Posted on 12/30/2004 10:01:15 AM PST by Keith Burwell
Indonesia Needs Help, Death Toll Expected To Exceed 400,000 Thu Dec 30 2004 12:52:01 ET
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The death toll in Acheh, the region worst hit by last Sunday's tsunami, may exceed 400,000 as many affected areas could still not be reached for search and rescue operations, Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia Drs H. Rusdihardjo said Thursday.
He said the estimate was based on air surveillance by Indonesian authorities who found no signs of life in places like Meulaboh, Pulau Simeulue and Tapak Tuan while several islands off the west coast of Sumatera had "disappeared".
He said the latest death toll of more than 40,000 in Acheh and northern Sumatera did not take into account the figures from the other areas, especially in the west of the region.
"Aerial surveillance found the town of Meulaboh completely destroyed with only one buiding standing. The building, which belonged to the military, happens to be on a hill," he told reporters after receiving RM1 million in aid for Indonesia's Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund here Thursday.
Rusdihardjo said there were about 150,000 residents in Meulaboh, which was located 150km from the epicentre of the earthquake while Pulau Simeuleu had a population of 76,000.
The contributions were from several corporate giants.
Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), represented by Chairman Tan Sri Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, gave RM200,000; Guthrie, represented by Chief Executive Officer Datuk Abdul Wahab Maskan, gave RM200,000; Golden Hope Plantations Berhad, represented by Group Director for Corporate, Legal and Public Affairs Norlin Abdul Samad, gave RM200,000; Maybank, represented by Head of Public Affairs Wan Norhiyati Ibrahim, gave RM200,000 and Sime Darby Group's Motor Division, represented by Director Yip Jon Khiam, also gave RM200,000.
Ahmad Sarji also handed over a PNB contribution to Utusan's Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund, which was received by Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Executive Chairman Tan Sri Hashim Makarudin to help Malaysian tsunami victims.
Ambassador Rusdihardjo said a combination of earthquake and tsunami had left 80 to 100 per cent of infrastructure in Acheh province, such as hospitals, health centres, transport and communication networks and homes, destroyed.
"Looking at the scale of destruction, it's difficult to say when the search and rescue operations can be mounted in all affected areas," he said.
He said rescue efforts were hampered by transportation difficulties and lack of fuel.
Rusdihardjo said that at this time international help, especially in the form of medicines, clean water, food and clothing, were desperately needed by Indonesia to aid survivors in Acheh.
"Now we are worried about the outbreak of diseases such as cholera, the work of disposing corpses and the absence of clean water following the contamination of water sources," he said.
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Frontdebeouf - now what were you saying about the Muslims slaughtering Christians please?
Some of these people really make me sick.
"Thank God the UN is going to hold a meeting next week to discuss how the UN can help in the relief efforts."
The UN still is meeting and reading reports on what "genocide" is in the Sudan - for at least the past ten years. All the UN has accomplished is being the prime spokesman for anti-Americanism.
Grrrr...
Ouch... lets hope this one doesnt get that high... But with all the dead... i fear it may get worse..
One more remark like that and you're gone.
not a chance.
The 400,000 figure is probably going to be low.
Thanks for the ping, the pictures are incredible. As for the history of islam in Aceh, suffice it for me to say that Aceh has been the seat of islamic fundamentalism for something like the last 25 years. Aceh joined Indonesia willingly but quickly became disillusioned...Indonesia wasn't islamic enough for them. I guess what they want is sharia law. Aceh was the first territory in the area to become converted to islam. It has oil. It also received financial ??? help from Lybia...(read terror instruction) and a fundamental faction that styles itself fighters for freedom, has rounded up and is holding captive, large numbers of people in 'refugee camps' that they have themselves created...for to bang the West over the head with and collect aid and weapons I guess...just the usual lovely islamic fairy tale. Reminds me a lot of East Timor, actually. If I find out more, I'll post it to you. Not that it matters much now, looks as if both the good and the bad of Aceh have other things to think about than rebellion or the establishment of an islamic state.
As for the Christians who may have lived in Aceh, I don't even want to think about them. But I'll say a prayer. The Aceh fanatics have had twenty five years or more to wreak their evil practices on them while the world slept.
I am inclined to agree with you.
Yet, the word... grace, comes to mind.
Unmerited forgiveness.
We should give these people our help and
prayers.
bump to your pics
The scale of disasters in low lying third world communities has always been apocalyptic. I'd be willing to bet that this will approach and maybe exceed 1,000,000... Easily so if disease gains a foothold.
Exactly!
Aceh was wiped out by the tsunami. And yes Bin Ladens guys were running rampant over the Christians there!
