Aceh refugees longing to return home
Aceh refugees longing to return home
Dedy Ardiansyah, The Jakarta Post, Medan
An 18-year-old girl, Evi, is sitting alone on top of a plastic
mat, while arranging several pieces of used clothing. She refused
to talk, only mumbling a few unrecognizable words. The
whereabouts of her parents and relatives are still unknown after
the tsunami disaster.
Evi, is one of the hundreds of Acehnese refugees who are
staying in makeshift refugee camps in Medan. She and other
refugees live inside a 200 by 400-meter mill factory, which was
opened for this purpose by Aceh Sepakat community organization.
Outside the factory, the children were playing happily as if
they had forgotten about the disaster that took their parents
from them.
A refugee from Meulaboh, Ali Umar, 41, could only stare at
those children as he lost his wife and three children.
"I miss the situation when the children are playing and my
wife is preparing dinner," he said quietly.
Yearning for his hometown has motivated him to return to Ujung
Karang, Meulaboh as soon as possible.
"I want to go home and try to find my relatives. I hope
they're still alive," he said in an uncertain tone.
Recalling his past, he was a fisherman in Meulaboh. He had
five boats which all perished during the tsunami.
"I can't stay here forever, I have to start a new life. I have
to get a job, find something to eat and hopefully I still have
relatives left in Meulaboh," he said.
A similar story was told by Erniwati, who used to live in the
city of Banda Aceh. She was hoping to find her daughter Rini
Agustin, who survived the deadly waves. However, Erni lost her
husband and parents.
"Aceh is my home soil. I will accept the fact if I found them
dead, I will return to Banda Aceh once my condition has
improved," she said.
Ali and Erniwati are several of Acehnese refugees who are
eager to return to their hometowns to rebuild their houses.
Trauma of earthquake and tsunami does not deter their intention
of returning.
Other refugees, Syaiful and Badaruddin, also expressed their
intention to return to Aceh. Badaruddin quit his job as a
security guard in Malaysia to search for 20 of his missing
relatives.
According to data from the Aceh Sepakat relief post in Medan,
there are more than 1,000 Acehnese refugees who are currently
staying in eight camps.
Fauzi Usman, head of the Aceh Sepakat community organization,
said that one-third of those refugees have already returned to
Aceh.
"They wouldn't stay here for long. The willpower to find their
remaining relatives is so strong and we cannot stand in their
way," Fauzi said.
Fauzi explained that the Aceh community has its own tradition
and culture. Family bonding among them is so strong it cannot be
destroyed even by tsunami disaster, although it has wiped out
around three generations.
"We should never forget about the original values of Aceh
culture when we're rebuilding the region. The government should
be careful and not make hasty plans in restructuring Aceh," Fauzi
said.
Evi's suffering and that of thousands of other Acehnese
refugees should motivate the government to rebuild Aceh. With the
help of local residents and the world community, tsunami-hit
areas in the province can be rebuilt without leaving its original
culture and tradition that has been with them for centuries.