Bukit Pelandok revisited

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An Indian temple near Bukit Pelandok.

WAY back in the 1920’s, there was a place in Negri Sembilan called Deer Hill, so named because many deer were found in the area, according to oral history.

When the British came, they officially named it Deer Hill.

Over time, the Indians and the Chinese arrived to settle down there and small kampongs were set up around the Hill. Old-timers used to tell the younger generations how they often hunted wild animals in the area.

There is Kampong India not far from Kampong Nipah (with abundant nipah palms) and also a place called Chuah — all in the vicinity of Bukit Pelandok. The list of unique names is quite long. There is even a place called Kubu Lukut which is still attracting tourists today.

An old wooden bazaar along the way to Bukit Pelandok.

Tragedy of 1999

Bukit Pelandok hit the headlines in 1999 when it became the tragic centre of a deadly disease caused by the Nipah virus which killed more than 100 Foochow pig farmers and caused one million pigs to be culled.

At the end of the 20th century, Bukit Pelandok boasted the biggest pig rearing industry in Southeast Asia.

Being a Foochow and a Malaysian, I was alarmed by news of the feared and tragic events surrounding Japanese Enceptilis (JE). Almost 20 years later, I had the opportunity to visit Bukit Pelandok on a special road trip to connect with fellow Foochows and look for remnants of the ill-fated pig industry.

After Christmas in 1999, a pig farmer came down with suspected JE in Sikamat Village, Negri Sembilan. By January 2000, pigs started dying. Three pig farmers also died. When a fourth man, another pig breeder, in Sungei Nipah, died, a panic was triggered.

Half the village’s population was reported to have fled for fear of contracting the killer disease. Villages were abandoned and houses left empty. Rumours of the deadly disease spread like wildfire and some of the well-to-do were even said to have left the country!

By March 2000, Bukit Pelandok, the biggest pig farming community in Southeast Asia, had become a ghost town. It was only then that the government called it a ‘national crisis’ and a cabinet-level task force was formed to deal with the situation under then Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

According to the government, the outbreak was caused by mosquito-borne JE but both farmers and scientists suspected there might be an unknown killer.

The people were panic-stricken when they heard that “many went to hospital for treatment but left in a coffin.”

Amidst fear and uncertainty, mediums were brought in for prayers and churches also began praying for both the deceased and the living.

According to a newspaper report, residents from kampongs such as Sawah, India and Sepang (just next to KLIA) started putting up red banners on their doors and flying red flags to ward off the angel of death.

The government requested the help of Universiti Malaya and the team of microbiologists, led by Dr Chua Kaw Bing, identified the virus as the Nipah virus.

The outbreak killed at least 115 people out of 265 infected cases. Over one million pigs —or half the country’s porcine population — were culled. Some 36,000 people lost their jobs due to the massive destruction of farms. Tens of thousands more were indirectly affected.

In all, close to RM500 million in pig production was lost, according to UN Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates. Overnight, Malaysia had become a net importer of pork whereas previously, it was the key supplier in the region.

 

A signpost showing the way to Bukit Pelandok.

Bukit Pelandok today

After almost 20 years, what is the place like today?

The government has banned pig farming in Bukit Pelandok although many of the farmers and their families have returned. However, over the last two decades, most of the young in the town have moved elsewhere and only the old remain. Some of the old businesses continue in their normal slow and casual sub-urban manner.

The pig farming business in Bukit Pelandok never recovered to its former glory. A few pig farmers carry on their business but on a very small scale.

Farmers who suffered immense losses were not adequately compensated — only RM50 per pig — a very small sum to the 500 or more pig farmers who lost everything.

According to a middle-aged restaurant operator, life is never the same again but the residents try their best to earn enough and live.

“We still have our precious land. And we wait. But can anyone imagine culling nearly one million pigs,” he asked, shaking his head.

Socio-political issue

Today, the price of pork is sky high. But people still crave for more. Pig farming will always be a socio-political, if not a health, issue in Malaysia.

Many have gone into small-time sundry shop business while others into oil palm small holding. A few thriving orchards are attracting domestic tourists who come to enjoy local fruits and a day in rustic setting.

The highways and roads have elevated the living standards of the Bukit Pelandok residents by making communications easy and affordable.

Many of the older children have gone to bigger schools in Port Dickson and Seremban but a few of the local primary schools continue to serve the kampongs well.

 

The serene beauty of Kuala Lukut Kecil where fishermen berth their boats.

