Aceh's ache ending

Aceh's ache ending

There appears to be a marine equivalent to the old saying about it being "an ill wind that blows no good". For it was the devastating tsunami of Dec. 26 that projected the insurgency-hit Aceh region of Indonesia into international focus, and the relief and rehabilitation exercise acquired such momentum that a European-brokered peace deal between Jakarta and the Free Aceh Movement is now being played out.

While Aceh may have appeared a dull blip on New Delhi's politically-cluttered radar screen, for those safeguarding our island territories the troubles there were "live".

Aceh is so close to the Nicobar group that is so far -- geographically and otherwise -- from the Indian mainland. That was one apprehension, remote perhaps. The other, less remote, was that if violence in Aceh escalated beyond a point, refugees may have moved to our smaller, sparsely populated islands. The head of the Andaman & Nicobar Integrated Command has now been relieved of one potential headache. -- The Statesman, Calcutta