Hunger attacking Tribal
Children which leading to the illness.
A Re-Versed News by Slamet Prasojo
Jon Afrizal, The Jakarta Post, Jambi |
Headlines | Mon, March 09 2015, 6:03 AM
Headlines News
A nomadic group known as the Orang Rimba who stated in Batanghari regency Jambi
suffer from hunger. Illness and hunger attack four children from the Orang
Rimba nomadic group.
One-year-old Cipak and 12-year-old
Merute were reported being isolated in the state-owned hospital in Muarabulian
city, Batanghari by the pediatric ward’s isolation. The children were suspected
having hunger live in a tribal group who live in Bukit Dua Belas National Park
(TNBD)
Mangku Terap as the tribe’s chief said
that The children have been treated since Saturday, followed by two other
children. They are Besikap, 4, and Sebilau, 3 have been treated as outpatients.
He added that before being admitted to
the hospital, the children had been suffering from a high fever in seven days not
to mention the group had conducted a traditional herbs in first treatment to no
avail.
Mangku continued his explanation that
finally the group decided to bring them to the hospital.
“Seven more children in the forest where
they lived had also been suffering from the same disease but they were yet to
able to take them to the hospital” He extended.
Beby Andihara, one of the doctors at the
hospital said the patients were suffering form fever, cough, and acute
respiratory infection. He added “ Apparently, these were caused by malnutrition
and bad sanitation.
He explained, being nomadic and
malnourished weakened their bodies such that they were vulnerable to diseases.
“The patients would be referred to a
hospital in Jambi city, the provincial capital if the patient did not improve
in the next few days”. Said the doctor
The patients shoud not be afraid of medical expenses because as the
Batanghari regency administration would cover it.
The unit coordinator of The Warsi
Indonesian Conservation Community (KKI Warsi), Kristiawan said the patients
belonged to the Temenggung Marituha tribal group. Eleven Orang Rimba in TNBD
had died over the past two months.He added Most were members of the Temenggung
Marituha group.
Kristiawan highly expected that the
government would proactively provide health and food aid, and, most
importantly, medical treatments to the ill children.
Moreover, the Jambi provincial Social
Manpower and Transmigration Agency’s Suku Anak Dalam section head Usup said his
office had started investigating the deaths of the Orang Rimba caused by
starvation to get further details of the cases.
The case was being serious problem
because the tribe’s nomadic life difficult to track them down which inline with
the difficulty of accessing the areas, he explained.
He added, the government was committed to putting an end
to the misery and curing all the sick people in the tribe. “That way no more
people will die because of famine,” he said,
KKI Warsi reported detailly that the
cases harmed the victims since they were difficult in finding their food
because the forest was damaged by unresponsible parties.
Yomi added that tribe people have strong
tradition in which they are not allowed to eat their own hunted meat. The
condition was being worse since the areas are lack of clean water and had been
polluted by industrial waste.
Statistic of KKI Warsi shows that around
3,850 Orang Rimba were forced to travel long distances without being able to
feed themselves properly in which leading them to be attrackted by mulnutrition
and suffer of hunger.
Temenggung Nyenyong as the leader of 35
families of Orang Rimba expects to really care toward the national park for
clean water. He also hope that government must take much attention to the
forest destruction that leading to the unsafety home for the Orang Rimba.
