JP/5/BATAM

JP/5/BATAM

Acehnese migrants see better future on their own soil

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam, Riau Islands

While many Aceh tsunami survivors were scared to return to their
homes for fear of aftershocks and more tsunami, not a few
Acehnese living outside the province were instead planning to go
back, hoping to fill the void for trades that are now badly
needed there.

Many trades are now in very high demand in Aceh as a result of
the tsunami tragedy that took more than 115,000 lives.

Now, many Acehnese who had migrated to other regions seeking
work and better lives, now see opportunities in their homeland.

A native Acehnese from Langsa, East Aceh, Lisman, 35, told The
Jakarta Post recently that he with his wife and two children, who
are currently living in Batam, have decided to return to Banda
Aceh.

"Aceh has lost many people. I feel that this is an opportunity
to obtain a job that previously might have been difficult to get.
Hopefully, the security situation there will be back to normal
soon," said Lisman, who works as a fence welder in the Batu Aji
area, Batam, Riau province.

He said that he will be flying to Banda Aceh in the near
future as soon as his belongings -- furniture, a motorbike and
welding equipment -- are sold, as they are planning not to return
to Batam.

"I would probably do the same thing (welding) in Aceh, unless
there's another better opportunity," said Lisman, who lost a
sibling to the tsunami.

According to Lisman, the majority of Acehnese find living and
working in their home province much more pleasant than in other
regions. Their native status will benefit them as they will be
much welcomed by fellow Acehnese in doing business compared to
others.

He said that he had chosen to return to Banda Aceh, the Aceh
capital, because there are more opportunities there.

"As the capital of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Banda Aceh is our
first option. If the opportunity was no longer there, then we
would move to another place in the province," Lisman said.

Meanwhile, the head of the Acehnese Community Association's
(Permasa) Batam branch, Iskandar Alamsyah, said that there are
15,000 Acehnese currently residing on Batam, out of Batam's total
population of 560,000 people.

Their jobs range from office employees to non-skilled workers,
said Iskandar, the area manager for Garuda Indonesian Airways in
Batam.