TSUNAMİ CALAMİTY

4:05 PM

Calamity of the century
AKP BALIKESİR MP TURHAN ÇÖMEZ WENT TO SOUTH ASIA WITH HIS TEAM SOON AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DISASTER. ÇÖMEZ EXPLORED THE REGION TO SEE FOR HIMSELF WHAT WENT ON AND HOW ASSISTANCE COULD BE CHANNELED. HE TRIED TO IMPART HIS IMPRESSIONS IN WORDS AND SNAPSHOTS FOR TURKISHTiME.
TURHAN ÇÖMEZ

Throughout my life, I’ve taken part in activities of scores of NGOs. Being a surgeon general, I witnessed a good deal of misfortunes. However, what I saw in the South Asian catastrophe was beyond conception. I saw pain, anguish, dearth, miracles, desperation, fortitude and patience. In sum, I witnessed all faces of disaster in South Asia.

Accompanied by my friends, I went to Bangkok with a scheduled flight of Turkish Airlines and from there to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. In this ocean country with a population of 220,000 inhabiting 17,500 islands, on the streets of the capital, I encountered terrified and grief-stricken faces. Perhaps, none of the hundreds of people I saw in the capital had seen the grim side of the disaster but were scared all the same. They had experienced the tragedy of the death of their citizens on television screens.

“I’m nursing this baby but I don’t know who he is”

We flew by a domestic flight to the city of Medan, where we began to see the harsher side of the disaster and felt the tragedies of people in person. I woke up on the 7th floor of the hotel I stayed in with the call to prayer echoing from the many mosques of the city and realized that the city had grown closer to God. We met with our Honorary Consul Dr. Rahmat Shah and made our first observations. We went to a camp 30 kilometers outside Medan, for the survivors from Aceh. There were hundreds of people. Children, young people, the elderly… All had a common expression. Fear, agony and tears. We spent half a day with them. We listened to them, shared their problems and helped them. Our warm hands from across the ocean were welcomed. I caught sight of a young mother. She had a baby in her arms and a slightly older kid by her side. She looked dazed, exhausted but dignified in the same extent. I went towards her. She wiped away two teardrops as she talked to me: “I’m nursing this baby but I don’t know who he is”. I found out that she was one of the 35,000 kids who lost their families in Aceh. The young woman became an earthquake mother for him and laid her own son and the child of a family she never knew on the same knee. We were all so moved. It is so hard to fully portray my experiences…

Trafficking in children by advertising

It was the children hardest hit by the disaster. On Indonesia’s island of Sumatra, you can witness all kinds of tragedies involving children. 35,000 children lost their families. Government officials send warnings against trafficking in children. When UNICEF officials told us about blatant marketing by traffickers, we could not believe what we were hearing. In the 21st century, after such a disaster, the existence of child traffickers advertising for kids between the ages of 3-10 reminded us of the critical responsibilities facing the whole world. For the time being, the Indonesian government accommodates these children in camps. However, it seems that orphanages and boarding houses would be the most meaningful help for these children. All kinds of support should be made available to them to rub away the effects of the earthquake and for settling them back in life socially. Psychological counseling services and schools would be worthwhile contributions.

I spoke with a child who got caught up in the flood. He told me that as he was sitting at home, the house was suddenly filled with water and he was drifted in it. He was pounded time after time on the walls of the street by the waves and was injured all over. He was able to locate his parents but two siblings were still missing. In his eyes, were the terror and hope for those two siblings. The waves thrashed many children roughly here and there causing serious injuries. The most important danger awaiting those who swallowed water is lung infections. Heavy traumas and scarcities are the most important risks that can precipitate endemic diseases. Clinics to be opened in suitable areas can be remedial.

