Pig farmers affected by the 1999 viral outbreak in Bukit Pelanduk, Negeri Sembilan, were elated to know that the government has finally agreed to disburse the remaining RM18 million left in the JE Trust Fund to them.

Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Nipah Virus Disaster and Rescue Committee vice-president P C Lai said the farmers appreciated the decision and thanked all those who helped them to obtain the remainder of the fund.

"We thank all the cabinet members who supported us," said Lai who described the news as a "breakthrough".

Lai also expressed his gratitude to Works Minister S Samy Vellu and parliamentary secretary for the Health Ministry S Sothinathan for helping the farmers raise the issue in the cabinet.

Lai told malaysiakini that it was not the first time Samy had helped the farmers with their plight.

According to him, the minister frequently visited the farmers in Bukit Pelanduk and helped to solve some of their problems.

The Star reported today that the government had decided to disburse the remaining money in the fund to the farmers, contrary to an earlier report which said the money may be used to battle 20 dairy and zoonatic diseases identified by the Agriculture Ministry.

Reopen farms

However, Lai said the money was a short-term solution and he expressed his hope that the government would consider reopening the farms (in the gazetted land in Bukit Pelanduk).

There are 17 farms in the area which exports pork to Singapore. These farms are highly hygienic and even passed the inspections conducted by Singaporean officials, revealed Lai.

He said the reopening of the farms would at least help the affected farmers who could not switch to other jobs, secure employment.

On the possibility of the outbreak recurring, Lai suggested that the government could start off by limiting the number of farms and monitoring them closely on a trial basis.

Meanwhile, the DAP also welcomed the government's decision to disburse the fund in total to the farmers.

"The decision was wise and compatible with the wishes of Malaysians who contributed to the fund," said party secertary-general Kerk Kim Hock in a statement.

Ministers praised

Kerk also praised Samy for taking the initiative to raise the matter in the cabinet and for resolving the matter in a short period.

The opposition leader also credited Health Minister Chua Jui Meng for doing the "right thing" by highlighting the plight of the farmers.

It was reported that Chua had briefed the cabinet on the complaints of the pig farmers who had yet to receive compensation and told members that the issue was widely reported in the Chinese media.

Kerk also expressed his hope that the two ministers would follow up on the cabinet's decision and ensure that the fund would be distributed to the farmers as soon as possible on a standard rate.

Yesterday, Samy announced that the quantum of the compensation would be decided at a meeting with Agriculture Minister Effendi Norwawi soon.