Orang Asli families who fled to forest to escape Covid-19 return home

 

Orang Asli children at Kampung Orang Asli Simpang Arang in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. (Bernama pic)

JOHOR BAHRU: All 15 Seletar Orang Asli families from Kampung Orang Asli Simpang Arang in Iskandar Puteri, near here, who fled into a nearby mangrove forest on Dec 8 over fears of contracting Covid-19 have returned home.

Five families returned to their homes on Sunday and the rest came back yesterday, said Kota Iskandar State Assembly Special Coordinating Committee chairman Iskandar Pandak Ahmad.

They had fled to the forest after a religious teacher in their village was suspected of being infected.

A meeting was held on Sunday night among the villagers, Tok Batin (village headman) Noore Kasi, an officer from the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) and the religious teacher who had tested negative since.

“They agreed to return and admitted that it was just fake news. They have apologised to the religious teacher and the religious teacher also apologised to them,” Pandak told Bernama. - FMT