No visits to Orang Asli village allowed

 

Strict measure: Salim opening up the barrier at the main entrance of the village to allow a car to enter at Kampung Sungai Tenum in Johor Baru. — THOMAS YONG/The Star

JOHOR BARU: The Seletar community in Kampung Sungai Temon has taken proactive measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 into the village by blocking the main road to the settlement in Skudai here.

The blockade, which was put up for the second time since the pandemic started, was to prevent outsiders from entering the Orang Asli village.

Tok Batin (village chief) Salim Palon, 61, said the villagers put up a similar blockade during the first movement control order (MCO) last March.

“We wanted to protect the people here from the disease. If one person is infected, the whole village will be at risk.

“We put up the blockade a day before the MCO was implemented the first time and kept it there for about three months.

“The second blockade was put up on Thursday during two days of gotong-royong where we also cleared up mosquito breeding areas here as several people had recently contracted dengue fever, ” he told The Star yesterday.

Salim said outsiders who wanted to enter the village would need to first get consent from the village folk before they are allowed to enter.

“Previously, we put up chains and locks at the blockade to prevent people from entering and exiting freely. Only three of the village elders hold the keys to it back then.

“This time, however, we decided to do away with the locks as the people here, as well as outsiders, are more aware of the pandemic and do not take things lightly, ” he said.

Salim noted that outsiders were only allowed to enter for essential purposes such as sending food supplies and to buy sea produce from villagers.

“There are about 400 people from 80 families in this village, and a majority of them are fishermen. We do not want them to lose the ability to earn a living by not allowing outsiders to buy sea produce.

“However, we are limiting the number of people coming here to buy the sea produce. They have to get consent from those in this village first before entering, ” he said.

Salim said the village used to be a popular destination for tourists from Singapore, where tour buses would stop by for visitors to enjoy the seafood and recreational fishing.

“We have stopped all tourism activities since last March, and the four seafood restaurants in the village are now closed due to the MCO, ” he said. - Star