Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and the late Suharto

..Baiturrahman Mosque (Mesjid Raya Baiturrahman), built during the Dutch colonial era, is one of Aceh's most visible landmark


..fisherman boat on a wrecked house, Ulee Lheue, Aceh

I'm home! Back from a three-day trip to Banda Aceh, Aceh. It's a good trip to kick off 2008, though bit late that is. Here's some summary of the trip, but I'm hoping to find some time to write a full travelogue.

Upon reaching Banda Aceh, I was welcomed by a huge billboard near the Sultan Iskandar Muda airport, saying, 'Anda telah berada di wilayah pelaksanaan syariat Islam. Provinsi Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam' (translated as 'You are now entering an Islamic Shariah province').

From my observation, I can sense that, after almost 4 years of the Tsunami tragedy, life has pretty much returned to normal, at least in Banda Aceh. I am aware that in certain district things are still progressing at slow pace, like Meulaboh, where 70% of the entire city was wiped out by the massive Tsunami. Nevertheless, in Banda Aceh, I noticed a lot of 'rumah bantuan', 'sekolah bantuan' with the specific NGO signages been erected all over, new rows of shophouses and mosques have been rebuilt too. The fish market too is bustling, noisy and alive with people from all over Banda Aceh.

Night life is abuzz with activities; youths hanging out at coffeeshops watching live EPL match til late, live band singing to the tunes of The Cranberries at the Cultural Centre (Pusat Budaya), family gatherings and kids playing football at public park and such. All these were just not quite possible in as recent as 5 or 6 years ago, when the Indonesian government imposed martial law in Aceh.

As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. If one were to look at the positive side of the post-Tsunami Aceh, I think the most important achievement in recent years is the Helsinki peace treaty signed between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement or Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM) in 2005. It officially ended the 30 years of bloody civil war fought between the Indonesian government and the GAM rebels that have killed more than 10,000 people. Even though there are still some grouses and mistrust of the Aceh people toward the Javanese-dominated-federal government, at least this could set as a stepping stone toward a better future in Aceh.

All in all, it was a good trip. I took 324 pictures! More Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam pictures will be uploaded soon..

First news that I read upon reaching home was that former Indonesian President, Suharto has died. May his soul rest in peace. Al-Fatihah.