Lebir adalah mematuhi Standard Kualiti Air Minum Kebangsaan Bagi Air Mentah.

“Keputusan pada 12 Jun juga mendapati tiada pencemaran daripada sisa kelapa sawit, pestisid dan hermisid.

“Siasatan yang dijalankan Jabatan Alam Sekitar juga mendapati tiada sebarang pelepasan sisa dari perlombongan manganese (bijih keluli) di Felda Aring 10 yang terletak kira-kira 10 kilometer dari perkampungan Orang Asli Kuala Koh,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas meninjau dan mendengar taklimat tertutup di pusat operasi Agensi Pengurusan Bencana Negara (NADM) di Dewan Felda Aring 10 di sini, hari ini.

Wan Azizah berkata, kerajaan menerusi Kementerian Kesihatan akan mengesan punca sebenar penularan pneumonia yang berlaku di kawasan perkampungan tersebut.

“Ini satu fenomena baru yang tidak melanda Orang Asli (pada waktu) dahulu. Kita nak tahu kenapa penularan penyakit yang mengakibatkan kematian mendadak sebab kita dapati mereka memang ada masalah kronik sejak beberapa tahun lepas.

“Apakah yang menyebabkan penyakit ini tercetus sehingga menyebabkan kematian. Keputusan ujian makmal (terhadap penularan penyakit ini) dijangka akan diperoleh dalam masa terdekat sebab dia kena kenal pasti mikroorganisme menerusi sampel yang diambil daripada pesakit dan mayat,” katanya.

Dalam pada itu, Wan Azizah berkata kerajaan juga sedang memikirkan cara bagaimana untuk membantu masyarakat ini untuk menikmati tahap kehidupan yang lebih baik berbanding ketika ini.

“Salah satunya kawasan rayau mereka juga semakin mengecil menyebabkan mereka kurang mendapatkan protein yang mencukupi sehingga mengakibatkan malnutrisi.

“Sumber pendapatan mereka juga semakin berkurangan kerana masalah tersebut. Jadi kita fikirkan bagaimana nak tangani masalah pemodenan dan kemiskinan (yang melanda Orang Asli),” katanya.

Wan Azizah yang juga menteri pembangunan wanita, keluarga dan masyarakat berkata, selain rawatan kesihatan, kerajaan juga memberikan kaunseling kepada keluarga mangsa dan petugas bagi mengurangkan keresahan yang dialami mereka.

“Setakat ini, kita membuka sebuah pusat pemindahan sementara di bekas kem Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN) Etnobotani Gua Musang untuk menempatkan pesakit Orang Asli yang telah dibenarkan keluar daripada hospital.

Beliau, yang juga pengerusi Jawatankuasa Bencana Negara kerajaan akan mempertimbangkan untuk memberi pampasan kepada keluarga mangsa Orang Asli yang meninggal, namun perkara tersebut akan diputuskan kemudian selepas semua siasatan selesai.

Hadir sama Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna Saifuddin Nasution; Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri P Waytha Moorthy dan Menteri Air, Tanah dan Sumber Asli Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

Statistik terbaru yang diperoleh di pusat media menunjukkan seramai 103 Orang Asli menerima rawatan sehingga 13 Jun membabitkan 56 pesakit luar, 42 ditempatkan di wad biasa dan lima di Unit Rawatan Rapi (ICU) di Hospital Gua Musang, Hospital Kuala Krai dan Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II (HRPZII) Kota Bharu.

Jumlah tersebut membabitkan 50 lelaki dan 53 perempuan, melibatkan 53 kanak-kanak di bawah 12 tahun dan 52 pesakit dewasa.

GUA MUSANG: Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today said the pneumonia outbreak among the Orang Asli from the Batek tribe in Kampung Kuala Koh here was not due to manganese mining activity.

She said the test results released by the Chemistry Department on June 12 showed that the overall quality of water in the sample area, that is, the Lebir river, was in compliance with the national water quality standard for raw water.

“The June 12 results also found no pollution from palm oil waste, pesticides and herbicides.

“Investigations carried out by the Department of Environment found no manganese mining waste disposal at Felda Aring 10, which is located about 10km from the Orang Asli settlement in Kuala Koh.”

She said this to reporters after visiting the area and being briefed about the situation at the National Disaster Management Agency operation centre at Dewan Felda Aring 10 here.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — A temporary facility capable of housing 400 people has been set up at the former National Service Training Camp in Etnobotani, Kelantan to house the Batek Orang Asli once they are discharged from hospital.

The facility is necessary to monitor the movement of the former patients while the government investigates the cause of the mysterious outbreak of pneumonia that appears to have afflicted the Orang Asli village in Gua Musang, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said today.

“Initial estimates on the number of people to be placed at the centre are 50,” she said in a statement after her visit to the area that has been designated a health “red zone” and closed off to the public.

At the same time, Dr Wan Azizah, who is in charge of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, gave her assurance that the government has taken other welfare aspects of the other Orang Asli villagers into consideration.

Aside from health education, she said the villagers and workers at the nearby mine are being offered counselling to ease their stress and anxiety in the face of the unknown cause for the outbreak.

She said the public is welcome to donate essential items to the affected villagers to ease their burden, but reminded them that access into the area is restricted.

“The government understands the concerns of the people and NGO in handing out assistance to ease the burden of the Orang Asli family, but the public are not allowed to distribute the aid themselves, therefore the government will help assist in channeling the aid,” she said.

Those interested can send items like food supplies, mineral water, hygiene kits, blankets, slippers, and nail clippers to the public helpline collection centre, Felda Aring 10 control centre, or the Gua Musang Social Welfare Department for the government to distribute to the villagers.

Dr Wan Azizah also reiterated the assurances from the Department of Environment and the Chemistry Department that the raw water collected from the Aring 10 manganese mine 3km away from the Orang Asli village fulfilled the national standards, adding that water storage facilities in the village had not been polluted by any waste or harmful mining by-product.

She said the authorities have found eight of the 12 scattered graves of the Batek Orang Asli who recently died and will be recovering them for a post-mortem examination to find out their causes of death.

Also present at the visit were Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy and Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

Those interested to provide help can also contact Nor Hidayah Kamarulzaman (Civil Defence Force) at 011 2934 3409; or Hizani Ibrahim (Welfare Department) at 019-286 9588 / 09-9120-140.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Three family members were killed in a fire which destroyed their three-storey terrace house at Kampung Lindungan, Petaling Jaya early this morning.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director Norizham Mohd Nudin said the department received an emergency call about 2.47am before deploying firefighters to the scene.

“20 firefighters and three fire engines from the Petaling Jaya and Subang fire and rescue stations were rushed to the scene and arrived at the location 12 minutes later.

“The incident involved two men and a woman who were believed to have been trapped in the house,” he said when contacted by Bernama.

Norizham said the fire believed to have started from the ground floor of the house which was 100 per cent destroyed in the incident while the initial investigation also found that the double-storey terrace house was renovated to three floors.

The bodies of three victims were sent to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM) for post-mortem. — Bernama