Father, son reunited after three week search

Dedy Ardiansyah, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Salatin Syah's perseverance has born fruit. After searching in vain for 22 days, the 44-year-old Aceh man finally found his son, Tajus Gibra Syah, 3, last week in a refugee shelter in Medan.

Salatin could not hold back his tears when Tajus recognized him at first glance and called him "daddy." His face streaming, Salatin hugged his son so tightly that nothing, not even another tsunami, could separate them.

"Alhamdulillah (Thanks God). You have listened to my prayers," he said softly.

Four hours the tidal wave survivor could not take his eyes off his son. The boy had suffered from bruising on many parts of his body, but was otherwise well.

Salatin recalled from the beginning he had strongly believed that his son had survived the Dec. 26 waves.

This belief had led him to all the refugee shelters in Banda Aceh, near where his family used to live. However, all his initial efforts were fruitless and he began to lose hope.

His spirits shot skyward after a former neighbor, Nurwahida, called him from Medan and said she had seen Tajus playing with other children in an Aceh Sepakat foundation shelter in the city.

Tajus was brought to Medan by government officials a day after the disaster. It is not known how the 3-year-old managed to survive the waves but it is thought he was initially rescued by others in the water.

Salatin, a civil servant at Banda Aceh's Public Works Office, quickly went to Medan to see his son, his only surviving family member left after the devastating waves. His wife and daughter are still missing.

When the tsunami hit, Salatin hurried his family to the second floor of their house. Salatin carried Tajus, while his wife carried Raisa Kamila, the family's daughter. The house could not stand the power of the wave, and the family were thrown into the treacherous, churning current as it collapsed.

Salatin could do nothing to save his family as Tajus slipped from his grasp in the water. "I could only hope that my wife and our children would survive," he said.

"Now I will take care of him; send him to school. I can do it alone and I will be a good father. However, it will be much better if we can find his mother and sister," said Salatin, who still holds hope his wife and daughter are alive.

Not all are so lucky. Ruslan Armes, 41, another Banda Aceh resident is still searching for his wife and five children who are all listed as missing.

"I am still hoping for the miracle," said the civil servant from the Aceh provincial Development and Planning Body.