This trip to the Orang Asli Settlement at Kampung Esok on the 16th August 2008 organised by our Human Rights Chairman, Ridzman Chee Mun Siew was a tremendous success.
Several of our NS Bar members and their families took this long but very enjoyable journey to the Orang Asli Settlement using sport utility vehicles (SUVs). We all met at the Bar Room and left Seremban at about 9.00 a.m.
When we arrived at the Orang Asli Settlement, the Orang Asli settlers gave us a very warm welcome. They even invited us to attend an Orang Asli wedding in the evening to have food, drinks and be merry. However, our main intention was to give several gifts either donated or bought from the generous donations given by members of the NS Bar. The gifts to the settlers, were inter alia food, clothing, toys and a grass cutter.
Our Bar Chairman, Mr. Paul Krishnaraja gave a short speech and handed over the gifts to the Orang Asli settler’s leader. In return we were given several baskets of durians. After that we headed to the Lata Kijang (not to be mistaken with Lata Kinjang of Tapah) waterfall deep inside the settlement. It was a magnificent waterfall touted to be tallest single vertical drop in Malaysia. There, we swam and greedily ate the durians and feasted on the magnificent amount of food and drinks which we brought from Seremban, especially Sharon’s (Pretam’s wife) magical picnic basket
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the waterfall. Our kids enjoyed themselves bathing and swimming in the waterfall. We had to reluctantly leave the waterfall to attend the Orang Asli wedding on our way back to Seremban.
Upon our arrival back at the Orang Asli settlement, the good Orang Asli people had waited for us to witness their wedding ceremony. Their wedding ceremony is quite similar to a Malay wedding ceremony as they are muslims. We were quite tired when we arrived at the Orang Asli Settlement for the wedding ceremony. We quickly gave our wedding gifts and headed back to Seremban.
The Chairman of HRWSC Ridzmann Abdullah Chee