The deadly tsunami in South Asia has riveted the attention of our alumni, some of whom are involved in relief efforts or have special reasons to monitor the aftermath of the disaster. They sent the following reports.  Alumni who have experiences to add are encouraged to send them to Anne Hayner at <ahayner@nd.edu>.

Jill Sternberg ('90) in USA:

Jan. 9 - Most of our friends and their families in Indonesia and East Timor are OK, but I fear the remaining ones that I have been unable to contact may not have survived. Most of my energy recently has been trying to raise support for local groups. Yesterday there was a teach-in with many friends from Aceh. The news of military intervention in aid distribution and combat worsens daily.

I wanted to share information about one initiative to support the tsunami relief that will by-pass political discrimination in aid distribution, as it is supporting local organizations directly who have experience in supporting victims of calamity in Aceh. The East Timor Action Network (ETAN) is funding local organizations trusted by Acehnese people (unlike the Indonesian military). These groups know how to bypass the bureaucratic and other roadblocks to get assistance where it is needed. They have long experience helping the many people in Aceh displaced by war and military repression. Every cent contributed to ETAN for tsunami relief is sent directly to local organizations. I have worked for 13 years with ETAN.  Details of ETAN relief efforts and the role of the Indonesian military in Aceh, as well as information on how to contribute, are available at

http://www.etan.org/etanpdf/pdf3/ETAN%20Aceh%20relief.pdf
Donations can be made directly on line at http://www.etan.org/action/action2/23alert.shtml

Phar Kim Beng ('95) from Malaysia:

Jan. 8 - I am OK, but my family had a close shave with the tsunami. My brothers and their children were supposed to be at Phuket on the day the tsunami struck, Dec 26th. But they pulled out at the eleventh hour, and did not go. The tsunami is truly devastating, and I have been trying to do my bit to help by advising the governments in the region to be aware of the emotional and political under-currents of the post tsunami situation. I have jointly published an article in Singapore, and I also plan to write a booklet on the crisis. I believe there is far too much emphasis on using money to resolve the situation. I don't deny the criticality of financial resources. But basic knowledge on how to organize housing, food, and shelter are now very important. The role of Pakistan, which has vast experience in dealing with displaced victims (remember the millions of Afghan refugees that flooded across their borders in 1979?), has been neglected, because India wants to push Pakistan out. The politics of complex humanitarian emergencies, I must say, are very pernicious in this part of the world, as many governments are quite corrupt.
 

Rohan Gunaratna ('96) from Sri Lanka (currently in Singapore):

The immediate family survived as they are living overseas but the suffering continues and it is immense. Eyewitness accounts match the scenes in the film The Day After Tomorrow.

Chayanit Poonyarat ('04) in Thailand:

Dec. 28 - Thanks for all those messages and concerns sent to me regarding the great disastrous impact of the quake and Tsunamis on southern Thailand together with other Asian countries. First of all, I'm happy to say my family and I are still doing okay. Though I'm now home in Songkhla with my family in the south for New Year holiday, luckily we live on the southeastern coast of the country when the Tsunamis hit hard on the southwestern coast. However, on the southwestern coast of the country, the Tsunamis hit six tourist provinces. The whole country of Thailand is now in great grief. Many organizations, both governmental and private companies, have started the donation campaigns as well as still trying to search for the missing people.

Jan. 5 - Last month I started a job with FORUM-ASIA, a Bangkok-based regional human rights organization. As the tsunami hit just a day after our Christmas and New Year holiday started, we never really got to enjoy the holiday. Many of us have been back to work since and have been terribly busy working on the issue. I've been in charge of different press statements from FORUM-ASIA. Our statements and briefing papers on the humanitarian relief and human rights situation in Aceh and in Burma, and the situation of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand, can be found on line at http://www.forumasia.org/Tsunami/Tsunami.shtml.

