01/27/2005

Read more about the tsunami on our regularly updated Tsunami Crisis Page.

In the aftermath of the tsunami in Indonesia, an estimated 10,000 Acehnese, out of a total of 400,000 displaced persons, chose to flee to Medan, a large city in North Sumatra that was unaffected by the earthquake and tidal wave. In Medan, while some have found shelter with relatives, others are being cared for in camps organized by Acehnese community organizations. These camps have received no assistance from international aid organizations and represent yet another example of the self-help capacity of the Acehnese people.

Refugees International visited one small camp for 60 people organized by Aceh Sepakat. The camp was set up in a large warehouse, with open sides and a high roof providing plenty of light and ventilation. Boxes of food, such as instant noodles, were stacked in one area and the displaced had organized their remaining belongings in groups on mats on the ground. At the entrance to the facility was a bulletin board displaying poignant pictures of the missing with pleas for assistance to find them.

RI spoke to a group of five or six young women who had worked together in a restaurant in the Penayungan area of Banda Aceh. On the day of the tsunami they were all at the restaurant. When they heard cries of “Water! Water!” from the street, they rushed out and were immediately engulfed in the tremendous wave of water. They owe their survival to the fact that the road where the restaurant was located was tree-lined; they were able to grab onto the branches and wait out the waves, thus avoiding being swept away.

While they were able to survive, their personal losses were tremendous. None of the six knows if her parents survived.

For a week after the tsunami, the group found shelter in a mosque and then the assembly building. They then decided to come to Medan. Food supplies were inadequate and there were still many corpses in the streets. They heard people say that it was safer in Medan, so they moved down the eastern coast together.

While they are well cared for in the camp, their sole concern is how to go back home. For now, there is no funding available for the return journey. They occupy themselves by helping with the cooking for the camp residents.

The young women had a notebook with a neatly written poem that they had composed together. They were proud to share it with RI. The following is the text of the poem, as translated by RI’s guide and interpreter Ni Wayan Sri Siantari:

Life and Struggle

 

Stark dark night

Old abandoned well

A child looked for the pail

Thunder sounded in the silent night

Waves broke the silent night

Challenging our minds and our capacities

The world is not a pampered place.

By the displaced Simeulue children:

Faldil

Lilis

Helen

Elpi

Elpa

Yenni

Diana

Citi

January 9, 2005