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.