Fishing and seafood restaurants

Kampung roads in West Malaysia are rather narrow but they have their own charms. One road in the outskirts leads to a jetty in Kuala Lukut Kecil where fishing boats are berthed and a fairly big-sized seafood restaurant is located.

Unfortunately on the day we visited, the restaurant was closed.

My friend from Port Dickson said along the coast of West Malaysia, seafood restaurants have been sprouted in the last decade, especially like the one where fish fresh from the boats (FOB) can go straight into the wok.

Many locals know where the best seafood restaurants are around Port Dickson and nearby kampongs. In fact, it’s no surprise some of the owners and even diners are pig farmers-turned-businessmen or fishermen.

The fishing boats are all neatly tied to the jetty. The place is surrounded by beautiful flowering pedada trees. In the evening sun, the river reflects the brilliant sunrays while some monkeys can be seen eating bread crumbs left by the workers.

Indeed, this area has a lot to offer artists and photographers besides tourists looking for unique homestays.

With some time to spare, we drove around, looking for the Sungei Nipah Time Tunnel Museum but did not find it.

This museum had reportedly been set up to show both locals and visitors alike the tragic consequences of the JE epidemic in Negri Sembilan. It would certainly have been an interesting place to visit with pig farming tools and the culture and history of the village on display.

Kampung Sungei Nipah, now a thriving oil palm plantation area, is only 24km from Port Dickson.

Think Big Big

Since news of the movie ‘Think Big Big’ broke out, Malaysians started to remember Bukit Pelanduk. The storyline is centred on a plus-sized main character who lives in Bukit Pelandok.

Movie-goers who have seen the movie would definitely have good reviews about the backgrounds of the characters and the story. The location, Bukit Pelandok, was very artistically filmed.

Bukit Pelandok is the director Chiu Keng Guan’s hometown. Chiu who also directed ‘The Journey’ and ‘Ola Bola’ included this small town in the movie (Think Big Big) because it has been over 20 years since he moved to the city and this was his way of giving back to the people back home.

The movie also shows the jetty, and the ferry that connects the residents of Bukit Pelandok and New Village Sungai Pelek in Selangor.

For those not familiar with this area, travelling between both points takes about half an hour by car but less than five minutes by boat! That’s how this jetty became the main point of transportation for the locals.

The movie’s main character is Moon. Her father works as a boatman who ferries people to and from Bukit Pelandok and New Village Sungei Pelek. It’s a movie that will make Malaysians proud of the scenic beauty of Bukit Pelandok.

Good restaurants offer fresh seafood around Kampung Bukit Pelandok.

Sweet tin biscuits, Foochow cuisine

Interestingly, the township of Bukit Pelandok is famous for a traditional Chinese biscuit, and a cake factory situated in Kampung Baru Bukit Pelanduk.

Swee Tin Biscuit has been well known for more than 58 years. Local tourists from as far as Sitiawan, Penang and Kuala Lumpur come here to buy the biscuits, still being produced from their old home.

My friends stocked up these biscuits to distribute to their Foochow friends in Sitiawan and Kuala Lumpur. Swee Tin Biscuit has always been a home-based village business with a big potential to grow bigger.

Kampung Baru Bukit

Pelandok has a few coffee shops which offer Hock Chiew (Foochow) traditional dishes such as Red Wine Lees Belly Pork and Duck, and the popular Red Wine Longevity Noodles. These dishes are already very popular in Sitiawan in Perak, and Yong Peng in Johor.

They are all popular among people in the know, according to a local resident, and just waiting for social medial to highlight them.

He commented: “Better roads now serve Bukit Pelandok, a 30-minute drive from the KL International Airport and KLIA2. I hope our business will improve with a greater push on tourism. We’re looking forward to better business, especially after Think Big Big, the movie, has introduced us to the cinematic world.”

 

Near Bukit Pelandok is the Port Dickson Beach.

Beach and waterfalls

From Bukit Pelandok, visitors can travel to enjoy the serenity of Morib Beach, 25 miles to the west.

Jeram Tol Waterfalls is about 25 miles from Sungei Nipah.

A leisurely drive along all the small roads lead travellers to interesting rustic places. Indeed, one will enjoy driving around Negri Sembilan.

As we gave a last look at the wooden homesteads and shops of Bukit Pelandok, the sun dipped further down the horizon, creating dark silhouettes of palm trees, swaying gently in the soft breeze from the Malacca Straits.

The marks of a huge pig rearing industry are almost all gone and the farmers have added 20 years to their age and experience while grief over the loss of love ones remains in their hearts and traumatic memories of the devastation linger in the recess of their minds.