Orang Asli of Belum Temengor
Belum-Temengor is a rain forested area that was flooded when a dam was built in 1970’s. As a result; the higher grounds of the forested areas became islands and the Orang Asli’s (OA) had to adapt to their new life, being surrounded by water. They move around the area using bamboo rafts that they craft themselves.
The OA in Belum-Temengor are mainly from the Jahai and Temiar descendants. One particular village that is currently in good partnership with the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) is Cuweh. The people in Cuweh are recruited as the main forest guides for MNS’s Hornbill Conservation project. With the help of MNS, UNIARM (United Amateur Radio) went to recce the area . There are 60 Jahai people in Cuweh, many of them are children. As Belum-Temengor is surrounded by lake water, accessibility to the surrounding OA settlements are made only by boats. The OA’s find it difficult to travel to the nearest town which would require them to take a boat and then a car, amounting to 2 hours travelling time. It is also very costly on their part as they do not have fixed jobs and they rely on forest products to sell, as a means to make money. Due to the distance and the cost of hiring and fuelling a boat, the Jahai OAs do not send their children to schools.
The Jahai OAs are friendly and warm people. Many of them are committed to better themselves and are also to an extent self sufficient. The forest has given them a steady income and they do not take more than what is necessary. With the flooding of the area for the dam, the Jahai OAs were forced to relocate and change their way of life.
The Orang Asli of Temenggor lake & Kg Cuweh need our help .
Water, which is a basic necessity in our lives and yet they do not have drinking water as the nearest spring water is 3 km away. Currently, they are taking water from the lake near the village and they have to boil it as more than often the water is contaminated. Water is actually a luxury item to these people. We take our clean water for granted. We can help by providing piping system to be connected to the nearby spring water or to build a well with a manual pump for them.
Their children aged 3 to 10 years do not go to school as it is too far for them and furthermore they are too young for boarding school. They are Malaysians too but these young Malaysians are growing up illiterate. Let's give their children a chance for a better life. One solution is by getting a basic teacher / even volunteers / retired individuals in a nearby town or KL to go in and teach them twice a week or on an ad-hoc basis.
We can assist them in having a better standard of living by being self sufficient. One way is by teaching them the method of fish farming. Cages and fry can be provided for them to start a small fish farm. In addition, when harvesting their honey ,we can show them a hygenic way to process their honey for better premiums to be sold to the local tourist.
UNIARM will endeavour to raise funds or sponsors for this project. More importantly we need volunteers to help out in the planning or carrying out of the project.
UNIARM also hope to organise a group convoy using the logging track to the nearest Kampung which is Kg Siong. We will bring food supplies and other donation in kinds to be distributed fully to four nearby villages.
This is a long term project and it would take time to accomplish. So its success will also depend on you. Hopefully we can help these people who are neglected by the main stream support and whose needs are often misunderstood . We look forward to generous members who would like to participate in our projects. Together we can make that difference.
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MAP OF THE LOCATION MAP OF LOCATION MACROSLIDE SHOW OF THE RECCE BY UNIARMVIDEO-THE FORGOTTEN MALAYSIAN