Mirak Raheem ('04) in Sri Lanka:

Dec. 31 - Thank you for your phone calls and emails; I was really touched by your concern. My family and I are ok so are most of my closest friends and family. I was out of touch because over the last few days I was in the Amparai district in the Eastern Province. I went to deliver food, medical supplies etc and to try and get more information for the Colombo based NGOs and networks. Phone lines were down so little or no news was coming through. At present the official figures for Amparai is some 10,000 but that figure is going to rise as the number of bodies buried in three of the worst-hit divisions is 8,000 alone. Last night the island wide figure was 28,000 but after having been in Amparai it wouldn't be surprising if we are looking at final figures of 35 or 40 thousand. That's more than half the number killed in 20 years of civil war.

The situation is that food and other forms of relief are coming through to the affected areas and people. There has been a tremendous outpouring of support across the country and it has been that rather than government or international assistance that has sustained the affected people in the days immediately following the tsunamis. Now the latter form of assistance is coming into action so the situation should improve and hopefully a post-disaster crisis of disease and malnutrition can be easily averted.

Walking along the beachside towns in Amparai was surreal. I don't have any other word for it. Boats in the middle of a flattened house 100 meters from the beach, coconut trees with their roots upturned, one two-story building standing alone, completely intact while every building 50 meters around it is just rubble, and the stench of I don't know what. It is unbelievable that in minutes everything changed so fast and lives were ripped apart. There was really no response to the stories of survival of how one person managed to stay alive but lost half their family, and it's a story that's repeated and repeated and repeated. In the middle of this there are moments of hope ? of neighbours having taken in seven families into their home, buses from small villages on the west coast travelling east to bring food, clothes ...

Mica Barreto-Soares ('03) in Timor Leste (East Timor):

Dec. 30 - Thanks for so much for your great concern and praying for us who live near the affected region. Yes I am still alive in one piece ? including my family. East Timor perhaps is just still lucky in its geographic location. In two consecutive months ? November and December this year ? two strong earthquakes occurred in Indonesia, Aceh and Alor. The latter island is just 100km from Dili, the capital of East Timor. The magnitude was 7.5. We did get minor damages in some buildings but thanks god, not losing any human beings. However, in Alor itself, more than 250 people died, people have been injured, and buildings damaged. So in general, both disasters did not directly affect my country. For those who died during these disasters: "May their souls rest in peace.”

Riziki Shahari (Mama-Nassir) ('03) in Tanzania:

Dec. 31 - How nice to know that people somewhere far from where you are do care and are concerned about you. The disaster touched us (Tanzania) a bit in terms of its impact, a few (tens of people - mostly teenagers who were swimming and some fishermen) have lost their lives and the number could go up as some news are still coming from places like Mafia Island (my homeland), Zanzibar and Pemba. The only relief is that all members of my family are fine and so far no bad news from close relatives and friends. But as a country we are mourning.

S.P. Udayakumar (Kumar) ('90) in Tamil Nadu, India:

Dec. 30 - Thank you very much for your kind concern about me and my family. We are safe but very sad as we have lost some friends, relatives and acquaintances. Thankfully though, all the children from our school including the ones from fishing villages are safe. We feel greatly relieved by this tremendous luck. Meera and I have been exploring the possibility of setting up an orphanage for the children who have lost both parents and immediate relatives. We shall see. Some of my thoughts about this tsunami disaster and its political implications can be read on line at http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/000233.shtml.

Following are a few excerpts:

***
I write this from the southern tip of India, a region that has always been known for its pristine beauty and tranquillity. No major wars have been fought on this soil, no disaster has stuck, nothing untoward has happened on a massive scale, at least to my knowledge, in the past five decades.

All this peaceful record ended so abruptly on December 26, 2004, when a draconian tsunami lashed out and wrecked thousands of lives and families. The Kanyakumarians who have always looked up to the sea as a source of food and nurturance, spirituality and sacredness, enjoyment and entertainment, had a rude awakening on the black Sunday. (When the ocean receded before the tsunami waves hit), people were intrigued about this wonderful sight of hitherto unseen under-water territory. There were poor people who were eagerly collecting the stranded fish and crab for a free meal. There were Christmas holidayers, internal and international tourists, religious pilgrims taking the ceremonial dip in the sea, and innocent bystanders - all had a rude awakening when the cunningly crouched sea leaped forth like a ferocious predator. Whole fishing villages have disappeared; farmlands have been inundated; people have lost friends, neighbors, and acquaintances; the loss seems universal; there is a debilitating sense of sadness and sorrow in everybody’s heart and soul. The whole dynamics of life stands altered....

