[John Valentine]

BS.

Sorry, I know a little about this area of the world. I lived in Aceh for four years, and I have traveled extensively in the area, including down the west coast where the earthquake and tsunami damage was worst.

This area was heavily populated, but with very bad road access to the outside world, even at best. Also, at that time, telecommunication was virtually non-existent, although I expect there have been improvements.

Ever since I saw the reports coming in, I knew that the death toll was multiple times higher than reporrted. Entire towns where I can say with assurance 10,000 to 15,000 people lived had been virtually ereased without a trace save the outline of house foundations. Multiply that by literally dozens and dozens of towns and hamlets along over 150 miles of coastline, and toss in a couple of cities of more than 150,000.

In truth, I think at least 300,000 have died in Aceh, and that number is probably conservative. It could be as high as 400,000.

These people were real, with familes, kids, relatives, farms, houses, relationships of love, and now they are dead, and all they had has been ripped from them in the blink of an eye. Claiming that the death figures are inflated to get money is mnaybe understandable, but neverhteless completely wrong.

The numbers are real, and almost certainly on the low side of real.

[OldFriend]

Sorry that so many of us, myself included, have been so cavalier about the loss of life.

We can barely comprehend the numbers of lives lost.

My apologies.

[Ramius]

Well said.

Nuf said.

[Heavyrunner]

I think there's a lot of frustration from folks who sympathize with the truly incomprehensible loss of life and the reception we as a nation have received from the government of Indonesia.

I don't think for a moment anyone at Free Republic who still has hold of their sanity thinks that this is comeuppance, or that these weren't people too.

I DO think there's a healthy (or unhealthy) dose of indignation over the treatment aid workers and our military have received over there not only from the government, but in some cases from the intended receipients of the very aid they're risking their lives to deliver.

I agree with your assessment of the death toll. I think before it's all over, half a million dead or more will be remembered for the Boxing Day Tsunami. As much as it is possible to wrap one's brain around such a staggering number, each one is mourned at the human level for their premature deaths.

At the same time, shame on the Indonesian government for making ANY decision that prolongs their citizen's suffering.

There is no "higher road" to take here. We sympathize with the victims, and we've opened our wallets and government coffers to those in need...To the tune of many hundreds of millions of unreported monies tied up in the logistics train.

These people are not friends of the United States. We aid them anyway. THAT is the moral high ground. When those efforts are stymied by the people in charge of that country, we have lived up to our obligation.

There are countries in the affected regions that are grateful for our help, and who accept it unconditionally. There is one antagonist nation who takes every opportunity to call America on the carpet for perceived wrongs against the followers of Islam, and seems bound and determined to make us beg to help them.

It would be truly a crime against humanity if the bigger tragedy was the aftermath of the Tsunami when aid could have reached the needy, but didn't because of religion and politics.

But the culpability would be on the government of Indonesia...

[HoHoeHeaux]

Thanks for your post. I pray for those people every day. It's probably the most horrible thing we will ever see in our lifetime.

[rwfromkansas]

Boom.

And the truth strikes.

Thank you.

[cherry]

"Claiming that the death figures are inflated to get money is maybe understandable, but neverhteless completely wrong."

I think a lot of people get very cynical about these things...

I for one, can say that I think that there were very many families of people who died in the Trade Towers who were NOT financially hurting afterwards, and did not need what seemed like millions thrown at them....

sometimes we tend to go way overboard on the money we rain on victims....irrationally, for the most part...

there will be abuses in the Tsunami region of our money, just as there was abuse of it from 911.....

that's just life....

I agree with you, however, that there are going to be far more people turn up dead or missing .....

[DoughtyOne]

I heard a report on the radio of a reporter who drove for miles along the beach, seeing nothing but private belongings strewn around the road area, with no buildings left behind. There used to be buildings there, people living and carrying on commerce there. The area was just basicly erased.

I do believe your comments are pretty accurate from what I've seen reported.

Sorry to hear it.

[leadpenny]

Thanks to you both for your insight and commentary.

[Veto!]

A very interesting first-hand report. Thanks for throwing some light on the numbers.

But why does the government want to limit aid? Are they afraid their people might learn that Americans and other Westerners are good, kind people and not monsters? Once they learned that, they'd be more difficult to indoctrinate with anti-American propaganda, yes?

[drt1]

I agree. I too spent several years in Indonesia and am familiar with Aceh in particular. The populous parts are all situated in the low lying coastal plains and this fact, coupled with the very flimsy construction and severe overcrowding of what are, in effect, shanty towns, leads me to believe the toll is very large - Larger even than what is now being reported.

The Gov't is completely corrupt and severely represses the population - Hence the concern that outside influences might take hold during the aid efforts. The longer these take, or are allowed to continue, the more outside influence will be possible and the more the people will see just how repressive and ineffectual the Gov't is in meeting the needs of the survivors.

[mad_as_he$$]

I think you are correct. We can now smell the death on the West Coast of the US.

[RushCrush]

I don't think FReepers are being cavalier about the loss of life. As I'm sure you know, you won't find a more caring bunch anywhere.

I believe these statements were made toward the corrupt goverments, not the people. I would think you should know something about the corrupt goverments over there?

(I'll save you the trouble- I'm a FReeper as of July 2004)

[pa_dweller]

Entire towns where I can say with assurance 10,000 to 15,000 people lived had been virtually ereased without a trace save the outline of house foundations.

Yes. I thought the numbers would be increased before this. I read here on FR over a week ago about the town of Baloola(sp) with a population of over 140,000 being gone. And that's when the 'official' count was at 140,000 for the entire region.

[geopyg]

"The numbers are real, and almost certainly on the low side of real."

I think the estimates were low in the beginning, and will probably be lower than the actual as the government wants to maintain control. "It's not that bad... we can handle it... we are the protectors of our people... we are in control... etc."

[RS]

Would you say that the reason they want us out so quickly is that the Indonesian government dosen't want the true image of the US is sink in ?

That prolonged contact with Americans helping them might spread our ideas of freedom and democracy, making them harder to "manage" once we have left ?