http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=381052

Orang Asli Used To Sell Fake Honey


By Sakina Mohamed

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31 (Bernama) -- Several Orang Asli have been unwittingly exploited by certain parties to sell a syrupy solution which is being passed off as honey at Orang Asli stalls at the Sungai Perak rest area.

Those visiting the stalls, located along the North-South Expressway, could be easily lured into buying the amber-coloured, bottled solution, thinking that it is genuine wild honey harvested by the Orang Asli.

A Universiti Malaya biochemist chanced upon the scam after testing samples of the honey from the stalls.

Prof Kamaruddin Mohd Yusoff, who is from the Faculty of Medicine and specialises in the use of honey, said he bought the syrup intending to analyse the properties of wild honey harvested by the Orang Asli.

Instead, he found it to be nothing but a simple syrup that had undergone some chemical treatment to mimic the physical properties of honey.

When he asked for an explanation from the Orang Asli people, he was told that someone had asked them to sell the product.

He said visitors often felt justified to pay big bucks for the honey as they believed the product was authentic.

However, he was worried about the repercussions of such sales, since many local and foreign tourists visit the stalls, which had been there for years.

"People buy this honey thinking it is more potent than those in the market when it's not, and they may need it for medical use.

"There may also be foreign tourists who have bought this "honey", thinking it is pure Malaysian wild honey, and it would be very bad for Malaysia's image if by any chance they discover that they have been duped," he said.

He said he had forwarded the matter to the relevant ministry but had yet to receive a response.

-- BERNAMA