THE announcement by the Health Ministry that it was measles which killed 15 Orang Asli from the Kuala Koh Bateq community reveals the healthcare situation for our indigenous people, “Mystery solved: It is measles” (The Star, June 18).
During the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960), many Orang Asli villages were moved into settlements on the fringes of towns as a government strategy to defeat the communist insurgents. In a study conducted on Orang Asli settlements in the 1990s, it was found that the weight and height of the children in these resettled areas were lower than their counterparts who were left in the jungle. This was attributed to scant natural flora and fauna for them to survive on.
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