HERE:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=2432
"...Perhaps the highest profile area of conflict, however, is Aceh, which has seen decades of conflict between Islamist separatists and government forces. In the last decade, more than 6,000 people have been killed in fighting between the Free Aceh Movement and government forces. In January 2001, Indonesia finally granted Aceh autonomy to enforce Shari’a law, a move seen as placating the separatists. Since then, Aceh’s government has destroyed churches and forbade the practice of Christianity.
Asian intelligence sources have since asserted that the Free Aceh Movement works with al-Qa’ida, and that al-Qa’ida even considered moving to Aceh after the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom. Bin Laden's lieutenant, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, reportedly visited Aceh in June 2000...."
________________________
Inshallah!
Just a few found with a simple "aceh""persecution" google search.
...PAPUA & ACEH, INDONESIA
Whilst tension builds, but relative peace holds, in the Malukus and Sulawesi, Laskar Jihad is sending its Islamic militants to the Indonesian provinces of Papua (Irian Jaya) and Aceh. Laskar Jihad volunteers in majority-Christian Papua (said to number anywhere from 200 – 3,000) are believed to be engaged in “propagating Islam”, education, preaching aggressive sermons, the circulation of provocative pamphlets and news-sheets, and the distribution of videotapes containing footage of the Jihad’s holy war against Christians in the Malukus. In the staunchly Islamic province of Aceh the group says it has come to “teach Muslims there to interpret Islam correctly”.
The more likely primary motive for the group’s presence in these two provinces at opposite ends of the Indonesian archipelago is to oppose local separatist movements. Laskar Jihad believes in a united Indonesia under Islamic Shari’ah law. Locals fear that the Indonesian army may use the group to fight against the Islamic separatist movement in Aceh and the ethnic Melanesian Christian independence movement in Papua in a similar way to its notorious use of militias in East Timor. Already there are reports that Laskar Jihad are training the pro-Indonesian Islamic militia Muri Putih in Papua, and on 17 April police announced that they had arrested two Laskar Jihad members in the province for carrying firearms. The group’s presence in Aceh and Papua has been utterly rejected by local Christians and other community leaders who have called for them to leave the provinces. Christians in Aceh are also facing additional pressure under Islamic Shari ’ ah law that was implemented as ! part of significant autonomy measures awarded as concessions to the province by the Indonesian authorities...
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/256.htm
ACEH: SHARI'A: THE ISLAMISATION OF ACEH
Date: Wednesday 23 October 2002
Subj: Aceh: Shari'a - the Islamisation of Acehnese Culture
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty E-mail Conference
From: Elizabeth Kendal, Conference Moderator eliz@alphalink.com.au
The oil- and gas-rich region of Aceh is located on the northern tip of Sumatra, Indonesia. Aceh has a population of 4.3 million and has historically been staunchly Islamic. On 1 January 2002, as part of a wide-ranging autonomy package that the Indonesian government hoped would appease separatists, Aceh was granted the right to adopt Islamic law.
On 3 January 2002 the Jakarta Post reported, "The Aceh or Nanggroe Aceh Darusallam administration has officially put the special autonomy law and syariah (Islamic law) into effect." The article went on to quote Teungku Sofyan Hamzah, an imam at the grand Baiturrahman Mosque. "Asked about feelings of anxiety by some non-Muslims in Aceh following the implementation of the Islamic law, he (Hamzah) said that the minority should not worry. 'The administration will use national law for them.'"
Well - an article appeared in the Jakarta Post on 28 September 2002, detailing how under shari'a law, caning or imprisonment would be the punishment for those who "propagated beliefs other than Islam to Muslims in the province."
I sent the article to Dr. Mark Durie, and asked him for a comment. The author of many articles and books on Acehnese language and culture, Dr. Mark Durie is a pastor at St. Hilarys Anglican Church Kew, Melbourne, Australia, and was formerly head of the Department of Linguistics and Language Studies at the University of Melbourne. His insights come from years of extensive research and experience of Acehnese culture.
- Elizabeth Kendal
But we're praying for the Lord to see to your needs, to keep you and yours safe from further tragedy.
Biblical proportions says it all--mind boggling.
Inshallah!
Check out frontdeboeuf post#393 satellite photos of tsunami wiped out Aceh...then read this!
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=2432
..."Perhaps the highest profile area of conflict, however, is Aceh, which has seen decades of conflict between Islamist separatists and government forces. In the last decade, more than 6,000 people have been killed in fighting between the Free Aceh Movement and government forces. In January 2001, Indonesia finally granted Aceh autonomy to enforce Shari’a law, a move seen as placating the separatists. Since then, Aceh’s government has destroyed churches and forbade the practice of Christianity.
Asian intelligence sources have since asserted that the Free Aceh Movement works with al-Qa’ida, and that al-Qa’ida even considered moving to Aceh after the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom. Bin Laden's lieutenant, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, reportedly visited Aceh in June 2000...."
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