Refugees in Medan return to Aceh

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post/Medan

After staying for almost a month in a camp in Medan, Cnumuk, an Indonesian of Chinese ethnicity, was elated when he heard the news he could return to Aceh.

The 58-year-old man has been determined to leave for his hometown in Banda Aceh -- along with other men in the camp -- as a volunteer.

His wife and three children will remain in Medan, while he searches for his two other children and two grandchildren, who have been missing since Dec. 26.

"I'm confused here, never knowing what to do. I'd rather return to Banda Aceh and become a volunteer. I can be useful there, and search for my children," Cnumuk told The Jakarta Post before departing for Banda Aceh on Tuesday.

His children, Melinda and Sani, are missing along with Melinda's children, Desi and Devi. Melinda's husband, Iwal, an Acehnese, survived the disaster, which devastated their house in Plunge, Blang Cut.

Cnumuk said he would have to start over again when he returned to Banda Aceh as everything, including his house, was destroyed by the tidal waves.

Though, as his belongings have been reduced to the clothes on his back he will have to wait for the government's assistance to rebuild his house.

Until that time, his wife and children will stay in Medan, where they have somewhere to stay at least.

"If everything returns to normal, the town has been cleaned up and houses, rebuilt, only then will I take them home to Aceh. Besides, it's not good staying in a camp for long," said Cnumuk, who repaired motorcycles in a workshop at his house before the disaster.

Cnumuk said, despite the possibility of aftershocks, he is not afraid to live in Banda Aceh again, although he would always remember the horror of Dec. 26.

Another Chinese-Indonesian displaced by the tsunami, Hasian, said there was no reasons for them to stay much longer in the camp.

The 47-year-old said he would return to his hometown in Banda Aceh, although the tidal waves had swept away all his belongings.

"We come from Aceh, so, like it or not, we will return to Aceh. We don't mind starting from scratch, we just have to return," said Hasin, who used to own a car repair shop in Kota Alam.

Coordinator of the Indonesian-Chinese Refugees Mutual Aid Organization, Andriadi, said on Tuesday that around 100 displaced people had returned to Banda Aceh through the organization, accompanied by two truck-loads of relief supplies.

Last week, he said, some 20 refugees had returned to Banda Aceh as volunteers for the organization to set up a post that would assist people arriving from Medan.

"We can only smooth the process for those who wish to return to Banda Aceh," Andriadi said.

He said the people who arrived in Banda Aceh on Tuesday had been selected to return as their homes had been destroyed and they needed extra time to rebuild them.

He said that the organization had also sent 27 other displaced people to Meulaboh on Jan. 20.

Based on data from several posts, around 7,000 Indonesians of Chinese ethnicity fled to Medan for safety after the disaster, most of them came from Banda Aceh or Meulaboh.