Victims' remains waiting for burial in Aceh
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Lamno
Five months after the Dec. 26 tsunami, hundreds of the victims' skeletons can still be found scattered along the coastal areas of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.
In Lubuk hamlet, Glee U village in Lamno district in Aceh Jaya regency, some 80 kilometers from the provincial capital Banda Aceh, hundreds of the skeletons are still waiting to be buried, mostly found among the tsunami debris or in sand near the beach, with only parts of many of the skeletons intact.
Before the tsunami struck, the village of the west coast of Aceh had 1,000 residents but only 20 percent of them survived the disaster, giving an eerie deserted feeling to the village. Many residents are still reluctant to return to their hometown since many skeletons are still lying around, waiting for a proper burial.
It seems that the village has not been touched by cleaning programs usually conducted in tsunami-hit villages.
Lubuk hamlet resident Abdurrahman said that several days after the tsunami devastated the hamlet, survivors managed to bury some of the dead. But since they were not buried deep enough, the skeletons resurfaced.
"Many skeletons are still scattered throughout this hamlet, making people afraid to return home," Abdurrahman said, adding that many residents were still living in refugee shelters.
Another resident, Ishak, said the survivors there had conducted a simple burial for 500 of the victims.
"We need help from volunteers to give the tsunami victims an Islamic burial," Ishak said.
Some volunteers who were still working to search for the tsunami victims recently found 118 skeletons while cleaning up the Lhoong area in Aceh Besar regency.
The volunteers then continued their work in Aceh Jaya regency, starting at Babah Dua village in Lamno district. After working in the village for a week, the volunteers discovered 38 skeletons, believing more are still to be found.
It means Lubuk hamlet residents will have to wait a while longer to get the hamlet cleaned up and the skeletons properly buried.
"We are working without proper equipment so it's slow," said Heri, a young volunteer who has been working to retrieve the tsunami victims' bodies since January.
He is certain that thousands of skeletons are still scattered along the west coastal area of Aceh since most volunteers were still focusing on retrieving bodies in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar areas.
Since he has been working as a volunteer, Heri said he and his 10 colleagues had retrieved hundreds of bodies.
When the Aceh provincial administration announced the province was cleared of corpses in March, his group kept on working despite the absence of assistance from the government and non- governmental groups.
"We'll stop when Aceh is completely 'clean'," Heri said.
He set three months as a target to clean up Aceh from the tsunami's wrath.
"Poor victims, they must want a proper burial," said Hasan, another volunteer.