Bush, Clinton take tour of grim tsunami sites
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
Amid tight security, former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush senior toured Banda Aceh on Sunday to see directly the havoc caused by the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster.
On board a large Chinook military helicopter, the former presidents toured several places in the city, including the sea front Lampu'uk area, one of the hardest hit areas in Aceh.
The scale of destruction in the area made the three hour tour an emotional one for both presidents, who were tightly guarded by Indonesian and U.S. security personnel.
"I have never seen anything like this in my life, ever," said Bush. "What we have seen on television is just a small part," Clinton added. "We have seen it with our own eyes."
During the visit, the two presidents also used the opportunity to take a close look at a white mosque in Lampu'uk, which was the only building left standing in the area. The concrete building defiantly withstood the power of the tidal wave, in contrast to the buildings surrounding it.
Lampu'uk was one of the villages that bore the full brunt of the tsunami. Of its 7,000 residents, only about 1,000 survived. Around half of survivors now live in several camps near the area, while others live in camps in other villages.
Clinton and Bush were greeted by a group of tsunami victims upon arriving the area. Meeting the crowd, both former presidents asked the residents what they needed most.
In return, excited residents fielded requests for help to Clinton and Bush, including building permanent homes and sending children back to school.
"I want to return to school so that I can be a pilot someday," said Aulia Rahman, 12, a tsunami survivor from Lampu'uk in Lhok Nga, Aceh Besar regency.
Aulia lost his father and a younger brother in the disaster.
Responding to requests by local residents, Clinton promised that houses and schools would be built soon. He also stressed that the concerned parties had to restore the capacity of fishermen and rice farmers in the area, so that they could again fish and grow crops.
He said that Americans and people in other parts of the globe stood ready to help the victims of tsunami, including those in Aceh.
Around US$400 million has been raised from the U.S. public while the U.S government had committed to contribute US$960 million for tsunami affected areas in the region, including Aceh, said Clinton.
"The estimated cost for complete recovery in the entire region is over $11.5 billion," he said.
Before flying to Banda Aceh, both Clinton and Bush earlier held a brief talk with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Medan, where they discussed what the Indonesian needed most in the rebuilding and reconstruction efforts in Aceh.
The foreign help is badly needed as Indonesia alone could not bear the burden of tsunami disaster. The biggest disaster ever has displaced over 400,000 people and killed over 120,000 people in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces only.
Clinton and Bush senior visited the stricken province of Aceh at the appointment of President George Walker Bush. Both former presidents headed private U.S. fundraising efforts following the disaster. Clinton has also been named a special envoy of the United Nations for tsunami relief efforts.
After visiting Aceh, both former presidents flew to Sri Lanka and Maldives before returning home to U.S.
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