January 08, 2005
Why?
You would have thought that tsunami disaster could change the political dynamic in Aceh. This is an area that is rich in natural gas but remains one of Indonesia's poorest regions and it is riven by civil war.
Aceh, Indonesia as seen from the air:
Those who have flown over Aceh say they have never seen such utter destruction.It goes for mile after mile.
Three waves swept through on the day when everything changed.It is described as a mountain of water.
Australian scientists have calculated the size of the tsunamis, claiming that the biggest were as high as eight-storey buildings.The biggest ones hit areas closest to the earthquake's epicentre, 320 kilometres west of Medan, Sumatra. 30-metre waves hit Banda Aceh.
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
Sio you can see why families displaced by the tsunami are heading to refugee camps close to Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Friday.Those camps offer the only hope for survival.
And yet the civil war in Aceh continues. The old political dynamic remains the same.
It's a form of madness.
Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at January 8, 2005 04:37 PM | TrackBack