Aceh eyewitness report

SYDNEY — Sydney University lecturer Ed Aspinall gave a moving presentation about Aceh's devastation and recovery after the December 26 tsunami to a Green Left Weekly forum on February 16.

Aspinall recently returned from Aceh, where he assisted local organisations and volunteered as an interpreter at a hospital in Banda Aceh.

At the meeting, attended by more than 40 people, Aspinall showed a series of photographs taken during his trip, including those of large fishing boats washed several kilometres into city streets.

Aspinall discussed the role of the Indonesian military in Aceh's reconstruction and the impact on the tsunami on the Acehnese people's struggle for self-determination. He emphasised the dedication and enthusiasm of large numbers of Acehnese and Indonesian volunteers who had participated in the relief effort.

Kerryn Williams

From Green Left Weekly, February 23, 2005.

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From GLW issue 616