KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 (Sin Chew Daily) — Christian volunteers, Buddhist group Fo Guang Shan and Yayasan Sin Chew have worked together to contribute two tons of rice to Orang Asli affected by the floods in Gua Musang, Kelantan.

As the authorities do not allow outsiders to deliver food in Orang Asli village, the rice had to be delivered to the village through a Christian group which has been looking after the Orang Asli community there.

Yayasan Sin Chew vice chairman Siew Nyoke Chow said, “Although both Yayasan Sin Chew and FGS do not appeal for donations in the media, many still send their contributions over.

“We are touched by the trust they have in us. We will do our best to deliver their contributions to flood victims across the country.

“The Orang Asli is the first group affected by the floods, and we should not ignore them. However, we are unable to deliver food to them directly. So we had to seek help from the volunteers working with Orang Asli.

“We can only get the volunteers to help us,” she said.

Lin Mei Jiao, a volunteer, said the road and bridge leading to the village were damaged in the floods.

Some volunteers were stranded as the access had been cut off. Lin managed to leave the Orang Asli village just before the bridge was destroyed.

The volunteers will find ways to deliver the food stored earlier to the Orang Asli community.

Siew said FGS had requested for a 3-ton lorry to pick up the food from Fo Guang Shan’s Dong Zen Temple in Jenjarom.

However, the lorries and four-wheel-drives were stranded by the floods in Gua Musang, and a volunteer had to drive a one-ton lorry to Dong Zen Temple.

Chief Abbess of FGS in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia Venerable Jue Cheng offered more than a ton of rice to be loaded onto the lorry for the Orang Asli community.