Following a tragedy at Pos Tohoi that cost the lives of five Orang Asli children last year, the Kelantan Orang Asli folk are demanding new schools to be built closer to their villages.

This was among the issues raised by Jariangan Kampung Orang Asli Kelantan (JKOAK) in its memorandum submitted to the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) this afternoon.

One of the villagers, Awer Awe, told reporters at a press conference later that this is what would convince him to send his children back to school.

“ I would be confident to send my children back to school if they build schools in the interior near our villages.

“ We can't send underage children because they don't know how to look after themselves.

“ I'm still afraid. If they don't open new schools, my heart can't bear to send my children to school. I can't stand it. I'm afraid what happened that day would happen again,” said Awer, who is JKOAK vice-coordinator, at the Suhakam headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Awer is also the father of Ika Ayel, nine, who was among the five dead pupils. He has three other children of schooling age.

He added that the children themselves are also frightened of their teachers, who were described as “fierce” ( garang ) and often resorted to foul language and corporal punishment.

Underlying issues not resolved

Seven pupils of primary school age had run away from their boarding school in Pos Tohoi in August last year, fearing punishment from their teachers for dipping in a river without permission.

Of the seven, only Norieen Yaakob, 11, and Miksudiar Aluj, 12, survived the 50-day ordeal in the jungle, and was found in a state of starvation and dehydration.

The others who have perished were Sasa Sobrie, eight; Haikal Yaakob, eight; Linda Rosli, eight, and Juvina David, seven.

Norieen's mother Midah Angah, who has also kept her two surviving children from attending school, added that Norieen is so traumatised that he has been hallucinating about seeing her deceased brother Haikal outside the family home.

“ Sometimes she cries at night. When she is outside the house, she often sees her brother as though he was there.

“ She comes home and says, 'Mom, I saw my brother.' So I'm not letting her go to school because of her condition, and even if I did, she would probably refuse to go because she said so herself,” he said.

The parents of all seven pupils were present at the Suhakam headquarters today, where Suhakam commissioner Mahmood Zuhdi Abdul Majid received the memorandum on the commission's behalf.

The nine-point memorandum calls for, among others, at least five new schools to be built for students from Standard One to Standard Four in Pos Tuel, Pos Hau, Pos Belatim, Pos Simpor, and Pos Gob.

It states that the Orang Asli are willing to send their children to school in the interim, apart from SK Tohoi.

JKOAK deputy chairperson Nasir Dollah said “insufficient students” should not be a reason for not building these schools.

He said there are some 200 pupils at SK Tohoi, and a similar number can be found in the nine villages around Pos Gob, and 10 villages around Pos Hau.

Nasir also criticised the attitude of government officials, who often refused to listen to Orang Asli folk except to the village elders ( tok batin ) and government-appointed village chiefs.

In particular, he said, government officials are only interested in trying to persuade the parents to send their children back to school without trying to resolve any of the underlying issues.

In the memorandum, the villagers also want their children to be sent home from their schools once every fortnight in a suitable vehicle.

They made this demand because they are only able to see their children about three times a year, and about 10 to 15 persons are at any one time transported on the open backs of pick-up trucks.

They also urged the government to employ Orang Asli to help pupils manage their hygiene at the school hostels, such as washing their clothes.

Speaking to reporters later, Zuhdi said he will be making calls to find out about the situation in Kelantan over the next few days, before making further inquiries through official channels.