05/20/2005

Refugees International field representatives Larry Thompson and Jay McNaughton report that recovery from the tsunami disaster in Aceh province, Indonesia is proceeding slowly but steadily. They just completed a trip to two badly damaged towns on the western coast, Calang and Meulaboh, where they found that the overall humanitarian situation is reasonable. People are receiving or able to access food supplies and schools are back in session. Shelter is still rough, but adequate, and the public health situation is generally fine.

The best present source of income for the survivors is food for work and cash for work programs funded by various donor organizations; these programs have focused on cleaning up the huge piles of debris created by the tsunami. Rice agriculture anywhere along the coast remains problematic due to the salinity of the soil, but coconut and oil palms, as well as mango trees, are still productive.

A key issue for RI has been the extent to which tsunami survivors are being allowed to return to their communities. The Indonesian government strategy for housing is in the first instance to build temporary barracks and there have been complaints about overcrowding and forced movement into these facilities. In Meulaboh, however, the RI team found greater flexibility on the part of government officials and none of the problems that have plagued the initial recovery effort elsewhere.

In Meulaboh, the private economy is beginning to function again. There are now rows of shophouses, many of them re-stocked and operating. The fruit and vegetable stalls in the market areas are full. A few banks have somehow managed to open their doors.

While encouraging, these developments are far short of what is needed for a true economic recovery. To a certain extent, the private sector with its Malay and Chinese entrepreneurs can be expected to look after itself. But with the fishing industry decimated, rice production hampered, and the only new source of employment being working for the still-large contingent of humanitarian agencies, there is no clear means to economic growth in the near term.