This tsunami attack is yet another proof of our pathetic national record of emergency preparedness. Even after five days of the tsunami assault, there have been bloated human bodies and animal carcasses rotting on the open beaches and spreading diseases. Most victims who are languishing in the temporary shelters with intimate losses and incredible traumas have been complaining about the lackadaisical relief work of the government authorities. Politicians blame each other, ministers blame top bureaucrats, top bureaucrats blame the chotawallahs (lower officials); and all this betray our uncoordinated and utterly inefficient administration of the country. On the day of the disaster, this writer did not spot even one police officer or fire service personnel or a government official on the roads. It was the unequipped and empty-handed civilians who were helping each other.

***

Dec. 31 - Many of you have asked me how you could contribute to the relief work that is being carried out here in the southernmost tip of India. Through our SACCER Trust, Meera and I would like to focus on the immediate needs of the children who are trapped in the relief camps without books, notebooks, writing material etc. If you could collect and ship us used/new storybooks and other educational material, it would be of great use. Since exclusively English books can be of only some relevance to the rural children who attend Tamil medium schools, we would also appreciate cash assistance. You could send your contributions to the following foundation that would pass the money on to us. Please make sure you write "SACCER Tsunami Project" on your checks. And we assure you that every cent of your money will go to the affected children.

Tamilnadu Foundation USA, Inc.
(A Non-profit Charitable Tax Exempt Organization)
3914 Shadowood Court
Allison Park, PA 15101
Phone: 412-492-8706
Web: http://www.tnfusa.org/
Treasurer: Mr. Mani Rajendran
Email: mani@numerictech.com

Shabnam Siddiqui ('03) in Mumbai, India:

Jan. 4 - I am fine, not directly touched by the earthquake, but have just come back from north India where I was doing fundraising for the victims and organizing relief groups and material for the affected people. Was thinking of going to Chennai myself, but cannot get out of office immediately so might be stuck in Bombay. But my friends are already in Chennai, doing the best they can. We all agreed that I could be more of a strength in Bombay raising resources, than in Chennai. At some point this month I will go down to boost them up.

Maneesha Pasqual ('01) from Sri Lanka (currently in USA):

Jan. 3 - My immediate family is safe and for that I am truly grateful. Some distant relatives and some friends have died and most others have lost their homes. I am sorry for not responding sooner to your email. I would have replied sooner but we were not in Virginia during the past week. It is hard to grasp the enormity of the loss or the pain of the survivors. What I hope won't happen is that people will forget the long-term needs of people who have lost everything. There is no insurance for this sort of loss from something that, according to Sri Lankan history, has not happened for over two thousand years, if ever. It is an island that ... almost ...never gets such natural disasters.

Tetty Uli Naiborhu (’02) from Indonesia (currently in Spain):

Jan. 4 - My immediate family who live in Medan (around 45 minutes flight from Banda Aceh, the worst hit area) are well. They felt the earthquake for five minutes but the Tsunami did not arrive to Medan, which is located on the western coast of Sumatra. Nobody really knows how many people died in this tragedy. A friend of us who just gave birth and lives in Banda Aceh was one of the victims. In addition, I have not been able to contact and locate many other friends, including doctors, nurses, and midwives, with whom I had been working intensively since August 2002 to 2003 in Health as Bridge for Peace Project. May God be with them and their families. Unfortunately, lack of standing infrastructures in Aceh, controls of Indonesian security forces in many areas, and extortion of aids by unknown groups have hampered the distribution of aid to people and food aid has started to go bad in some ports.

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