We humbly thank you

We humbly thank you

It has been obvious from the beginning that the devastation
caused by the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami was simply too
enormous for Indonesia to deal with alone. The huge death toll,
the massive destruction and the hundreds of thousands of people
now forced to live in refugee camps are simply unprecedented.

Indonesia is not alone: The tsunami also brought untold deaths
and destruction in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia,
the Maldives, and on the opposite end of the Indian Ocean, in
Somalia and Kenya. But there is no doubt that Indonesia,
particularly the province of Aceh, suffered the worst because of
its close proximity to the epicenter of the 9.0-magnitude
earthquake.

No country in the world has ever had to deal with devastation
of this magnitude.

Amidst all this, Indonesia, and the people of Aceh in
particular, can find comfort in the fact that they are not alone
in their struggle to overcome the grief and to rebuild their
lives.

As the scale of the calamity became understood last Sunday and
Monday, the international community rushed to assist the people
of Aceh. The Acehnese have not been alone in coming to terms with
the reality that their lives have been turned upside down by a
catastrophe beyond anyone's control. And now, more than one week
later, as they begin to rebuild their shattered lives, they
should also know that the nation and the rest of the world are
with them.

Thanks to global media coverage and the technology to bring
the news and images of the disaster to people's living rooms
almost instantaneously, the cries for help from the people of
Aceh, India and Sri Lanka -- the three countries worst hit --
were heard loud and clear all across the world.

The scale of death, destruction and displacement of people is
simply beyond the imagination of most people. But one thing most
can comprehend, to some degree, is the suffering that people go
through after losing loved ones, their homes or their livelihood.

The global response to the Indian Ocean disaster has been, to
say the least, fantastic, and equally unprecedented.

Some countries and governments reacted spontaneously. Others
took longer before they realized the full extent of the
devastation. But in all, upwards of $2.3 billion worth of
humanitarian relief has been raised or pledged from governments
and international organizations. Japan leads the pack with $500
million and the United States follows with $350 million. But
Germany is planning to top all that with a pledge of $668
million.

It is not solely governments, the various agencies of the
United Nations and non-governmental relief organizations have
responded with unprecedented generosity. The public in many
countries have been touched by what they saw on their television
screens. They too have donated generously. Some governments have
pledged to match every dollar that their citizens donate for the
Asian disaster.

The United States is now fully involved in this global
movement. President George W. Bush and his predecessors Bill
Clinton and George H. Bush visited the Indonesian Embassy in
Washington on Monday to reassure Indonesia of American support.
The two former presidents have been tasked to lead a private fund
raising drive that will further bolster U.S. assistance.
President Bush has ordered flags in government offices be flown
at half-mast to mourn the deaths all over the Indian Ocean rim.

And there are the humanitarian operations either jointly or
individually conducted by the military from Indonesia, Singapore,
Australia, the United States, Japan, Malaysia, Germany, Pakistan
and India to bring desperately needed relief supplies to victims
and survivors.

The emergency summit in Jakarta to discuss the rehabilitation
and reconstruction of the stricken areas today presents an
opportunity for Indonesia to express its great appreciation --
not only on behalf of the people in Aceh, but also for the
victims in other Asian countries -- for all the help and the
expression of solidarity, given in the wake of the disaster, by
people and governments of the world. Not all those generous
countries are represented today, but given the presence of a
horde of international media, the message will get to everyone.

The magnitude of the destruction caused by the earthquake and
tsunami has made us humble of the powers that nature has over
mankind. But we are even more humbled by the generosity shown by
the people all around the world.