Tourist sport becomes haven for refugees

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Aceh Besar

Before the quake-triggered tsunamis hit Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam on Dec. 26 last year, Mata Ie was a popular tourist attraction famous for its mountain spring.

Located in Darul Imarah district, Aceh Besar regency, some 10 kilometers from Banda Aceh, most parts of the spring were left untouched by the tsunamis. Some buildings in the vicinity were leveled to the ground by the massive earthquake, but the spring itself escaped damage.

After the tsunami, the spring, which used to be crowded with visitors during holidays, has become a water source for displaced people living in nearby shelters to take a bath or do their laundry in.

Apart from its cool climate and magnificent views, there are no signs that the spring was once a tourist destination.

Although, one of the pool's guards, Khairul, 42, said that several visitors from Banda Aceh had come to the pool in recent weeks just to savor the view.

Prior to the disaster, visitors to the spring were charged an entrance fee of Rp 1,000. Those with vehicles had to pay an additional Rp 1,000 for a motorcycle or Rp 2,000 for a car.

"The Mata Ie pool is a recreational area for Banda Aceh people because it's located not far from the city center. Many young people used to come here to chat," Khairul said.

Mata Ie, he said, literally means water source in Acehnese.

The pool's three-hectare compound includes Al Muhajjrin mosque, with water pipes located next to it that are now used by displaced people as a water source.

Khairul said some 200 people used to come to the spring each day simply to enjoy the climate or to swim. "During holidays, there would be many more visitors," he said.

Vendors along the roadside near the spring have also suffered from the absence of tourists.

"Our income has sharply decreased since the tsunamis because people rarely come here now. Before the disaster, we could earn good money," said Marwan, one of the vendors.

He said that before the tsunami, he could reap a profit of Rp 200,000 per day, while now, he is lucky to make Rp 100,000.

"This place has become filthy because many of the refugees living near Secata School bathe and wash their laundry in the pool. Each day it gets dirtier," complained Marwan.

Separately, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Deputy Governor Azwar Abubakar told The Jakarta Post that the provincial administration planned to seriously undertake the management of several sites in the area.

The stranded floating power plant, PLTD Apung 1 barge, in Punge Blang Cut village would be turned into a memorial, for example, he said.

He acknowledged that many tourist sites in the province were not seriously managed. "We want sites with a strong selling point. After the tsunami, we decided to use the disaster to draw people to the area," he said.

He said appropriate sites were those close to the coast that had survived the catastrophe.

However, he failed to provide details of the administration's plan for existing tourist spots like Mata Ie spring.