We humbly thank you<\/p>\n
It has been obvious from the beginning that the devastation
\ncaused by the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami was simply too
\nenormous for Indonesia to deal with alone. The huge death toll,
\nthe massive destruction and the hundreds of thousands of people
\nnow forced to live in refugee camps are simply unprecedented.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is not alone: The tsunami also brought untold deaths
\nand destruction in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia,
\nthe Maldives, and on the opposite end of the Indian Ocean, in
\nSomalia and Kenya. But there is no doubt that Indonesia,
\nparticularly the province of Aceh, suffered the worst because of
\nits close proximity to the epicenter of the 9.0-magnitude
\nearthquake.<\/p>\n
No country in the world has ever had to deal with devastation
\nof this magnitude.<\/p>\n
Amidst all this, Indonesia, and the people of Aceh in
\nparticular, can find comfort in the fact that they are not alone
\nin their struggle to overcome the grief and to rebuild their
\nlives.<\/p>\n
As the scale of the calamity became understood last Sunday and
\nMonday, the international community rushed to assist the people
\nof Aceh. The Acehnese have not been alone in coming to terms with
\nthe reality that their lives have been turned upside down by a
\ncatastrophe beyond anyone's control. And now, more than one week
\nlater, as they begin to rebuild their shattered lives, they
\nshould also know that the nation and the rest of the world are
\nwith them.<\/p>\n
Thanks to global media coverage and the technology to bring
\nthe news and images of the disaster to people's living rooms
\nalmost instantaneously, the cries for help from the people of
\nAceh, India and Sri Lanka -- the three countries worst hit --
\nwere heard loud and clear all across the world.<\/p>\n
The scale of death, destruction and displacement of people is
\nsimply beyond the imagination of most people. But one thing most
\ncan comprehend, to some degree, is the suffering that people go
\nthrough after losing loved ones, their homes or their livelihood.<\/p>\n
The global response to the Indian Ocean disaster has been, to
\nsay the least, fantastic, and equally unprecedented.<\/p>\n
Some countries and governments reacted spontaneously. Others
\ntook longer before they realized the full extent of the
\ndevastation. But in all, upwards of $2.3 billion worth of
\nhumanitarian relief has been raised or pledged from governments
\nand international organizations. Japan leads the pack with $500
\nmillion and the United States follows with $350 million. But
\nGermany is planning to top all that with a pledge of $668
\nmillion.<\/p>\n
It is not solely governments, the various agencies of the
\nUnited Nations and non-governmental relief organizations have
\nresponded with unprecedented generosity. The public in many
\ncountries have been touched by what they saw on their television
\nscreens. They too have donated generously. Some governments have
\npledged to match every dollar that their citizens donate for the
\nAsian disaster.<\/p>\n
The United States is now fully involved in this global
\nmovement. President George W. Bush and his predecessors Bill
\nClinton and George H. Bush visited the Indonesian Embassy in
\nWashington on Monday to reassure Indonesia of American support.
\nThe two former presidents have been tasked to lead a private fund
\nraising drive that will further bolster U.S. assistance.
\nPresident Bush has ordered flags in government offices be flown
\nat half-mast to mourn the deaths all over the Indian Ocean rim.<\/p>\n
And there are the humanitarian operations either jointly or
\nindividually conducted by the military from Indonesia, Singapore,
\nAustralia, the United States, Japan, Malaysia, Germany, Pakistan
\nand India to bring desperately needed relief supplies to victims
\nand survivors.<\/p>\n
The emergency summit in Jakarta to discuss the rehabilitation
\nand reconstruction of the stricken areas today presents an
\nopportunity for Indonesia to express its great appreciation --
\nnot only on behalf of the people in Aceh, but also for the
\nvictims in other Asian countries -- for all the help and the
\nexpression of solidarity, given in the wake of the disaster, by
\npeople and governments of the world. Not all those generous
\ncountries are represented today, but given the presence of a
\nhorde of international media, the message will get to everyone.<\/p>\n
The magnitude of the destruction caused by the earthquake and
\ntsunami has made us humble of the powers that nature has over
\nmankind. But we are even more humbled by the generosity shown by
\nthe people all around the world.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/we-humbly-thank-you-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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