Fifty-one National Service (NS) trainees in a camp in Sarawak are said to have suffered from food poisoning after drinking contaminated water.

However, the authorities are tightlipped about the incident which took place in a camp in Bukit Saban, Betong.

It is alleged that on Jan 14, the trainees were sent to a government hospital in Betong for treatment after they complained of fever and vomiting. They have all since returned to the camp.

The issue was highlighted by Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen who was approached by the parents of one of the affected teenagers.

The parents complained about the poor quality of food in the camp and frequent interruption to the water supply.

Trainees reprimanded

Chong told a press conference that the trainees deserved better facilities and camp officials must not ignore the teenagers' health.

The opposition leader vowed to raise this issue with the higher authorities.

Several parents told malaysiakini that their children were reprimanded by camp officials for telling them about the food poisoning incident.

It is learnt that the Bukit Saban NS camp has more than 300 trainees and the camp is being operated by a local company Keringkam Mas Sdn Bhd.

The authorities could not be reached for confirmation.

The NS programme has been riddled with problems and marred by the deaths of several trainees over the years.

Last week, a trainee in Malacca, Iliameera Azlan, died following breathing complications.

Iliameera from Seremban was rushed to the emergency unit of the Malacca Hospital after other trainees found her struggling to breathe at 6.30am.