Aceh: A New Dawn

5. Meulaboh

65 5 Meulaboh Lee Poh Onn Introduction The role of Singapore agencies1 in aiding victims of the tsunami in Aceh, in the relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction process of the region involved participation by the people of Singapore at many levels: government to government, non-government to nongovernment , and government to nongovernment .2 Ordinary Singaporeans were also extremely forthcoming in donations, monetary and in kind, towards victims affected by the tsunami not only in Indonesia, but also in other affected countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Maldives. The response of Singaporeans was unprecedented; possibly because events of such a gravity have rarely occurred around the region, and especially in neighbouring countries which have very close ties with Singapore. Ordinary Singaporeans came out in droves to volunteer at the various relief centres in Singapore: to collect clothing and foodstuff, and to provide assistance and support to the various Singapore NGOs busy with the rescue and relief operations. For example, at the office of Mercy Relief, volunteers came to offer assistance in gathering foodstuff, helping in its day-to-day operations, and to assist 65 Facing page:The new Meulaboh Pier. Photo courtesy of Lee Poh Onn. 66 in whatever matters that they could. Mr Izuan Rais of Mercy Relief recalls that these volunteers displayed a compassion never seen before.Their willingness to come together, their solidarity, and their selflessness and willingness to go out of their “comfort zones” to do whatever they could to help people in the tsunami struck areas really left a deep impact on his mind. Over 2,000 Singaporeans from all walks of life came to pack and separate clothing items at the Singapore Land Authority-Mercy Relief Collection Centre at Lowland Road from January to March 2005.3 Elsewhere, relief supplies were overflowing into the Indonesian and Sri Lankan embassies in Singapore, with many Singaporeans giving up their holidays to assist in packing such supplies, volunteering to go overseas, and also helping to collect monetary donations for the disaster victims.4 Not only were donations and offers for help pouring in from the public, but the Singapore Government (Singapore Armed Forces and Singapore Civil Defence Forces) also actively provided relief and logistical support for the The Meulaboh Pier that was completed on 3 April 2006. The new pier gives residents a logistics lifeline. Photo courtesy of Lee Poh Onn 67 disaster struck areas in Aceh, particularly in Banda Aceh and Meulaboh in Indonesia, and Phuket in Thailand.5 The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft also flew supplies and support missions to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Mauritius. Meulaboh, the capital of Aceh Barat (West Aceh), is situated along the west coast of Sumatra and was one of the hardest hit areas. However, the focus on Meulaboh does not imply that the efforts of Singapore Agencies and NGOs were negligible elsewhere.The area of Meulaboh was selected because it was the area where the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) concentrated its rescue and relief efforts when the tsunami struck in December 2004, and as such provides a good basis for beginning a study to examine issues involved in coordinating development and rehabilitation and reconstruction in one area.6 The contributions and challenges faced by these agencies is examined using a broad development economics approach, where rehabilitation and reconstruction involves not only restoring the economic infrastructure but also a restoration of the socio-economic The Intensive Care Unit of the Meulaboh General Hospital. Donors are the Government of Singapore, Temasek Holdings and Singapore Red Cross Tsunami Fund with the following as supporting organizations: Singapore Red Cross, Mercy Relief, Palang Merah Indonesia, Bupati Aceh Barat, and Dinas Kesehatan. Photo courtesy of Lee Poh Onn 68 infrastructure (hospitals, roads, schools, mosques, orphanages) that was important to society and individuals in Meulaboh. To what extent did the various agencies restore the socio-economic infrastructure? What are some of the challenges faced by these agencies in the rescue, rehabilitation, and reconstruction process? Could some common lessons be drawn from their experiences? Scale of the Disaster When the tsunami struck Indonesia on 26 December 2004, the magnitude of the damage was unforeseen.7 About 167,000 went missing or died, over 500,000 individuals were displaced from their homes, around 80,000 to 100,000 houses were fully or partially destroyed, 3,000 kilometres of roads became impassable, fourteen of the nineteen seaports were damaged, eight out of the...