Soeharto's last chance

Finding the appropriate words has become impossible as by the hour, more and more personal tragedies are revealed, showing that barely a family in Aceh province has been left untouched by the devastation.

Apart from the grief and sorrow of survivors, our thoughts are with aid and rescue teams who bring with them water, food, medical facilities and equipment -- and to hell with the financial cost. The subject of cost makes one think of former president Soeharto and the many people who believe he has billions of dollars hidden away in a bank somewhere in Europe.

If this is true, then this tragic situation is an opportunity for the Soeharto family to pay their dues to the nation -- before the old man dies. If Indonesia needs one billion US dollars, and the stories of hidden wealth are in fact true, then the Soeharto's have no choice but to transfer that money to the current Indonesian President.

Failure to do so would be the biggest crime of their lives, for not only would they have turned their backs on this nation and its desperate people, but also any hope of salvation. Indonesia has just suffered its worst ever disaster; why should it continue to suffer if this money is available?

This is a no-choice situation and perhaps an opportunity for certain people to repent and be forgiven.

DAVID WALLIS, Medan