Orang Asli boy with captivating blue eyes

By: Patrick Beech

Despite being born with hearing problems, Rafizal Baharom, 11, never fails to amaze and captivate people with his blue eyes.

Rizal is the youngest of two siblings and his family is from the Semai tribe.

According to his mother, Roshayati Bahmiri, 36, her brother and eldest son, Rafizi, were also blessed with one blue eye.

She said this was the result of mixed marriages in the family and not an inherited trait.

“Many have asked if I’m married to a ‘mat salleh’ (Caucasian) and wonder why we have blue eyes. I just calmly replied that this is Allah’s gift to our family,” she said at her house in Kampung Batu 19, about 100 kilometres away from Ipoh.

Roshayati said Rafizal began learning sign language when he was nine years old and currently attends a boarding school for children with special needs, Sekolah Kebangsaan Pendidikan Khas in Chemor.

The story of Rafizal’s blue eyes was shared by the Department of Orang Asli Development on its Facebook page recently and attracted praises from social media users.