Helping tsunami victims

As someone who feels deeply connected to Indonesia and its peoples, I am deeply saddened by the awful death and destruction that the earthquake and tsunami has wreaked upon so many in North Sumatra and in other parts of South and Southeast Asia.

For nearly 20 years, I have been traveling to South Sulawesi to carry out ethnographic research in a small island village, studying and writing about local knowledge and practice of navigation and fishing. Even so, when I hear reports that whole coastal villages were swept away, it is impossible to comprehend.

As an anthropologist, I claim no expertise in the area of disaster relief, but as someone who has spent many days and weeks sailing with Bugis traders aboard their perahu, I would like to make what, I admit, might be a naive suggestion.

With the largest fleet of petty trading ships in the world and with much of coastal Aceh inaccessible except for by sea or air, would it not make sense to mobilize many of the small trading ships from across the country to deliver needed food, water, and other supplies to those in need?

The areas affected do not have large harbors and are thus best accessed by perahu in any case, and I imagine it would not be hard for the government to develop a plan to contract such ships and their crews. Moreover, beyond the practical aspects, it would also offer seafarers from many parts of Indonesia the opportunity to contribute to the effort and build solidarity with the people of Aceh.

Again, I do not know how feasible this would be, but as I sit here in the U.S. listening to the news reports and wanting to help in any way that I can, I appreciate the opportunity to express my thoughts.

My thoughts and prayers are with the afflicted.

GENE AMMARELL, Arhens, Ohio, USA