Bush, Clinton take tour of grim tsunami sites<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
Amid tight security, former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and
\nGeorge Bush senior toured Banda Aceh on Sunday to see directly
\nthe havoc caused by the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster.<\/p>\n
On board a large Chinook military helicopter, the former
\npresidents toured several places in the city, including the
\nsea front Lampu'uk area, one of the hardest hit areas in Aceh.<\/p>\n
The scale of destruction in the area made the three hour tour
\nan emotional one for both presidents, who were tightly guarded by
\nIndonesian and U.S. security personnel.<\/p>\n
\"I have never seen anything like this in my life, ever,\" said
\nBush. \"What we have seen on television is just a small part,\"
\nClinton added. \"We have seen it with our own eyes.\"<\/p>\n
During the visit, the two presidents also used the opportunity
\nto take a close look at a white mosque in Lampu'uk, which was the
\nonly building left standing in the area. The concrete building
\ndefiantly withstood the power of the tidal wave, in contrast to
\nthe buildings surrounding it.<\/p>\n
Lampu'uk was one of the villages that bore the full brunt of
\nthe tsunami. Of its 7,000 residents, only about 1,000 survived.
\nAround half of survivors now live in several camps near the area,
\nwhile others live in camps in other villages.<\/p>\n
Clinton and Bush were greeted by a group of tsunami victims
\nupon arriving the area. Meeting the crowd, both former presidents
\nasked the residents what they needed most.<\/p>\n
In return, excited residents fielded requests for help to
\nClinton and Bush, including building permanent homes and sending
\nchildren back to school.<\/p>\n
\"I want to return to school so that I can be a pilot someday,\"
\nsaid Aulia Rahman, 12, a tsunami survivor from Lampu'uk in Lhok
\nNga, Aceh Besar regency.<\/p>\n
Aulia lost his father and a younger brother in the disaster.<\/p>\n
Responding to requests by local residents, Clinton promised
\nthat houses and schools would be built soon. He also stressed
\nthat the concerned parties had to restore the capacity of
\nfishermen and rice farmers in the area, so that they could again
\nfish and grow crops.<\/p>\n
He said that Americans and people in other parts of the globe
\nstood ready to help the victims of tsunami, including those in
\nAceh.<\/p>\n
Around US$400 million has been raised from the U.S. public
\nwhile the U.S government had committed to contribute US$960
\nmillion for tsunami affected areas in the region, including Aceh,
\nsaid Clinton.<\/p>\n
\"The estimated cost for complete recovery in the entire region
\nis over $11.5 billion,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Before flying to Banda Aceh, both Clinton and Bush earlier
\nheld a brief talk with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in
\nMedan, where they discussed what the Indonesian needed most in
\nthe rebuilding and reconstruction efforts in Aceh.<\/p>\n
The foreign help is badly needed as Indonesia alone could not
\nbear the burden of tsunami disaster. The biggest disaster ever
\nhas displaced over 400,000 people and killed over 120,000 people
\nin Aceh and North Sumatra provinces only.<\/p>\n
Clinton and Bush senior visited the stricken province of Aceh
\nat the appointment of President George Walker Bush. Both former
\npresidents headed private U.S. fundraising efforts following the
\ndisaster. Clinton has also been named a special envoy of the
\nUnited Nations for tsunami relief efforts.<\/p>\n
After visiting Aceh, both former presidents flew to Sri Lanka
\nand Maldives before returning home to U.S.<\/p>\n
Graft -- Page 2<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bush-clinton-take-tour-of-grim-tsunami-sites-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }