Friendly Spanish win Acehnese hearts
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
Yanti loved playing near a sports field in Lampineung, Banda Aceh, just to watch the Spanish troops help with relief efforts in the tsunami-hit city. And she would wait for a treat.
"They (the soldiers) used to hand out candy and toys," smiled the 11 year old.
The soldiers also won the hearts of students of SMU 4 senior high school, located near the soccer field where the Spanish military has set up base, since the soldiers helped clear their school of mud and dirt deposited by the tsunami.
Spain was among the more than 30 nations that sent armed forces personnel to Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam to help with relief and reconstruction efforts in the wake of the Dec. 26 disaster that killed more than 125,000 people in the country.
In provincial capital Banda Aceh, the Spanish troops, who left the country on Monday, left a deep impression among residents, especially those living in Syiah Kuala and Cot Paya districts.
While they were busy clearing dirt and mud left by the tidal waves, the soldiers remained friendly and smiled and waved at passing residents.
Their friendliness was warmly welcomed by those living in fear ever since martial law was declared in the province in 2003 and then changed to a state of civil emergency last year.
While they were in Aceh, the Spanish soldiers helped clean up schools, repair mosques, clean up debris and mud, install a water purifier plant and sent doctors to shelters for displaced persons and provided thousands liters of clean water, food and 2,000 toys for children.
For the relief operation, they arrived with three helicopters, two landing craft, a battalion of engineers, one combat support unit, signal units, dozens of trucks and a civil military cooperation team. The Spaniards and their equipment arrived on the Galicia ship.
"We traveled across a third of the Earth to reach Aceh and we're happy to be here," said Col. Antonio Fernandez from the Galicia.
The ship traveled 9,656 kilometers and took 23 days to reach Banda Aceh on Feb. 9.
One Spanish diver, Sgt. First Class Justo Jesus Picallo Martinez, 36, died during a routine underwater operation to inspect the hull of the Galicia.
The Spanish troops, who were in Aceh for 41 days, held a farewell ceremony on board the ship before departing on Monday.
Capt. Antonio Fernandez said that they were leaving even though the Indonesian government was allowing foreigners allowed to remain in Aceh for another two months.
It's not only local residents who regret their departure, the Spanish soldiers feel the same way.
Iswati, a Spanish citizen of Indonesian descent who was part of the humanitarian mission team and worked as a translator for the soldiers, felt sad to leave.
"I love the Acehnese, they're friendly. And the food is hot. In Spain, we rarely find chili," she said.