How the story of 15 Bateq villagers dying in Gua Musang unfolded

KINIGUIDE | UPDATED | The deaths of 15 Orang Asli villagers in the Bateq community of Kampung Kuala Koh in Gua Musang, Kelantan, since early May have decimated a once-thriving rural paradise.

The human tragedy exposed shortcomings in the administration of emergency medical treatment and raised questions about whether the destruction of the community's habitat or possible contamination of its water supply were behind the deaths.

News of a number of deaths, estimated to be around eight to 10 within a month, first surfaced on June 2 when Sahabat Jariah, an NGO working with the Orang Asli, made a Facebook post highlighting that a number of villagers had died of a mysterious disease...