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.