Traces of Turks in Aceh

We left that area to move to Aceh where the earthquake and the tsunami had shown their most ruthless faces. The main reason for going there was that it was the place that had been most severely struck. The research I did before going there had tickled me. I was more motivated after I found out that there were Ottoman traces in Aceh from five centuries ago. We left Medan in the evening. Our honorary consul gave us a local guide and our team set out on the road. I could not make sense of the warnings we’d received beforehand, but it turned out that the area we were going to was the place where separatist militias had been battling with the Indonesian army for years. Our guide warned us not to open the Turkish flag in front of our vehicles. Apparently, the separatist militias of Aceh were still using the crescent-star flag left over from the Ottomans. We were warned about possible confusion of the two flags so against any danger, we started out by locking the doors of our vehicle. It was a quiet journey that lasted 12 hours. On the road, we sometimes saw trucks of relief supplies. In the morning, we heard the sound of the Quran recited in a village and stopped by. It was coming from a mosque in Aceh used by earthquake survivors. We talked to them. They told us that they were hungry and what they needed the most was rice. We went on our way with heavy hearts. I cannot describe what I saw neither in words nor in snapshots. One wonders how Armageddon will be. You imagine vanishing in a moment. You feel desperation. In spite of all that foreign aid and efforts by Indonesian soldiers, the streets were full of bodies. It is said that many people were carried away by tidal waves and disappeared in the ocean. Some areas are still not accessed. It was almost as if land and sea changed places. I cannot imagine how 10-15-meter waves swallowed a city at a 500-700 km/hr speed. But it feels terrible to see the impact…The waves hit a 4-5 kilometer area in the city. The coastline of Aceh was like a ghost town. As we went inland, we saw endless lines for water and food.

What’s being done and what can be done further?

But I have to regrettably express that Turkey could have been there quicker. There was Israel, the US, Australia, the UK, Egypt, Pakistan and Japan, so Turkey should have been there, as well. And with a strong presence, too. But we’re not late. Here, we laid some foundations with our businessmen colleagues, representatives of the Foundation of Social and Economic Solidarity with the Pacific Countries. Three friends from the Red Crescent started working. We first did reconnaissance and saw that the most compelling need is food and shelter. Since the climate is mild, sheltering can be handled. We set up a soup kitchen to feed a thousand people daily. We used local cooks to provide dishes suiting the Indonesian cuisine. We went into operation in two days. Many villages still cannot be accessed. We visited a few cities that we could reach. Of course, everywhere there is nothing but pain and suffering. Our Prime Minister is sensitive about the issue. He instructed MPs to support relief efforts. He is planning a visit to the disaster area. The after-effects of the disaster will linger for years and I suppose at least one year may be necessary to get some of the aid. Therefore, the Turkish public can show their sensitivity by lending support. The Red Crescent works around a program. Let me contentedly inform you that many NGOs, some municipalities and Directorate of Religious Affairs contacted me and requested information about what they could do. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality promised to set up two soup kitchens, a policlinic and a water filtering system; the Konya Metropolitan Municipality pledged to set up a soup kitchen. The Directorate of Religious Affairs will launch a campaign in the days to come. Hence, there is sensitivity in Turkey but what matters is to send the aid to the right location in the right way. The particular organization sending the aid and where it is being sent should be known exactly. Apart from soup kitchens and clinics, there may be attempts to solve the accommodation problem for orphans. The most useful and lasting service could be an orphanage and nursing home. It is in fact a historic responsibility for Turkey. Schools may be planned for educating these children.

Actually Turks and the people of Aceh are linked historically. The Sultan of Aceh, Alaaddin Riayat asked help from the Ottoman Sultan Süleyman regarding the Portuguese invasion and the activities of missionaries that he could not stand against. An envoy of 26 galleons set sail, but were attacked by the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean. Only two ships returned to Istanbul. The successor of Sultan Süleyman, Selim II, issued a decree and sent 15 galleys and 2 escort ships commanded by Hızır Reis to Aceh. The Ottoman government did not only send ammunition, weapons and soldiers to the Muslims in Aceh but also military instructors, housing and construction specialists, experts on metals-weapons and scholars. When Ottoman sailors arrived in Aceh, the Portuguese declared that they would not fight and handed over the city. Selim the II allowed those who wished to stay in Aceh. The people of Aceh loved the Ottomans so much that they added a crescent and star on their flags. I heard about a Turkish cemetery in which Ottoman sailors were buried but nothing was left after the disaster. The people of Aceh never forgot the help of the Ottomans. During the Crimean War, they did not leave the Ottomans alone and sent 10,000 Spanish florins to Istanbul.    

» Post a Comment