Aceh: A New Dawn

Foreword

00 Aceh Prelims 1/9/07, 3:42 PM 7 Foreword The Asian tsunami of 2004 was one of the deadliest disasters in modern history. It caused unprecedented death and destruction, and suffering to the people of the affected nations. It was also a grim reminder of the havoc Mother Nature can unleash. In the midst of the tragedy, we also saw the world, with Singapore at the forefront, band together to offer emergency aid to the victims. While much has been written about this disaster, the work that has continued since the devastation struck has not been given sufficient attention.Two years on, it is timely to review what has been done to bring the victims and their nations back on their feet and to recognize the efforts of all who responded to the call for assistance in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, and later in the recovery and reconstruction stages. When the Director of ISEAS, Ambassador K. Kesavapany, approached me with the idea of producing a book to commemorate the second anniversary of this event, I did not hesitate and assured him of my full support. Besides Aceh as a whole, this book also focuses on Meulaboh, Indonesia, as this was the region most affected by the disaster. It gives an insight to the speedy, focused, and appropriate response by the Singapore Government and the efforts by Singaporeans and our NGOs in the reconstruction and rehabilitation process which is still on-going.While this book is targeted at Singapore’s efforts in Meulaboh, Aceh, it is necessary to point out that we also reached out and provided significant assistance during the emergency through to the reconstruction stages in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Many of Singapore’s NGOs and VWOs were and still are in these two countries to bring humanitarian relief to those affected by the tsunami. Dr Aris Ananta and Dr Lee Poh Onn, scholars at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, have covered a lot of ground in bringing this book together. I have been to Meulaboh and seen for myself the devastation immediately following the tsunami as well as the recovery efforts during my vii 00 Aceh Prelims 1/9/07, 3:42 PM 8 subsequent visits.The work of these two scholars reflects and confirms what I have seen of the work of all the Singaporeans who have made the special effort and sacrifice to provide assistance Lt Gen Winston Choo, Retd. Chairman Singapore Red Cross to the people of Meulaboh.This book has done justice in recording the sterling efforts of Singaporeans in lending a helping hand to their neighbours in times of need. viii ...