[ Laman Ehwal Semasa ReformIS ]
Date: 10 Aug 1999
Time: 02:03:16
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Malaysia's 'village of the living dead'
About 200 Bukit Pelanduk villagers are now carriers of the pig-virus. Some are still unwell. Their farms are gone; financial aid is not forthcoming
SEPANG -- Former pig farmer Lay Kee Sen cannot remember his own age, speaks haltingly and has hearing problems.
He and some 200 other carriers of the Nipah virus have caused Bukit Pelanduk to become known as Malaysia's "village of the living dead".
The Sun newspaper said that although many of the carriers of the Nipah virus have been discharged from hospital, they are still not able to lead a normal life.
Bukit Pelanduk, which hit the headlines earlier this year following a deadly outbreak of the Nipah and Japanese encephalitis viral diseases, remains a picture of gloom.
The Nipah carriers, out of some 1,000 residents who were once active in pig farming, are living life despondently. They do not know how long they will live, or what will become of their families should they die.
The outbreak has left a trail of misery, with thousands of pig farmers and farm workers thrown out of a livelihood, hundreds of thousands of pigs culled to check the spread of the disease and at least 120 human lives lost.
Many in Bukit Pelanduk are bitter that their pleas for better compensation and aid have gone unanswered.
Mr Kupusamy Marapan, 56, became infected while working on a Bukit Pelanduk pig farm.
He has a wife and three children and, like many others in the village, is jobless and living on charity.
"My greatest concern is my family. I received RM$1,000 (S$448) when I was admitted to hospital in April and till today, I have not received any other assistance," he told The Sun.
Another Nipah virus carrier is Mr K. Shanmugam, 41. Once a successful pig farmer, he lay in a coma for two months. His brother, Mr K. Nalasamy, said he now cannot recognise relatives or close friends.
"He can't focus his thoughts on anything and becomes incoherent at times," he said.
Another victim, Mr A. Murugananthan, 26, once ran a restaurant in the village.
He is married and has a child who recently underwent heart surgery.
He said he has lost his business and has not been able to find another job because he is a carrier.
"I was born here and have been going around looking for a job. When they come to know that I'm from Bukit Pelanduk, nobody will employ me."
He said he has sent many letters to the Negri Sembilan state authorities for financial aid, but has never even received an acknowledgement.
The residents of Bukit Pelanduk are aware of those among them who are carriers of the deadly Nipah virus, but a close relationship prevails among them all, regardless of race, said The Sun.