Local Red Cross workers steadfast in mammoth task

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Meulaboh

Zarkasyi, a humanitarian worker for the Indonesian Red Cross, sits on a chair below a large tent, appearing weary and unkempt.

The man, who was taking a break at a command post set up by Johan Pahlawan district administration in Meulaboh, has not had the chance to rest or bathe over the past two days.

The 36-year-old treasurer of the Red Cross' West Aceh branch was one of only nine left from the organization in the regency after the Dec. 26 devastating tsunami that killed thousands.

Twenty-six other members have been reported missing or found dead, including its branch chairman Syarif Hasan, who was also the speaker of West Aceh regental council, whose body was discovered on Friday.

With Syarif gone, Zarkasyi took charge, working together with the remaining personnel to help the victims.

"We're used to collecting corpses, especially during military operations or flood disasters, but never on this great scale," said Zarkasyi, who joined the Red Cross in 1996.

Different situations require different approaches. In the past, the Red Cross was usually called by the military, rebels of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) or the public for the removal of corpses -- usually victims of the conflicts between the Indonesian Military and GAM.

But this time, the Red Cross had to be proactive in the evacuation.

"Corpses were scattered everywhere. We worked quickly and evacuated them to Bregang area here, some 12 kilometers from Meulaboh city, to be buried." He said that since last Monday, he and his friends had handled hundreds of corpses.

At first, the Red Cross did not have many volunteers, and even members of the organization were busy searching for their own loved ones.

It was only two or three days after the tsunami that members of the public, coordinated by the military personnel, started to work together with the Red Cross to evacuate the corpses.

Zarkasyi felt more relieved after 10 additional Red Cross volunteers from nearby South Aceh regency, some 250 kilometers south of Meulaboh, came on Thursday evening and started working the next day. They collected 40 corpses on Friday.

"The tsunami only took eight human casualties in our regency. We heard that thousands of people had died in Meulaboh, so we came to Meulaboh to lend a hand," said Syahrial Basni, 29, a member of South Aceh's Red Cross branch, who is also a nurse at Yulidin Tawai hospital in South Aceh.

Another volunteer from South Aceh, Khairun, said he had never handled the removal of bodies on this scale. "Previously, we have handled several corpses or given first aid treatment to accident victims, but this time we have so many corpses to deal with," said Khairun, a staff at South Aceh's health office.

A week after the disaster, the work is far from over. As of Friday, most bodies lying on the streets had been removed and buried, there are probably many more below the rubble of buildings.

"We lack corpse bags, disinfectant and masks. Many bodies have begun decomposing three days after Sunday's tsunami, so we badly need those three things," said Zarkasyi.

The other thing they need is gloves, which is important to prevent the volunteers from being infected with diseases like cholera.

Contracting communicable diseases are not the only challenges but still, these volunteers are committed to their humanitarian work.

"Since I was young, I joined the boy scouts and other organizations. And the latest is Red Cross (PMI). I like (doing) this. I've always wanted to do something to help the public, this is my soul call," Zarkasyi said.