Orang Asli villagers in Bidor request food aid while under enhanced MCO

IPOH: The Orang Asli from Kampung Chang, Bidor who are under the enhanced movement control order, are appealing for more food.

Its Tok Batin Dahil Yok Chopil said food supplies at the village were running low and he hopes to get more foodstuff from the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa).

"Some of the villagers still have rice but are running low on other things. These includes fish, meat, vegetables, canned food and other dry goods," he said in a statement on Monday (Aug 16).

"Villagers here are not allowed to travel to Bidor town to buy necessities due to the enhanced MCO," he added.

He also said crops from the forest are also getting scarce as folk from surrounding villages are "competing" with each other for them.

"Potato shoots, ferns and other forest vegetables near the village are getting less as a lot of neighbouring villagers are also foraging for these items," he added.

The enhanced MCO in Bidor also involves two other villages, Kampung Senta and Kampung Sanding, and is expected to end on Aug 24.

Dahil said he hopes that Jakoa would continue to monitor the situation at the villages and send foodstuff over to the villages to ensure the supply is not broken.

"We don't need luxurious items but food like canned food, salted fish, anchovies, flour, biscuits, tea, coffee and sugar. These are so that we have things to eat and the villagers will not starve while waiting for the enhanced MCO to end," he added.

Separately, Kumpulan Aktivis Sahabat Alam (Kuasa) field officer Shazni Bhai claimed that villagers from Kampung Gedung and Kampung Chang Lama Sungai Gepai, which are not under the enhanced MCO, have been barred from going out of their villages to buy necessities or get vaccinated.

Shazni said the problem occurred as people from both villages use the only road to go to Bidor town as those from Kampung Senta and Kampung Sanding.

"I was informed that the Tok Penghulu of Kampung Chang Lama Sungai Gepai has complained to Jakoa and the state Health Department and was told that there should be no problems.

"However, policemen manning the roadblock there had told them to turn back," he said.

"Several Orang Asli, who got notifications for their vaccination, missed their appointments as they were worried of being turned away by the police," he added.

The Star has reached out to Perak and Kedah Jakoa director Harulnizam Abd Rahman and Perak police chief Comm Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid for comments.