VOW's Response to S-E Asia Disaster

From Lyn Adamson (Ontario)

Lyn is the Canadian representative on the International Governing Council Nonviolent Peaceforce and past executive member of the Indonesia Project, Peace Brigades International.

Dear friends,

Sri Lanka and Indonesia are both places that I have been involved in through my work with Peace Brigades (in Indonesia, including Aceh province) and Nonviolent Peaceforce (Sri Lanka). Both places have just gone through absolute hell from the tsunami, along with the southern coast of India, where I was two years ago at this time of year. So I can picture those communities and just what devastation has occurred.

I have received a lot of information about the disaster from 'on the ground' in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The lives of team members (including a Canadian, Angela Pinchero) in both locations were spared. A team member from Kenya remains in hospital with a foot injury. A local Sri Lankan staff member lost her house and a great many of her relatives, and as she clung to the roof of her house watched neighbours washed away into the sea. In some villages everyone has died. The survivors are struggling with the basics: burying the dead, trying to obtain clean drinking water, food, and some way to cook it. There are dangers from dislodged landmines as well as collapsing debris, however NP team members are helping in every way possible with the relief effort.

In terms of immediate humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, Nonviolent Peaceforce is recommending donating through Oxfam or through Sarvodaya, which has the largest community network in Sri Lanka and so is very well placed to distribute aid immediately.

Also today I received an email from Nonviolence International, a peace education project based in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, an organization that Peace Brigades International has worked closely with. All but one of the local staff of this project are missing, and the office itself and all of its peace education materials and resources, including a great deal of
original material on peacebuilding and Islam.

Nonviolence International-USA has established a relief fund for the victims and survivors of the earthquakes and tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia. Donations to the Aceh Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Fund will be distributed directly to Acehnese humanitarian aid agencies. The Aceh Relief Fund has established an advisory board of prominent Acehnese
leaders who will oversee the disbursement of the funds. Dr. Mubarak Awad is chairing the fund.

Funds can be sent via the website at www.nonviolenceinternational.net .

It is also possible to send funds through Red Cross, Oxfam UNICEF, WHO etc. (These donations, if given before January 12th will be matched by the Canadian government.)  I think it's important, however, to work through and help to strengthen local organization's responses, when we know that they have a strong reputation in their community, and when we can in practical terms get the funds there.

Many have spoken of this disaster as being the worst natural disaster in our lifetimes as the damage is so severe and so widespread throughout Southeast Asia. The earthquake along the fault line running along the edge of Sumatra Island released the energy of one million Hiroshima bombs (without the radiation, thank goodness). It caused the earth to wobble on its axis. Most of the damage was caused by the tidal waves that spread out from the
earthquake. Indonesia was hit within 15 minutes by these waves. However it was more than two hours till Sri Lanka and the Indian coast were hit. As there had been no tsunami warning system established, the communities were caught unaware. If people had been warned they could have walked 15 minutes inland and been safe. I remember from my trip to India that each village had loudspeakers in the local temple, which could have been used to warn people. But the danger was not taken seriously enough to plan for.

Certainly gives one pause to remember the power of nature, and the wisdom in looking ahead to plan for disasters that might happen, in addition to the ongoing disasters of war, AIDS, and environmental destruction. It's called the 'precautionary principle'.

We in the developed world should not assume that we will always be spared from disaster. We should be busy planning ourselves to avert the disaster that awaits as cheap oil runs out, which is not too long in the future.

In the meantime we need to really bring our humanitarian instincts, and resources to the forefront. Working together much can be accomplished.

Thank you for your support for the peace teams in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, and for your attention to relief for the tsunami survivors at this time.

All the best,

Lyn Adamson

Canadian representative on the International Governing Council Nonviolent Peaceforce Past executive member of the Indonesia Project, Peace Brigades International

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